Our ‘Women and Children First?’ series aims to shed light on often-overlooked NC problem

The News & Observer launched “Women and Children First?” because our state has a problem.

Single mothers raising children under the age of 18 make up more than a third of the families meeting the federal poverty definition in North Carolina. That’s $20,030 a year, before taxes, for a mother with two children working full time. Do the math and we’re talking $54.87 a day — BEFORE taxes, mind you — to feed, care, clothe and shelter three human beings.

The Triangle is a wonderful place to work, play and live. It’s likely that you and your neighbors do what’s possible to help others.

It’s evident, especially this time of year, when we see a surge of community attention in toy drives, food pantries and winter coat programs.

All those well-intended efforts — to collect toys, food and clothes — mask an unspoken truth about those in need.

Let Tammy Grubb, our lead reporter on this community-funded report, explain:

“Besides the obvious issues of affordability, especially in housing and childcare, and the outdated way in which our federal government measures poverty, I’ve learned there are a lot of strong, single moms out there who will do just about anything, including putting their own health and welfare on the line, to make sure their kids get what they need to be happy and successful.

“They’re not lazy or looking for a handout, but they are tired of hearing that kind of rhetoric about poverty and single mothers, and they want to see real change from local, state and federal governments.”

Now, think about what’s happened to your checkbook in recent months as gas prices jumped and grocery trips felt more like root-canal surgeries.

A widening gap

Average rent in North Carolina shot up 33% since last year, and 50% in Raleigh and Durham. The burden falls hard on single moms, who must choose between rent and household expenses each month as the gap between poverty wages and “living wages” widens.

Tammy, who is known for her coverage of Orange County, and Raleigh Reporter Anna Johnson recently completed the second installment of “Women and Children First? by focusing on the constant challenge for single moms of finding stable housing options.

The reporting for these stories has had challenges. Some moms were reluctant to be identified or didn’t want their story told. There are haters in our community who quickly judge anyone who lives or looks differently than they do.

‘A worthy goal’

Deputy Metro Editor Mark Schultz has been the project editor to date, and his mission is to develop stories around public-policy issues affecting single moms, from pointing out problems to showing solutions.

“This project is a chance to keep an issue in front of readers and community and state leaders,” Mark says. “The challenge is it’s easy to report what happened last night, last week. Harder to say what is happening, every day, to report the everyday tensions that people live with, often quietly, and on their own. If our series makes some families feel less alone, that too would be a worthy goal.”

We couldn’t do this reporting without The N&O’s community donors because of the time commitments and nuances of this topic. Not everyone wants to read stories that are discomforting.

Tammy, wise in her calming way, explains why you should care.

“When I asked (single moms) if they consider themselves to be poor or living in poverty, nearly every mom said no, because even if they don’t have enough money, they know others who are in a worse situation or they can occasionally turn to family and friends.”

Bill Church is executive editor of The News & Observer.