There is a lot to like about living in Northeastern Ohio, including what is commonly referred to as the Mahoning Valley.

The cost of living in Trumbull and Mahoning counties is more affordable than in other places in Ohio and surrounding states.

Like all of them or not, we normally enjoy four definitive seasons when it comes to weather.

There are plenty of things to do all year long when it comes to recreation — boating, festivals, fishing, golf, hiking and countless other activities.

Foodies can’t go wrong here, with all sorts of restaurants and cafes featuring classic comfort cuisine and other options for those who want to eat healthy.

The area also features multiple concert venues, both indoors and outdoors, that attract big-name artists and local favorites.

Educational opportunities abound with Youngstown State University and smaller colleges scattered around the tristate region, which includes Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Young people and older folks can also develop career skills at many nearby trade schools.

Mill Creek Park is one of the largest and most impressive metropolitan parks in the United States.

But our region is not without issues that must be addressed. Like a lot of places, crime and drugs have taken root in the Valley, which has often dealt with economic issues dating back to the late 1970s. The loss of steel industry and other manufacturing jobs over the years has led to unemployment and poverty in some of our communities.

The Valley’s two biggest cities — Warren and Youngstown — are at the top of the list of the worst cities in Ohio when it comes to childhood poverty, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

In Warren, an astounding 56.7% of children live in poverty. In Youngstown, the figure is 51.3%. Portsmouth (50.1%) and East Cleveland (49.8%) round out the top four.

Childhood poverty is defined by the number of people 17 and under who live under the poverty level based on household income. In 2024, that standard was $31,200 for a family of four with two children.

In 2022, the official childhood poverty rate in the U.S. was 12.4%. In 2023, the figure rose to 16.3%. Those numbers rose from an historic low of 5.2% in 2021, after the expiration of the Child Tax Credit, a pandemic-era program.

Nationwide, an estimated 9 million children live in poverty today. This means that children are deprived of the necessary resources they need to grow into adults who are healthy, educated and able to independently sustain their well being.

We can see where this leads. But why are those numbers so much worse here?

The expiration of the CTC is just part of the problem. We can trace much of the poverty here to the loss of well-paying manufacturing jobs — many in the steel industry — beginning in the late 1970s and continuing through the closing of the Lordstown GM plant more recently.

And then there was the pandemic. Many parents lost jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, which made it difficult for families to make ends meet. Skyrocketing inflation over the last few years has led to a rise in the cost of living as food, housing and other essential expenses all went up, putting an even bigger strain on family budgets.

Many school districts in Northeastern Ohio have stepped up to provide meals for students — sometimes two or even three meals per day. The hard question is how sustainable those programs can be as pandemic-era funds ran out last year.

The hope is that incoming manufacturing and other jobs — particularly in Trumbull County — can bring down the childhood poverty numbers in the region. The overall poverty rate here also may improve.

But those future jobs and paychecks won’t feed and clothe our children, or provide proper health care today or next week. That’s why we must continue to support churches, organizations and schools that do what they can to fill the gaps in children’s lives.

Childhood poverty in Warren and Youngstown didn’t happen overnight and the problem won’t be fixed quickly. It also won’t fix itself.

Your support of societal safety nets is critical, particularly in places like Warren and Youngstown, where more than half of all our children live in poverty.

editorial@tribtoday.com