BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Some social services experts are trying to come up with a strategy to deal with one of the biggest problems facing Erie County, poverty.

On Friday, the Erie County Poverty Committee released a list of recommendations outlined in it's 2017 report. One of the things the committee wants to do is dispel the idea that poverty is just an inner city problem.

"In fact, 62 percent of  poverty in Erie County is outside of Buffalo and Lackawanna," said Kinzer M. Pointer, the head of the Erie County anti-poverty committee.

According to the 2016 U.S. Census report, nearly 15 percent of people in Erie County live below the poverty level. Experts say that can have a devastating impact on the quality of living measures, such as health care and housing.

"People live in neighborhoods and the things that happen to them inside those neighborhoods shape and influence their lives in enormous ways including their abilities to be able to access jobs and opportunities, and to be able to deal with all of the challenges they face," said Henry Taylor, director of UB Center for Urban Studies.