Kids play in Daniel and Marlana Robertson's pool in Hattiesburg, Miss.
Hattiesburg, Miss.
● Population: 45,989 (2010)
● Poverty rate, households with related children: 42.4% (2008-10 census estimate)
● Unemployment rate: 7.1% (April 2012)
Daniel Robertson, 33, and 29-year-old Marlana Robertson were born and raised in Hattiesburg, Miss., and have known poverty all of their lives.
For the past four years they have lived in a 1,000-square-foot, four-bedroom house, sharing the small space with their eight children and depending entirely on government assistance -- Medicaid, food stamps and disability checks -- to get by.
"The way it is now is frustrating on a lot of people," Daniel says.
When he was 15, Daniel was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that limits his ability to work and requires him to take about $700 worth of medications each month. His disability checks cover his prescriptions, but money is very tight. Neither parent works, and church and community food programs frequently provide hot meals for the family during the week.
"I want my kids to have a good job and own a better house," Daniel says, proud of his eldest daughter, Emmi, who just started high school.
The obstacles facing his kids are daungting, though. Despite being home to University of Southern Mississippi and William Carey University, Hattiesburg High School has a very high dropout rate, and the area is surrounded by pervasive poverty. More than 30% of Hattiesburg residents live in poverty, according to U.S. census data.
-- Bryant Hawkins
