TRANSCRIPT: Syracuse Resident Votes to Support Struggling Families
Marisa Nuñez: Voters come out to the polls for many reasons, but for Carin Eaton of Eastwood, she’s voting out of concern for her neighbors.
Carin Eaton: Looking around, it just seems to me that the community is completely ignored, and especially minority communities.
Nuñez: Eaton lives on Ashdale Avenue, where she says most of her neighbors are on fixed incomes. With the rise of food costs and rent, she worries about those struggling the most.
Eaton: It’s very scary to watch. Single moms raising multiple kids, working several jobs.
Nuñez: Although Eaton isn’t a mother herself, she believes wages haven’t kept up with the cost of living, leaving many mothers without support. Federal data show nearly one in three Syracuse households lives below the poverty line, putting pressure on families like those on Eaton’s block.
Eaton: I guess the system is truly broken if you can’t, with a high school degree, afford to have a family and everything that the American promise was supposed to bring.
Nuñez: With her vote, Eaton hopes the outcome of this election will bring more support to vulnerable communities. Marisa Nunez, NCC News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – As voters across Central New York head to the polls, each person has their own reason for voting.
For Carin Eaton, an Onondaga County voter and Eastwood resident, that reason is her neighbors.
“Looking around, it just seems to me that the community is completely ignored,” Eaton said. “Especially minority communities.”
Eaton lives on Ashdale Avenue and said that many residents on her block live on fixed incomes and are struggling with the rising cost of rent and food.
“It’s very scary to watch single moms raising multiple kids, working several jobs,” Eaton said.
Although she isn’t a mother herself, Eaton feels a responsibility to stand with families navigating financial strain since she has a sister and close friends who are mothers.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the area median income in Syracuse is $47,525, with rising costs adding significant pressure to households earning less. Federal data shows that nearly one in three Syracuse households lives in poverty.
“I guess the system is truly broken if you can’t, with a high school degree, afford to have a family and everything that the American promise was supposed to bring,” Eaton said.
With her vote, Eaton hopes this election leads to stronger support systems for families in need.