 Definition of Poverty Poverty is a lack of income to pay for life necessities. Examples of Kinds of Poverty Sweat shops along the border with Mexico and life in Colonias Former Appalachian coal mining towns Very low wage scales in South Dakota Harsh environment and poor infrastructure in Maine Abandoned neighborhoods, drugs and crime, in Baltimore Unemployment in Miami following large scale in-migration Individuals with learning disabilities who do not qualify as disabled Losing employment as a result of contracting breast cancer Loss of infrastructure and educational opportunities in rural areas of the Midwest Elderly left behind in diminishing small towns Elderly who out live their financial resources Job loss when an auto plant shuts down Cut backs in child care and health insurance as companies try to stay afloat in recession Bankruptcy of small businesses serving the wealthy in a time of wealth loss Single mothers who lose TANF benefits due to time limits on the benefits Immigrants without legal papers who are exploited by unscrupulous contractors People with very low self-esteem due to a long history of abuse Young people without a job history in a tight job market Giving up employment to care for family members Examples of Causes of Poverty Inequality in pay for women Failure to complete high school "Urban Removal" that destroys affordable housing Gentrification that destroys affordable housing Instability of income in the "gray market" (hair braiding, dog walking, selling crafts, busking) Inability to speak English Exporting of once good-paying manufacturing jobs to Indonesia, etc. Gaps in providing for health care (Loss of income and paying medical bills with out insurance is one of the top two causes of downward economic mobility) Low Social Security benefits and no pensions for some retirees Sub-prime mortgage scandal and current financial crisis Loss of income leading to foreclosure of home mortgages A job skill becoming obsolete due to technological changes Money not circulating within low-income neighborhoods but being pulled out to national and big chains and multinationals (e.g. Wall Mart versus Main Street) Isolation of Native American on reservations Drug and alcohol addictions Failure to invest in rural infrastructure such as rural schools or water systems Lack of a living wage Drought Anomie: lack of basic life skills and participation in social networks Lack of opportunity for ex-convicts Divorce Crime Usurious credit card rates and check cashing costs Racial discrimination in access to jobs, training, housing, insurance, etc. (or over-charging) Limitations on union organizing The federal debt and resistance to funding low-income programs Family unfriendly employment policies such as high cost of child care Poor schools in low-income areas because of dependence on local school financing Children with only one or zero parents Poor health practices of people with low incomes, e.g. diet of fat and sugar Undocumented immigrants and some legal immigrants driving down pay for marginal workers. Declining birth rates and an aging population. Failure to invest in physical and social infrastructure Tax policies that have sharply increased income and wealth inequality Poor states versus rich states Military spending that dominates discretionary spending by the federal government Policies in some jurisdictions of cutting back anti-poverty supports with the goal of driving out unwanted low-income people Difficulty in learning about and gaining access to available benefits Lack of public transit access to available jobs The employment law that requires any company providing health care benefits to any employee to provide them for all employees working more than 20 hours a week. Guiding Questions for Understanding a Kind of Poverty What is your definition, and what are competing definitions, of which people are experiencing the kind of poverty? Where are these people living? (neighborhood,city/town, urban/rural, state, region, etc.) What are the individual factors that matter (physiological, psychological, relational, educational level, family dynamics, language)? What are the group interaction factors that matter? What are the important resources involved? What are the key institutions involved (governments, non-profits, professional organizations, businesses, churches, etc.)? What are your goals, and competing goals, regarding this kind of poverty (reduction, support, research)? What are the paths in and out of this kind of poverty? How much do issues of stigma and shame matter? What are the rewards for staying in this kind of poverty versus moving out? Who benefits from this kind of poverty? (Follow the money.) What are the historic patterns for this kind of poverty (increase/decrease, location, etc.)? How well is this kind of poverty understood by professionals, by the general public? Are there good programs for overcoming this kind of poverty? Is spending more money on programs an important/sufficient answer? How much is this kind of poverty affected by business/economic factors versus individual and governmental factors? How important are culture issues, both general cultural attitudes (racism, sexism, etc.) and sub-cultural values and conceptions of those within the kind of poverty? |