Houston: closer to Third World than you might think

Houstonist grew up in this city (for the most part), and we think we turned out fine. Right? Well, our shortcomings and hangups aside, it's dangerous to be a kid in Houston these days, according to Children at Risk President Robert Sanborn. Sanborn spoke to a group of child advocates at a summit at the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast yesterday. This is what he had to say about the state of affairs in Houston:

Harris County families today are plagued with greater poverty, worsening infant mortality rates and increasing problems accessing affordable health care.

Sounds pretty dismal. We already heard last month that Houston's not exactly tops when it comes to having kids, and now this? We're developing an inferiority complex. In all seriousness, the issues that Sanborn raised are serious. The statistics concerning poverty, insurance, and infant mortality are staggering, and things have only been getting worse in the past several years. What's a city to do? Children at Risk is calling for legislation and increased funding to aid social services for children in Texas. Did you hear that, state legislature? Let's get to it.