BY ALFRED LUBRANO

Poverty increased nearly 1 percent in Philadelphia's suburbs between 2000 and 2008, partly because of two recessions, according to a report being released today.

Poverty in the suburbs reached a rate of 7.4 percent, compared with 24.1 percent within Philadelphia, according to the report by the Brookings Institution. Citywide poverty increased 1.2 percent between 2000 and 2008, the report showed.

Nationwide, suburban poverty increased by 25 percent during that time frame, nearly five times the rate of urban poverty, according to the report...

Another indication of hard times in the suburbs is measured by increased numbers of residents receiving food stamps or SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits.

Between December 2008 and December 2009, for example, the percentage change in SNAP participants went up in every Philadelphia suburb in Pennsylvania, according to the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger...

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