Report shows the rate of Ohioans living in poverty has increased for the first time in 10 years....

The number of Ohio residents living in poverty increased for the first time in a decade, according to a new report from the Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies.

The report found Ohio's poverty rate increased from 12.7% to 13.4% in 2021, reflecting a national trend.

Chronic poverty, which is defined as being in poverty every month over a 24-month period, has decreased in the United States since 2011.

But the rate of people living in poverty for at least two consecutive months in a 24-month period — referred to as episodic poverty — has remained unchanged and is nearly nine times higher than the chronic poverty rate, according to the report.

On Cincinnati Edition, we discuss why more people are living in poverty and what programs are available to help.