In Marion County, one in five children live in poverty. One in five changed schools at least once last year. And many do not get the child support to which they are entitled.

These children are more likely to become homeless or run away, experts say. And they're more susceptible to other problems, such as substance abuse, lack of medical care and lack of dental care.

Financial stability

Across Oregon, more children live in poverty than do adults or seniors.

The effects of child poverty are many: hunger, homelessness, chronic health problems, poor cognitive development and emotional well-being, substance abuse, and high drop-out and delinquency rates.

Perhaps most disturbing is that kids who grow up in poverty are more likely to be poor when they become adults, said Cathy Kaufmann, the policy director with Children First for Oregon, a Portland group that works to improve the lives of Oregon's children by shaping statewide public policy.

"Poverty is transmitted from one generation to another," Kaufmann said.

In Marion County, more than 16,000, or 20 percent, of children younger than 18 lived in poverty in 2006.

In Polk County, more than 2,500, or 16 percent, of kids younger than 18 were poor in 2006.

The number of poor children in the two counties is staggering, considering that most had a working parent or parents in 2006.

"Low wages and unstable or seasonal employment leave many families struggling to make ends meet," said Lisa Joyce, a research analyst and manager with Oregon Housing and Community Services.

The figures on children living in poverty are from the state's 2007 Report on Poverty, generated every two years by the OHCS. The agency calculates poverty figures based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the latest American Community Survey.

In Marion County, 61.8 percent of poor families with children younger than 18 had a parent employed either part time, full time or part of the year in 2006. In Polk County, that figure was 67.2 percent.

Both Marion and Polk counties saw a drop in the number of impoverished people and families from the year before.

In Marion County, poverty dipped to 14.1 percent in 2006 from 15.1 percent in 2005.

Polk County saw a greater decline in poverty — dropping to 14.6 percent in 2006 from 19.9 percent in 2005 — while the population increased 4,000.

Child advocates and social scientists say there is no one factor that can be blamed for child poverty, saying the causes are numerous, complex and diverse.

Factors believed to contribute to poverty include low education levels, divorce, single-parent households, poor job skills, healthcare costs, a high cost of living, the nation's tax system, and the lack of financial support by non-custodial parents.

In the long run, child poverty has an adverse effect on society as a whole, extending far beyond the costs of providing adequate nutrition, medical care, education and housing, said Warren Binford, a child and family expert who teaches international children's rights at Willamette University's College of Law.

"The community and policy makers have a responsibility to address the issue of child poverty," Warren said. "When a child lives in poverty, the child doesn't develop to his or her full potential."

Stability at school

At least one in five Marion County students changed schools last year, some more than once, state education officials say.

That's higher than most other Oregon counties and the state as a whole.

Frequent moves and school changes dramatically increase children's chances of failing in school or dropping out, according to the National Housing Institute.

Students who have moved more than three times over a period of six years can fall a full academic year behind their peers, the New Jersey-based nonprofit says.

Moves also cause children to lose social and support structures at a time when they may need them most.

Those moving during the school year tend to be poor families who relocate for employment or who lose their housing, experts say.

Communities with high numbers of immigrants and migrant farmworkers, such as Marion County, also tend to have high student transience rates.

Locally, the Farmworker Housing Development Corp. provides subsidized housing to about 1,000 low-income farm families.

At its Salem site, more than 200 families are on a waiting list for 48 units. In Woodburn, 200 families wait for 102 units. And in the newly opened Independence location, 20 families are waiting for 38 units.

In the meantime, spokesman Jaime Arredondo said, families double up with others in overcrowded apartments or pay most of their wages for housing. Some are homeless and many move often, he said.

The official numbers probably underestimate the true number of students changing schools each year.

That's because Oregon schools track the "stability rate," or the number of students enrolled at the beginning of the year who remain at that school at the end of the year. That doesn't capture students who enter and leave school during the year or those who move more than once.

For the 2006-07 school year, the most recent available, the percentage of students changing schools in the Salem-Keizer School District ranged from 5 percent at Clear Lake Elementary School to 25 percent at McKay High School.

Although the district tracks rates by school, officials are unable to compile a district total, spokesman Jay Remy said.

In Polk County, 16.3 percent of students changed schools, less than the statewide average of 18.2 percent.

Stability in child support

Children often lose when their parents divorce.

Finances are divided, second incomes are lost, promises of planned vacations are broken, pressures mount for single parents, and kids often must move to a new neighborhood, leaving behind friends and dealing with a new school.

"When parents divorce, it places an incredible burden on the parent who has custody of the children, because that parent now has to survive on one income," said Teresa Cox, executive director of the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency. "That's why child support is critical."

The Salem-based agency is a nonprofit that assists low-income individuals and families through a variety of programs.

And when a non-custodial parents fails to pay child support, it compounds the stress for the youths and their families.

Child support involves court ordered, or in some cases, agreed-upon payments by a non-custodial parent to a parent, caregiver, guardian or government agency to help cover the needs of a child.

When the parent doesn't pay their child support, children suffer, said Carl Stecker, the family support chief deputy with the Marion County District Attorney's office.

"The children often have fewer resources, like food, clothing and shelter," he said. "Some aren't able to get the medicines or care they need, and many will never have the benefit of a higher education, which can help lift them out of poverty."

The Oregon Attorney General's Division of Child Support is in charge of the state's overall child support program.

In 2007, nearly $50 million, or 22.2 percent, of the more than $223 million owed in child support payments in Marion and Polk counties was paid. The figures reflect both delinquent and non-delinquent child support payments and may include some cases from surrounding counties.

Altogether, the counties handled 40,937 cases for the period ending December 2007. Of those, 25,918 cases had child support orders issued by a court.

Of the $223 million owed in the two counties, nearly $62 million were payments that weren't delinquent. The state distributed about $37 million, or 60 percent, of the non-delinquent money owed to families and children.

The other $161.5 million of the child support funds owed in Marion and Polk counties were past due support. The state collected 7.8 percent, or nearly $12.7 million, of those delinquent funds.

Jake Weigler, a spokesman with the Oregon Department of Justice, which includes the state Attorney General's Division of Child Support, said the department has done a better-than-average job in collecting both current and overdue child support payments.

"Anytime we're talking about children's future, the goal should be 100 percent compliance," Weigler said. "The state has done a good job improving services over recent years, but we can do more."

tguerrero-huston@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6815 and tloew@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6779