Salvation Army Is Measuring Poverty In Real Time

(Oct. 13) – While the name and message of the Salvation Army (which took that name in 1877) have changed substantially over time, the group’s extensive statistical undertaking has not. True to its beginnings, the wealth of numbers has mostly been used as a means of accountability, both to satisfy donors and the public of its virtue. Now, the Salvation Army has decided to use its data for a higher purpose. Last week, the Salvation Army and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University announced the culmination of a five-year-long collaboration: the Human Needs Index, a brand-new tool for measuring poverty across time and geographic regions.