...Writing 02/22/2013 Jennifer Preus Have you or a loved one recently lost your job? Have you found yourself wondering how you’re going to pay rent or a mortgage payment this month? Have you had to rely on outside sources to help supplement your food and utility expenses? In 2012, over 5.4 million workers left the job market entirely (Folks, 2013) and are now facing housing crises. As the demand for affordable housing continues to grow as adults are unable to find work, many Americans are facing homelessness and have no affordable housing available to them. All across America, more people are finding themselves homeless. Whether in big cities or small urban towns, the homeless rate continues to grow as the inability to pay for affordable housing grows. The number of people paying more than fifty percent (50%) of their income toward rent increased by more than six percent (6%) from 2009 to 2010. The United States Housing and Urban Development (HUD) classify those paying that high of a percentage as “severely housing cost burdened”. In a survey conducted by the Low Income Housing Information Service, more than 17.6 million households with children experience at least one major housing problem, meaning that one out of every two households with children in this country experience an issue with housing (Kaufman, 2013). Per The National Alliance to End Homelessness (2012) the national rate of homelessness was 21 homeless people per 10,000. Nearly four in ten of those homeless...
Words: 1828 - Pages: 8
...How can we reduce poverty in the United States? In the United States there are 1.2 billion people living in poverty. The question was “how can we reduce poverty in the United States?” I believe was can reduce poverty by creating more job, an increase in the security of our food, exploring renewable energy sources, investing in our children, and improving education in the United States. The reasons for hunger in the United States are embedded in poverty. Attempting to address one alone is impossible they go hand in hand and they’re deeply-rooted in each other. Americans everywhere are get paid low wages and struggle to put nourishment on the table and bring home the bacon. We all seek the same end goal to address the issue with pervasiveness of poverty in the U.S. We have educate our children and make greater employment opportunities for everybody, give sufficient work aids to the unemployed, and offer benefits for low-wage people allowing the ability to save money. For so many Americans, the U.S. workforce doesn't allow people to support their families. In the average home one or more parents work two or more jobs to survive. Youth food programs are key to stopping poverty in kids’ life. At the point when kids get the nourishment they require, they are more prone to move out of poverty. This battle will not be won by one human being, it is a joint effort and we all need to do our part to end...
Words: 256 - Pages: 2
...Why can’t we end Poverty in America? Jake Hauser English 102 12/6/13 Today in the United States, more than 46 million Americans are living in poverty. The word poverty is defined as; the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. In other words, poverty is essentially the state of being poor. In a broad perspective, there are two types of poverty. There is relative poverty which refers to people who live in poor accommodations, cannot afford certain necessities, and struggle to make ends meet. In most cases for theses people, there is welfare available to help them so it would be rare for them to go without somewhere to live or to go starving. The other kind of poverty is known as absolute poverty. This is the kind of poverty that you would see in third world countries. These people have no food, no water and no help and it usually leads to death. Believe it or not, poverty is a worldwide problem that is taking place in every nation on the globe. In fact, half of the people in the world today are living on less than $2.50 per day. Statistically, Haiti is the most poverty stricken country in the world, with 77% of it’s population living below the poverty line. It also has a 40% unemployment rate, and many poverty-stricken people live on less than $1 a day. The United States may not be the most poverty stricken country in the world, but that doesn’t mean that there still isn’t a big problem in our...
Words: 1835 - Pages: 8
...older generations, especially when it comes to the issue of poverty. Poverty is defined as the general scarcity, dearth, or the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money. It is a multifaceted concept, which includes social, economic, and political elements and becomes self-replicating. Nicholas Kristof, a well-known columnist for the New York Times, writes many opinion pieces on this issue. Kristof has been writing about poverty since the beginning of his career with the New York Times. Kristof is prompted to write about poverty because his main focus includes human rights, women’s rights, health, and global affairs. He has written columns on the issue of poverty dating as far back as 2001. He not only writes of the...
Words: 1699 - Pages: 7
...Poverty in the U.S. Abstract Poverty in the United States is rising at an alarming rate. One in every eight residents are homeless or living at the poverty level according to the Census Bureau. There are several programs or strategies that need to be developed by the Government to try and put an end or at least have a resolution in place to help our citizens. We are one of the richest countries, but there is more money being spent on wars, than there is to make sure people have a roof over their head. “The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty, and all forms of human life.” (John F. Kennedy) We the United States of America need to make a commitment to ending poverty and creating strategies and guidelines in order to achieve this commitment. Putting an end to poverty will require responsibility and improved choices by individuals and more structured policies from the government. With the poverty rate remaining at a high rate of 15 percent for all Americans and 21.96 percent for children, there should be more policies being implemented and in place to help put an end to the suffering. Socrates states in his quote “It is not living that matter, but living rightly”. Living rightly would mean to look at the bigger picture and determine where cuts need to be made, and what the government can do to decrease the poverty level until it no longer exist. How can we be considered one of the richest countries...
Words: 380 - Pages: 2
...Under what economic conditions are children living across the United States? Child poverty and its misfortunes By: Racheal H. Caldwell A Paper Presented in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements of CST5006 – Survey of Research Methodology Racheal H. Caldwell May 2013 Address: 22-04 Collier Ave Apt 5H Far Rockaway NY 11691 Phone: 347-985-6673 Email: racheal_caldwell@yahoo.com Instructor: Kathy Blaydes Abstract The United States economy is going through a phenomenon described as “globalization” of an economy or global competition. A very large part of global competition involves the development of a strong labor force, and this development starts with the nurturing of children (Ozawa, Soo, & Kim 2004). A great challenge lives in the United States and by international standards; the United States has the highest proportion of children in low income families than any other industrialized country (Smeeding, Torrey, & Rain 2002). It is believed that the reasoning for children’s income status being relatively low is due to adults and the elderly. In the proposed research, we will: examine the published research on child poverty that impacts social and behavioral studies and define the scope and nature of problem and discuss strategies for solving this problem. Qualitative and quantitative research approaches will be used to examine diverse perspectives and factors associated with child poverty. In addition, we will summarize key findings of research and different...
Words: 3075 - Pages: 13
...Gurinder K. Fnu Soc&101 The Culture Of Poverty and the theory of Functionalism Background: In 1959 a sociologist, Oscar Lewis investigated poverty and its trends amongst society. Lewis came up with a theory commonly known as the ‘Cycle of Poverty’. The cycle of poverty is the term used to refer to the phenomenon in which poor families become trapped in poverty for generations. This is because they have no access to long-term education and no long-term financial guarantees. The cycle of poverty suggests young children who are born into poverty will remain in poverty because they lack the ability to go to school and receive no education, their families are not financially stable (no clean clothing, a poor diet, lack of hygiene, etc.). The ability for them to break out of this cycle is limited, and in some cases simply not possible. The structural-functionalist approach to stratification asks the question: what function or purpose does stratification serve? The theory's answer is that all parts of society, even poverty, contribute in some way or another to the larger system's stability. Structural-functionalists maintain that stratification and inequality are inevitable and beneficial to society: the layering is useful because it ensures that the best people are at the top of the hierarchy and those who are less worthy are at the bottom. Those at the top are given power and rewards because of high abilities, and the high rewards exist to provide incentive for qualified...
Words: 1697 - Pages: 7
...To me, it is absolutely crazy that the United States of America, the richest country in the world, would stand for the number of people living in poverty today. There is a record number of people now living in poverty – 46.1 million, 15.1 percent of the country (www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty, 2012). How can a government such as ours even allow this to happen? And the worst part of all is that not one of the candidates in the recent presidential election even mentioned the word poverty in their campaigns, not even President Obama. My goal is to bring America back from poverty by creating an economy that is so strong that it will bring the United States away from poverty, never to return again. I would like to see this goal completed by the middle of the next decade so that once Americans are out of poverty, they will be able to stay out of poverty own their own. This will be no easy task. I have developed four solutions that will hopefully eradicate poverty in the United States. First, the creation of jobs. The lack of jobs in the United States greatly affects the number of people at the poverty level. The recent 7.5 percent unemployment rate is an improvement over the past, but it still shows that a huge number of Americans still do not have jobs. There is a requirement for both public and private companies to create jobs. Creating jobs at minimum wage will not take families out of the poverty level, creating jobs that pay middle class wages or better will...
Words: 681 - Pages: 3
...that will bring an end to poverty. The volunteers at Results receive training, support, and inspiration to become skilled advocates. Over time, volunteers learn to successfully advise policy makers, guiding them towards decisions that improve access to education, health, and economic opportunity. Multiply their impact through the massive power of advocacy whether it’s helping change policy to support millions of families putting food on the table or helping raise billions of dollars for the world’s most vulnerable children. Backed by the in-depth research and legislative expertise of staff, Results advocates realize the incredible power they possess to use their voices to change the world. They are a nonprofit and grassroots advocacy organization. That pushes for specific policies and legislation to address poverty and empowers people to become powerful voices for the end of poverty through grassroots advocacy. U.S Poverty Campaign: Results works to make a substantial difference in breaking the cycle of poverty in the United States while at the same time ensuring that our small but very engaged grassroots network makes a strategic impact; a couple of their main focuses are creating economic mobility: building ladders out of poverty, keeping food on the table: protecting federal nutrition programs, and empowering grassroots activists: grassroots health and expansion. For example, their goal for creating economic mobility: building ladders out of poverty is enacting policies...
Words: 952 - Pages: 4
...Ending Poverty Ricardo Rodriguez Mrs. Leija English II 18 May 2015 Ricardo Rodriguez Mrs. Leija English II 18 May 2015 Ending Poverty Although some believe poverty is a non-important issue, I argue otherwise. Whether it is children or adults, poverty is everywhere from one side of our world to the other and there must be an end to it. How can us Americans citizens conjoin together to end poverty ? Studies show, the average American is able to gift one meal to a child in desperate need just by contributing $1 to any world hunger association. At that rate, just imagine how much meals you can gift to a child or even a family once you donate more than just a dollar. If Americans contribute time and money, then the decreasing poverty rate can come to a quicker end. Take the USAID organization for example, The USAID is an organization whose goal is to end poverty in our lifetime. What will it take to end poverty in our lifetime ? This will not be an easy task of course. We can get there but only if we come together as a global community. In support of this effort, “We must profit existing developments and priorities towards ending extreme poverty - Such as increasing food security, promoting child survival, expanding access to renewable energy, and improving education” (USAID) Most importantly, in order for all this to be possible, we must draw more attention to these kinds of organizations that support adults and families and most importantly the children. What...
Words: 566 - Pages: 3
...the diamond miner in Africa live in poverty, earning and average pay of less than a dollar a day. Also, child labor is overly common and their working conditions are very frequently hazardous. The connection of violence...
Words: 1806 - Pages: 8
...Pimping Central America Imagine living in conditions so consumed with poverty that you are forced to risk your life to flee to another country in hopes to take care of your family. Hoping and praying to find “under the table” jobs such as roofing, gardening, grounds maintenance, cleaning houses and/or agricultural work. Central American’s do this on a daily and nightly basis; combing through the desert heats during the summer and its vicious coldness in the winter in hopes of a brighter future. Some get lucky and others either get caught and deported back to Mexico or, worse yet, trafficked and sold into a life of servitude (slavery). “Although it’s the 14th largest economy in the world, rural Mexico is still very unequal. Depending on the measure, between one-third and one-half of Mexicans live in poverty and up to 18 percent live in extreme poverty, unable to meet their basic food needs.” ("Bread For The World Institute", 2011). In this paper I will discuss death rates, risks and benefits (to include programs) of crossing through the desert for an undetermined future in the United States of America. I will also focus on the trafficking and prostitution rings between the United States and Central America. By the end of this paper I will have explained how and why these issues of Central American’s immigrating into the United States meet the specifications of the Social Structure Theory because of the poverty disturbance in their system. * Understanding the Social Structure...
Words: 2488 - Pages: 10
...Education and Poverty in America Historically, education has been considered the “great socioeconomic equalizer” of American society, allowing all children an equal opportunity to succeed. Furthermore, a high-quality education is considered both a human and civil right however, educational experiences for children living in poverty continue to be substantially separate and unequal. In the United States, poverty is a common social, political and economic issue that has troubled Americans for years. Despite being better off today nearly 50 million Americans, including more than half of which are children currently live in poverty. In his poem, “Cause I Ain’t Got a Pencil,” Joshua T. Dickerson describes the damaging effects poverty has on...
Words: 1252 - Pages: 6
...Poverty affects the whole world and is payed little attention too. Poverty is a problem the world has been aware of for a long time but now is when we need to work together to solve it. I will mainly be focusing on poverty in the US since that's so close to home. What we need to realize is that poverty exists everywhere. If the US focuses on the problem at hand we will realize how we can strive to end poverty. When many of US citizens hear the word “poverty” or “poor” they immediately think of other countries. The Census Bureau has listed that one in five children in America are using food stamps. Huffpost gives us the information that food stamps enrollment sees new highs last year when the year before that is dropped due to improvements in...
Words: 872 - Pages: 4
...[Name] [Course Title] [Instructor Name] [Date] Write a research paper on Poverty in Africa. Describe how/in what way it is such a big problem in the world, possible causes and possible solutions in which you think these problems can be solved. Contents Abstract 3 Introduction: 4 Overview of poverty in Africa: 4 Facts about poverty in Africa: 5 Graph: 6 Causes of poverty in Africa: 7 1. Corruption and Poor Governance: 7 a) Unbalanced Economic Systems: 7 2. Environment: 8 3. Poor Utilization of Land: 8 4. Increase in Population: 9 5. Diseases and poor health facilities: 10 Solutions to overcome poverty: 10 1. Overcoming government failure: 10 2. Education: 11 3. Population control 11 4. Focus on agriculture: 12 5. Other possible solutions: 12 References: 13 Abstract This paper will provide a deep insight into the problems of poor people and their causes of poverty. Other than that solutions to their issues regarding the government and basic necessities of live will be focused upon. The deprivation of services for the poor is another noticeable point in the paper. Introduction: Poor people are poor because of many reasons, but they remain poor because market and government does not support them. When capital markets fail, youth is unable to get loans to finance their education, they are not capable of maintaining their health and most importantly the government is unable to provide them with basic services and...
Words: 2300 - Pages: 10
