'It's hard': Summit aims to help as 1 in 4 Fayetteville children live in poverty

In an effort to put in place a framework for change, city leaders and a group called Pathways for Prosperity are holding a summit on Saturday, Nov. 18 at the Cumberland County Department of Social Services.

Teya Williamson and Ikea Pitts are single mothers fighting to pull themselves out of a cycle of generational poverty in Fayetteville.

"It's hard, stressful," said Pitts. "Especially with a newborn."

The two women say they have had to make tough choices about food and medicine for their kids.

"If I don't have enough money to get both. I just get what's more important," Pitts said. "If he needs the food, I get the food. Then, later on, I get the medicine."

According to Fayetteville City Councilman Kirk deViere, 17 percent of Cumberland County residents live in poverty. He said 43 percent of those residents are single mothers.

"If you're a child born in certain parts of our community, you're going to make 18 percent less than your parent's lifetime income," deViere said. "Eighteen percent less. No matter what you do because of the zip code you were born in."

Williamson and Pitts live near B Street, one of the six Fayetteville neighborhoods in the 2014 census determined to be economically distressed.

deVieire hopes the Pathways for Prosperity summit starts to lay the groundwork to turn those numbers around for young people in Fayetteville and Cumberland County.

"This isn't a summit for elected officials and non-profit leaders," deVieire said. "We want the community leaders there, but we also want people from the community involved in this process."

The summit starts at 9 a.m. It is free and open to the public.