One out of eleven young children in the Eindhoven region lives in a low-income family. This statistic is the result of a survey done among 11,000 parents, commissioned by GGD Brabant-Zuidoost (Southeast Brabant’s Social Health Service ).
In total, it involves 8,500 children, aged from zero to eleven years. Most of these poverty-stricken children live in Eindhoven and Helmond. According to the GGD, this group has a higher risk of depression, loneliness, stress, and embarrassment.
The number of impoverished children has decreased in recent years. According to GGD researcher, Mieke van Duijnhoven, this is because the economic climate is better now. “A welcome development, of course. But despite the crisis being over, at this time, one out of eleven children still lives in poverty”.
The health service concluded that the income among ‘poor’ families is not always very low. The net income of one-third of this group is more than EUR2,200 per month. Van Duijnhoven: “This is ‘too much’ to be eligible for all kinds of benefits and subsidies. Therefore, they fall by the wayside and sometimes get further into trouble”. The GGD wants to bring more under the attention to this ‘hidden poverty’.
Source: www.studio040.nl
Translated by: Bob
Edited by: Melinda
