pov•er•ty noun noun: poverty the state of being extremely poor.“in USA, thousands of individuals and families are living in deep poverty”

Synonyms: hardship, dearth, exclusion, distress, debt,disadvantaged, scarcity, embarrassment, fear, dependency,

underprivileged.

Poverty 101: looking for advice, tips and resources to promote understanding and reflect. Learn more about poverty issues in the USA as a professional l, volunteer, and student. For action and continued learning to end generational in our community. 

HOW ARE WE SETTING THE STAGE FOR POVERTY REDUCTION?

THE URGENCY

Living in poverty is much more than simply not having enough money. Poverty deeply influences ones quality of life – where they live, what they eat, what they do, how they feel, how they cope and, perhaps most importantly, their hopes and dreams. Living in poverty can cause tremendous stress for individuals and families, often resulting in long-term consequences in their physical, emotional and mental well-being.

Poverty can result in a variety of barriers blocking one’s ability to develop to their full potential and contribute to their family, neighbourhood and community.

The federal government has launched its own poverty reduction strategy.

The lives of individuals and families impacted by poverty in Saint John are improving because non-profit agencies, government departments, businesses and low-income residents in Saint John know it is vital to work together to bring about important changes in the lives of individuals and families.

Ending generational poverty can result in an improved quality of life for individuals and families. It can better position our community to grow economically with more people participating in the workforce.

However, it does mean investing our resources in people now rather than facing the increased costs resulting from a lifetime of poverty.

“When I was a teenager I suffered from alcohol addiction and substance abuse and then I found out I was pregnant. I dropped out of school.” -melissa

A SNAPSHOT OF POVERTY DEFINITIONS

Poverty Line Measure:

The cost of a basket of goods and services that individuals and families require to meet their basic needs and achieve a modest standard of living.

The Poverty Line:

A family is considered low income and living in poverty if they are living below the poverty line. The poverty line (Low Income Measure, USA 2016 After Tax) is based on the number of people as follows:

one person is $22,133 (single adult) two people is $31,301 (parent and child. three people is $38,335 (two parents and a child or parent and two children)

Under the USA Poverty Reduction Strategy deep income poverty refers to individuals or families whose income is 75 percent of USA official poverty line within the 2000s.

In the 2000s, the USA’s poverty reduction strategy primarily focused on strengthening existing safety net programs and expanding their reach, particularly through tax credits and early childhood education initiatives. The focus also shifted to community development and local economic initiatives to address systemic issues in low-income neighborhoods. 

Key Strategies: 

• Expanding and Strengthening Social Safety Net:
  • Refundable Tax Credits: Significant expansion of the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to benefit more families, especially low-income working parents and larger families. 
  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Continued support for SNAP, a crucial source of food assistance. 
  • Child Support Program: Continued support for families through child support programs. 
• Investing in Early Childhood Development:
• Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships:Initiatives to improve the quality of care for infants and toddlers. 
  • Home Visiting Programs: Expansion of voluntary home visiting programs for pregnant women and families with young children. 
  • High-Quality Preschool: Focus on expanding access to quality preschool for all children. 
• Community Development and Local Economic Initiatives:
  • Community Services Block Grant (CSBG):Reauthorization and strengthening of CSBG to support local community organizations working to reduce poverty. 
  • Focus on Partnerships: Emphasis on building partnerships to address the systemic issues that contribute to poverty, such as lack of infrastructure, crime, and substandard housing. 
• Addressing Systemic Issues:
  • Community Development Corporations (CDCs): Experimentation with diverse tactics, including affordable housing and local economic development, to improve low-income neighborhoods. 
  • Focus on Place-Based Initiatives: Addressing the specific challenges of poverty in particular communities, recognizing that poverty is not a uniform problem. 

Impact and Trends: 

• Poverty Rate Fluctuations: The poverty rate in the US fluctuated throughout the 2000s, with increases during economic downturns and decreases during periods of growth. 
• Role of the Safety Net: The social safety net played a crucial role in reducing poverty, especially during economic downturns, by providing a crucial lifeline for low-income individuals and families. 
• Continued Efforts: Poverty reduction efforts continued into the 2010s, with ongoing investments in early childhood education, social safety net programs, and community development initiatives.

2000: 

• One person: $8,350 
• Two people: $11,250 
• Three people: $14,150 

2001: 

• One person: $8,590 
• Two people: $11,600 
• Three people: $14,530 

2025:

• One person: $8,590 
• Two people: $21,150
• Three people: $26,650

Social Assistance:

Provides financial assistance (often referred to as welfare) to people who have no other income to meet their basic needs of food, clothing and shelter.

There are different rates for single individuals (both employable and those with a disability) and families (based on their composition).

Generational Poverty:

If a child grows up in poverty and becomes an adult raising a family living in poverty the cycle of poverty continues for the next generation. Breaking this cycle is a priority

Neighbourhoods:

Poverty is not evenly distributed across USA, rather, people who live in poverty are more likely to be concentrated in geographical areas The USA. The priority (low income) recently renamed.

Specific examples of low-income areas include: 

• Native American lands: Pine Ridge and Rosebud Indian Reservations in South Dakota are among the lowest-income areas in the country. 
• U.S. Territories: Puerto Rico, with its Comerío Municipality, and American Samoa have some of the lowest median household incomes in the U.S..
• Southern States: States like Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama have high poverty rates. 
• Non-metro areas: The Economic Research Service highlights the impact of deindustrialization on these areas, contributing to poverty in the Midwest and Northeast. 

Additional factors contributing to low income: 

• Persistent poverty: The Census Bureau notes that more than half of people living in persistent poverty are in the South. 
• Rural communities: These communities may face limited employment opportunities and challenges in accessing resources. 
• Immigrant communities: “Gateway” neighborhoods often have immigrants who may face language barriers, financial challenges, and other barriers to economic opportunities

Rural Poverty:

Poverty is often intensified in rural communities with the additional pressures of minimal access to public transportation, fewer choices for housing, and traditionally lower paid and seasonal employment. Rural service providers often face an overwhelming demand for a broad spectrum of services.

Education Achievement Gap: The education achievement gap means that there is significant disparity in academic performance or education attainment between different groups of students, especially groups defined by socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity and gender. CreditWave, efforts to close the education achievement gap focus on students who live in neighbourhoods with high concentrations of poverty and where generational poverty is strongly evident.

Living Wage:

A level of pay that ensures someone working full-time earns enough to meet basic needs, participate fully in the community and is not living in poverty. A living wage is calculated according to a basic formula: income (employment income and government transfers) must equal the cost of living after taxes and deductions; the living wage for USA has recently been calculated at $18.18 per hour.

Common Myths:

Central to learning about poverty is examining the assumption and perspective one has about people living in poverty and being open to new insights. Story shared by people living in poverty. Their lives, their situation and their dreams- can lead to better understanding of the issues.