A 53% Surge in Poverty Rate Is Reshaping Suburbs - NYTimes.com
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/25/us/suburban-poverty-surge-challenges-communities.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp
The poor population in America’s suburbs — long a symbol of a stable and prosperous American middle class — rose by more than half after 2000, forcing suburban communities across the country to re-evaluate their identities and how they serve their populations.
As a result, suburban municipalities — once concerned with policing, putting out fires and repairing roads — are confronting a new set of issues, namely how to help poor residents without the array of social programs that cities have, and how to get those residents to services without public transportation. Many suburbs are facing these challenges with the tightest budgets in years.