Despite economic improvement across the country, a recent survey of 25 American cities finds homelessness and hunger are on the rise. With the federal government cutting resources, providing for the neediest is expected to be harder next year.
"Homelessness and hunger have increased and are expected to keep rising in many cities next year, according to the latest U.S. Conference of Mayors survey of 25 large and midsized metro areas," reports Matt Pearce.
"Officials involved in the urban survey said they were worried about recent cuts to food stamps and by the new congressional budget deal, which does not renew jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed. Those extended benefits will expire after Christmas."
"The hungry and homeless issue continues to be with us," said Tom Cochran, chief executive and executive director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. "We are very concerned that before budget cuts take place, the mind-set of Washington does not understand what is happening in our neighborhoods and cities large and small across America."
Doctors and academics are warning of a dire hunger crisis in Britain as well, reports Charlie Cooper in The Independent.
"A surge in the number of people requiring emergency food aid, a decrease in the amount of calories consumed by British families, and a doubling of the number of malnutrition cases seen at English hospitals represent 'all the signs of a public health emergency that could go unrecognised until it is too late to take preventative action,'" said the public health experts in a letter to the British Medical Journal.
FULL STORY: Homelessness, hunger climbing in U.S. cities, mayors' survey says
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