Duluth Agency Fighting Poverty Celebrates Milestone

DULUTH - People all over Minnesota are riding their bikes into Duluth and it’s not to admire the trail system; It's all part of a celebration.They’re riding 50 miles to mark a 50 year milestone for an agency lifting people up who are homeless or poor. In 1964, legislation was created to end the war on poverty and out of that birthed Community Action agencies across the country.Since its inception, Community Action Duluth's main goal has been to empower families and individuals living in poverty. The non-profit agency provides hundreds of locals with long and short term coaching in the areas of employment, education, finances, affordable transportation and more. Officials say while a lot of progress has been made in the last 50 years, helping people who are unemployed and the working poor, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done."So many people are still struggling to get by that we can’t rest on those laurels of 50 years of tradition and history,” Community Action Duluth executive director Angie Miller said. “So we have to be really creative and innovative in moving forward." According to reports, the poverty rate in Duluth is 22 percent which is almost twice the state average. Advocates believe it can be attributed to things like lack of education and low wages."So if you work full time at minimum wage and you have a child you are still in poverty,” said Miller. “I mean think about that, you work 40 hours a week at minimum wage." Community Action Duluth is in the middle of a strategic plan that takes a look into other poverty-related barriers. Agency officials say since Community Action Duluth began they've put a dent into the poverty rate of people over the age of 65 and living in rural areas.