Child Poverty Level in O.C. Up 73%, Study Says

Children in Orange County, one of the most affluent areas in the U.S., are falling into poverty at a dramatically rapid rate, according to a report released Friday.

The Conditions of Children report by a coalition of nonprofit and government agencies said that from 1990 to 1994 the number of poor children increased 73%, from 84,000 to 145,000--almost one-fifth of the youth population.

The report, a comprehensive overview of statistics from various government agencies and nonprofit organizations, based the poverty figure on the number of children receiving free or reduced-cost school lunches, available only to children whose families’ incomes are at or below the federal poverty line.

In general, the county’s 670,000 children are worse off than they were five years ago in almost every aspect of their lives, according to the report by the Orange County Partnership for Children.

“Even before the bankruptcy, funding cuts at every level have left children in crowded classrooms in aging schools,” the report says. “There are more teen pregnancies, more single parents, less child support and increasing poverty. Many of our children are hungry, and many are homeless. More of our teens use drugs and alcohol. More are violent and more are victims.”

Although the report contains much alarming news, it does not suggest that the majority of children in Orange County are experiencing severe economic, health, sexual or educational problems. It does not offer a figure for how many children face such problems.

The report also contains some encouraging news: More women are receiving prenatal care in their first trimester, infant mortality is down and more kindergarten-age children are receiving immunizations. But for the most part, the 84-page report paints of a picture of children facing crisis.

“The number of children in poverty is an alarming statistic,” said Supervisor William G. Steiner, speaking at a news conference about the report. “And in Orange County people don’t believe there are children in poverty; I think there’s a lot of denial that there are children in poverty in this community.”

For the first time in the three years the report has been issued, researchers looked at cumulative data over five years. Also new this year is the multi-agency collaboration to produce a report that once had been financed solely by the county and produced by Children’s Hospital of Orange County.

This year, seven agencies assembled the report with in-kind donations from 19 sources, including $150,000 in printing from Lawrence and Mayo Advertising, and contributions from the county, the city of Huntington Beach and United Way of Orange County.

“It’s an incredible example of what can be accomplished in even the worst of times,” said Maria Chavez-Wilcox, president of United Way of Orange County.

The new cooperation, however, stood out as a bright spot in an otherwise dreary picture of the county’s future and the litany of ills facing its children.

In addition to the increasing poverty of many children, teen pregnancy stood out as a menace to the well-being of the county’s youth.

Although teen pregnancy rates in the county have leveled off in the past two years, girls are getting pregnant at earlier ages and the fathers are increasingly older. From 1990 to 1994, the number of girls 15 and younger giving birth to children fathered by men in their 20s rose from 72 to 88--a 22% increase.

“The horrible thing is the girls get younger and younger,” said Marilyn Salzman, director of development and community services for Florence Crittenton Services, a residential program for girls 12 to 18 years old who have emotional and behavioral problems. “The girls are looking for the attachment, safety and home life, and these guys are smart enough to offer it to them. But once responsibility falls on their shoulders with the baby, they leave.”

Much of the information in the report was compiled using databases from various agencies, and in most cases the statistics are current only to 1994. But one trend the report emphasizes is the strong role that drugs, violence and gang life play in the lives of many children.

Drug use among teens remains a problem, with 35% more teens seeking treatment for substance abuse at public agencies. Marijuana is preferred by almost 40% of high school students who abuse drugs, followed by alcohol.

Also, according to statistics provided by the district attorney’s office, gang membership of children ages 8 to 14 is up 292% in the past five years, an increase from 214 to 837, and gang-related murders--the vast majority of which involve juveniles--more than doubled from 1990 to 1995, from 28 to 70.

Receiving mixed reviews in the report was the status of children’s nutritional well-being.

Although the report lauds the county’s strong outreach efforts of maternal and child health programs and immunization campaigns for helping more families, about a third of the county’s children often go hungry, the report said.

This poor nutrition often is manifested by weight problems, the report said.

“One indicator of poor nutrition is obesity and 13.7% of children are overweight, versus 13% in California and 10% in the U.S. The problem is particularly acute in Hispanic children, where almost a quarter of 10 to 12 year old youths are above the 95th percentile in weight for their age,” the report says.

“For these children, poverty often results in a diet high in starches without the fruits and vegetables healthy children need.”

Daunting as much of the information in the report appears to be, Steiner said the public should remember the gains that have been made in caring for the county’s children and resolve to see more progress achieved.

“Well, I’ve been hearing bad news about children for 37 years,” said Steiner, former director of the Orangewood Children’s Home, the county’s emergency shelter for abused and neglected children. “But [the report] is a wake-up call that needs to be repeated.”

Although the effects of the bankruptcy did not show in the report because data was current only to December 1994, if the county is to reverse the trend it will have to beef up prevention efforts it slashed to balance its budget, Steiner said.

“The bankruptcy fell most heavily on the social services. . . . But now I think we’re going to see the pendulum swing back and we’ll try to reestablish some of the preventive programs,” he said.

Times staff writer Martin Miller contributed to this report.