HAMPTON, Va. - There’s a new innovation lab in Hampton that’s targeting a big issue in Hampton Roads- the number of people living in poverty. Data shows that more than half of the seven cities are well above the state poverty level.
“You got seniors out here, like myself, that ain’t got near a morsel of food in their cabinets," said Newport News resident Theodore Webb. “There’s been times when me and my wife- we didn’t know where we would get our next meal.”
The Chief Officer of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion released numbers in 2021. Virginia's average poverty level is 10.6%. Suffolk, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach are at or below 10.6%. Hampton and Newport News are over 15%. Portsmouth is at almost 17%, and Norfolk is the highest at nearly 19%.
Edith White with the Hampton Roads Community Action Program (HRCAP) told News 3 that data is exactly why they opened the Whole Family Innovation Lab at the end of August.
The lab provides educational and financial coaches, a computer lab to apply for jobs, a game room for kids, a clothing closet, and much more.
White said for a family of four, poverty level means the household income is at or below $25,000.
“We find that many families are working and they’re working poor, because the money that they earn is not enough to meet their daily needs, and I’m talking about basic needs like food, shelter, and clothing,” said White.
The lab is having an open house on Thursday Sept. 28 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The address is 1919 Commerce Drive, Suite 100, in Hampton.
