...NOTES IMPORTANT NOTE: These were typed in real time during a phone interview, by a fast typist. Your interview notes need NOT be in full sentences; short phrases and bullets are fine; except that anything you might wish to quote should be verbatim and in “quotes”) Interview with Jane Doe PRRAC Board member since 2008 June 12, 2012 1. What has been your interaction/knowledge of PRRAC? Totally revitalized since I joined when it, when it was on verge on closing. Before on the board, didn't know what PRRAC did in advocacy space, but impressed by the newsletter and intersection of race and poverty (structural inequality); and bringing together R&P people was a good and important vision. I'm engaged in complexity of social science and how it can make us rethink law and poverty. Thought more was intellectual convening project to bring SS to civil rights and poverty lawyers. 2. Strengths? Some areas that PRRAC must develop more, but new E.D. tightened the advocacy focus esp on housing and segregation. Org was in dire straits. Like the current emphasis on structural inequality and segregation. 3. Weaknesses? Must get broader than that if wants to stay relevant. Should be addressing 1/ employment and economic front (job opportunities closed to minority; school to work transitions. Thinking about pathways for working class people not on college path. Don't see other orgs doing that. 2/ perhaps too black focused. Must ensure we're speaking...
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...Homelessness in California Introduction Homelessness is a condition or a state where an individual or a family does not have a home to live in. Along with that, the person is deprived of the legal and the social dimensions making him emotionally weak and in the state of isolation. Since the year 1980s, there had been a great shock to the Americans due to the rising homelessness. This led to a burst in the studies and the rising stories related to the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of July 1987. In this act, there was an interference allowed of the federal government into this policy of homelessness, which had created many issues. For many years after that, this issue of homelessness remained on the top of the line in the political issues face by the Californian government. Basically the non-profit organizations focused on improving the life quality of the people in the city, especially those who did not have a place to spend their nights. It is a fact that there should be some very efficient approach to eliminate this homelessness problem, the Californian government has taken some steps and brought in a modest change in their policies to attack this homelessness problem very obviously. Their main change in the policy was to provide housing to the poor and the needy people (Hombs, Mary Ellen, and Mitch Snyder, 1982). Despite this action which the government took, there had been a consensus in the year 1980 which reflected the fact that the homelessness in US...
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...The Investment Appeal of Low Income Housing Tax Credits Overview of the LIHTC The Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) provides incentives for corporations and individuals to invest in the acquisition, development and rehabilitation of affordable housing. The program offers federal tax credits to private equity investors that work with profit or non-profit developers in constructing or renovating rental properties for low-income tenants, those who earn 60 percent or less of the median family income for their county. As of 2010, the program has sparked the construction of over 1.7 million housing units throughout the country. The IRS allocates federal tax credits to Housing Credit Agencies (HCAs) in each state based on its population. HCAs award credits to housing developers based on their Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP), a rigorous and competitive application used to determine which developers will receive the credits. Once credits are acquired, equity investors purchase an interest in the business entity generating the tax credits, namely a limited partnership or limited liability company. The equity generated from the investor’s purchase is used to fund the property development. The tax credits are redeemed annually by investors over a ten-year period following the date that the property becomes operational, or “placed in service.” The number of tax credits, and subsequently the amount of equity raised, is calculated by computing the eligible basis, or the dollar amount...
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...Contemporary Problems Damarys Silva HSM/210 - HUMAN SERVICES IN THE UNITED STATES March 14, 2013 In Collier County there is a great need for early learning opportunities for children of low income families caused by the lack of funding and limited centers with proper accreditation. Children in Collier County need to participate in Early Childhood Education in order to be ready for kindergarten and have a foundation for their education career. There should be more regulations for early learning centers that want to open up their doors to ensure the quality of the education programs provided to make sure they are teaching the children correctly. A publication by The Early Learning Coalition states that 89% of early learning centers in Collier County are not accredited, Early Learning Coalition of Collier, Glades, Hendry, and Lee Counties & Childcare of Southwest Florida, Inc. (2005). Ft. Myers, Fl. The centers should be observed, and children should be tested to make sure they are learning. Homelessness is another issue that is underway to get resolved since it is bringing a negative impact to the county. Collier County has many programs to help the children and even though they are not able to cover what every child needs they are working hard to meet the needs of the children they serve. Hopefully some agencies will begin fundraising to cover some of the costs to help the children in need. In Golden...
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...Foundation URBAN POVERTY AND HOUSING IN MALAYSIA : DILEMMAS AND CHALLENGES Dr Sulochana Nair Director The Centre for Poverty and Development Studies Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya Structure of presentation • • • • • • • Outline of presentation Introduction Increased importance of Urban poverty in Malaysia Poverty in Malaysia : An Overview Causes of Urban Poverty Housing Polices in Malaysia Concept Of Low Cost Housing • • Introduction The growing interest in urban poverty in developing countries has been brought about by various factors, the rural bias in past development strategies, rapid rates of urbanisation, rural urban migration and structural transformation of the economies of these countries. It is recognised that rural and urban poverty are interrelated and overall success of poverty eradication programmes requires a balanced approach. Urban Poverty • Challenges faced by the urban poor include limited access to employment opportunities and possibilities for earning incomes, inadequate and insecure housing, violent and unhealthy health threatening environments, limited access to education and health facilities ,lack of social protection and disempowerment and increased susceptibility to violence and crime . Urban poverty with its multidimensionality has been described as more than a collection of characteristics, it is a dynamic condition of vulnerability or susceptibility to risks. Urban poverty can lead to multiple...
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...Race and Poverty: Factors of the African American Achievement Gap Abstract The proposed action research study will pinpoint factors that contribute to the African American academic achievement gap. These factors impact not only the lives of families in the African American community but continues a vicious cycle of generations of poverty that hinders our country’s ability to effectively compete economically and also threatens America’s capacity to provide social equality for all. The participants in this study will comprise of parents and students of highly concentrated poverty - low academically performing African American public schools. Thirty two parents and thirty two students from eight low performing-poverty schools in the research study will be interviewed and surveyed online. Collected information and data will be researched employing qualitative and quantitative practices. Introduction There was a time when children of color were denied the hope and expectation of equal education because of racial isolation and discrimination in America’s education system. Although it’s been well over 50 years since Brown –vs.- The Board of Education which established equal education for all, today we are still faced with large racial disparities in reading and math proficiency between African American children and their thriving white contemporaries. This purpose of this study is to illustrate the connection that occurs between race and poverty with the academic...
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...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...
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...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 are unsheltered, living on the streets or in cars, abandoned buildings or other places not intended for human habitation. Homelessness affects people of all ages, races, ethnicities and geographies but studies...
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...Examine the state and extent of poverty in the UK Absolute poverty measures the number of people living below a certain income threshold or the number of households unable to afford certain basic goods and services. Whereas, Relative poverty measures the extent to which a household's financial resources falls below an average income threshold for the economy. Although living standards and real incomes have grown because of higher employment and sustained economic growth over recent years, the gains in income and wealth have been unevenly distributed across the population. Poverty is caused by both a low real national income relative to a to a countries total population size and by inequalities in the distributions of income and wealth. The former leads to absolute poverty for most of a countries inhabitants, whereas the latter causes relative poverty. Discussions surrounding poverty in the United Kingdom tend to be of relative poverty rather than absolute poverty. The poverty trap affects people on low incomes. It creates a disincentive to look for work or work longer hours because of the effects of the tax and benefits system. For example, a worker might be given the opportunity to earn an extra 50 a week by working ten additional hours. This boost to his/her gross income is reduced by an increase in income tax and national insurance contributions. The individual may also lose some income-related state benefits. The combined effects of this might be to take away over...
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...Poverty and Welfare on Childhood Obesity1 Poverty and Welfare on Childhood Obesity Paul D Stasiak Self Study Childhood obesity has become a growing concern in the eyes of many Americans, yet not every parent can identify if their child or one they care for is overweight. Understanding dietary intake for our children is a very important. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014), childhood obesity has more than doubled and young adult obesity has quadrupled in the last 30 years (p. 1). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define being overweight as having an excess body weight for a given height, specifically as having excess body fat. The number of obese children today is higher than it has been in the past. However, times are changing and the fast food companies are growing more and more popular each and every day. This paper will examine the research which states that a child is more likely to be obese as an adult if they were obese all throughout their adolescent years and poverty’s effect on childhood obesity. According to Feeding America (2013), 45.3 million Americans were living in poverty (p. 1). This number is very high considering the 318.9 million that are living in America. The unemployment rate in January of 2015 was 5.7%. As a result of unemployment or living in poverty conditions, some families have resorted to buying less expensive food options for their children in order to...
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...Title: “The Role of Health Promotion in Reducing/Eradicating Non-Income Poverty amongst the Rural Population in Developing Countries” Introduction Health and Poverty are emerging global issues at the front of development debates, discussions and initiatives. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (UNDP, 2013), brings to the global agenda an urging need that deserves proactive global attention if lives will be saved. Non income poverty happens when people may have a little bit of money but otherwise the quality of their life is not good. They do not have access to affordable social and physical services like schooling, health care, medications, safe water, good sanitation, good transport etc., and they may not feel safe in their homes either because they cannot trust the authorities or because they belong to some particularly vulnerable group The first MDG goal directly stresses out the significance of poverty while goals 4, 5 & 6 relate to health. The rest focus more on the socio-environmental, economic and political issues that largely determine the population’s ill-health and wellbeing. Hence it is inevitable that poverty and health are globalised issues with greater local impacts that both must be addressed well using integrated approaches if quality health outcomes need to be achieved. The concept of health promotion in particular provides the overarching framework to practically address health inequalities and inequities that are determined by the broader...
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...The effects of poverty The effects of poverty are serious. Children who grow up in poverty suffer more persistent, frequent, and severe health problems than do children who grow up under better financial circumstances. * Many infants born into poverty have a low birth weight, which is associated with many preventable mental and physical disabilities. Not only are these poor infants more likely to be irritable or sickly, they are also more likely to die before their first birthday. * Children raised in poverty tend to miss school more often because of illness. These children also have a much higher rate of accidents than do other children, and they are twice as likely to have impaired vision and hearing, iron deficiency anemia, and higher than normal levels of lead in the blood, which can impair brain function. Levels of stress in the family have also been shown to correlate with economic circumstances. Studies during economic recessions indicate that job loss and subsequent poverty are associated with violence in families, including child and elder abuse. Poor families experience much more stress than middle-class families. Besides financial uncertainty, these families are more likely to be exposed to series of negative events and “bad luck,” including illness, depression, eviction, job loss, criminal victimization, and family death. Parents who experience hard economic times may become excessively punitive and erratic, issuing demands backed by insults, threats, and...
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...The process of finding and maintaining housing for low-income earners can prove to be very challenging. Eviction from this housing is not simply a result of poverty, but it is instead frequently an origin and perpetuating factor of poverty. Both being evicted and the constant prospect of an eviction can be very detrimental to a family’s mental and physical health, nutrition, social interactions, and community participation. Once an individual or family reaches poverty levels, they fall into a cruel cycle of poverty which has intrinsic challenges that prevent the rise out of poverty. Government programs are in place to alleviate some of this burden, but they often fall short of removing them from the poverty cycle. A low-income earner can...
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...research paper describes how poverty influences the lives of children and adolescents. Poverty is viewed as major environmental influence that impacts the opportunities and life chances of children. Young people growing up in poverty may feel justified in engaging in risky behaviors. The research shows how poverty has an effect on parenting, housing, food, health, mental well being, and education. Despite government programs that help many, the author of this paper views economic inequality as a major cause of the problems facing poverty and our nation. Poverty has a major influence on the day-to-day lives of children. It also places young people at risk for poor outcomes in life. At Risk Youth (McWhirter, McWhirter, McWhirter, & McWhirter, 2013, p. 29-39) discusses the economic trend of poverty as one of the major environmental influences placing young people at risk. When one understands the problems of poverty, one begins to understand the people affected much better. McWhirter et al., (2013) presents several “types” of families that may live in poverty. These include the working poor families, vulnerable and underserved families, young single mother families, and homeless families. One interesting concept that the book discusses is social comparisons. Today poor people are faced with constant reminders of their lack of money. By watching television shows that popularize the lives of “the rich and famous” and by seeing the income earned by athletes and stars...
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...It is quite common to hear how the middle and high-income classes of the United States affect their culture and economy. However, the role that poverty and low-income classes play is not discussed as often, especially in a positive light. Usually, poverty and the impoverished are looked down upon from the other classes, causing divides. Poverty and culture affect each other at the same time, intertwining and impacting both. Some of the influences poverty produces in the culture of the United states includes stigma, segregation, and a lack of empathy. First off, poverty is stigmatized. Poverty in itself is its own culture, creating new ways to survive and function in a capitalistic society that depends on money. The large majority that makes up impoverished communities consists of minorities such as African-Americans. Since African-Americans are already being stereotyped and given the short stick, adding poverty into the mix does not produce any benefit. In American society, being low-income is shameful and receiving help from the government is seen as negative. The...
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