Rural Policy

Catholic Charities USA’s Social Policy Advocacy team is working to meet the needs of agencies that serve rural areas more effectively. We hope that the information and resources that you find here will help keep you up to date about the rural social policy issues and will help you advocate for rural issues. Many issues that appear here are also of concern in urban areas but the way they are evidenced is different in rural areas and so are the solutions. A variety of factors influence our understanding of challenges and solution in rural areas some of these include:

• Rural poverty is working poverty
• Child poverty is higher in rural areas
• Rural counties often suffer long-term poverty
• The economic base continues to erode, with the service industry growing
• Discretionary rural federal funding is only a fraction of urban federal funding
• Rural communities have fewer resources.
• Rural communities, in general, have less access to services that do exist.

Please send an email to socialpolicy@catholiccharitiesusa.org if you want to inform us about policy issues that you believe are of special concern to people and service providers in rural America.

Resources from Catholic Charities USA

1. Overview of Rural Hunger Power Point Presentation
2. Rural America: Where's the Hidden Treasure Power Point Presentation

Other Resources

1. Understanding poverty and homelessness in America
2. Medicaid and Its Importance to Rural Health
3. Methamphetamine: Federal Bill Passes as Part of USA Patriot Act

Links to Organizations that Address Rural Issues