Poverty

Robin Cook
SW 4710
10/07/2014
What Is
Poverty?
Depravation (Karger & Stoesz, 2014)
Absolute Poverty- standard necessary for survival (Karger & Stoesz,
2014)
Relative Poverty- depravation relative to standard of living enjoyed by
other members of society. (Karger & Stoesz, 2014)
Culture of Poverty- poverty and traits are transmitted inter-generationally
in a self-perpetuating cycle. (Karger & Stoesz, 2014)
Racial Equity and Poverty
Communities of color face disparities in educational acheivement,
household income, access to affordable housing and healthcare, differential
treatment by the justice system and many other barriers to opportunity.
(Spotlight on Poverty, 2014)
What is Poverty? (Continued)
Who makes up the poor?
Divorce, abandonment, single-motherhood, loss of employment, and
disability status lead to poverty

Poverty rate for all families in U.S.: 13.2%
Poverty rate for families headed by non-Hispanic white women:
24.8%
Poverty rate for families head by Hispanic women: 41%
Poverty rate for families headed by African American women: 44.5%

Over 16 millions of those in poverty are children
7.8 million are rural Americans
9 percent are elderly
10.6 million are working poor
Many are unemployed

(Karger & Stoesz, 2014)



$20 billion increase for SNAP

$2 billion in new Neighborhood
Stabilization Funds

Funding for the Community Services
Block Grant by $1 billion

5 billion increase Weatherization
Assistance Program

$3.95 billion in additional funding for the
Workforce Investment system

$25 per week for Unemployment
Insurance





$250 payment to Social Security and
Supplemental Security Income
beneficiaries

New resources for the Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
program

Tax breaks to working families through
the Make Work Pay and Child Tax
Credits

(The White House, 2014)







How is Poverty Being Addressed Today?
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
How is
Poverty
Being
Address
ed
Today?
(Contin
ued)

The American Reinvestment Act is
predominantly dictated by federal
statutes, but some of the federal funds
are appointed to fund community
services such as the block grants. (U.S.
Department of Defense, 2014)

Are Current Policies Working?
Yes!!!
Recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows
that the private sector has added jobs every month
since March 2010, with 245,000 jobs added on average
over the past three months.

Why did the policies work?
They targeted funds toward a variety of specific job-
creation efforts that have been shown to have created
jobs and been cost-effective

Michigan alone created 1865 jobs since from Oct 1-
Dec, 31 2013

(U.S. News & World Report, 2012)
Supporters and Opposers of
The American Reinvestment
and Recovery Act

Most Americans are pleased with the progress the
ARRA has brought us, however, many conservatives
such as John Boehner oppose the ARRA because
they believe it will further our debt, inflate the
government and lead to socialism

(Gregory, 2014)

Interview with Judy Cook


Judy Cook is the former Mayor
of Oakwood, OH. She serves on
many boards and committees
today. She is my grandmother.

Judy Cooks Opinion:
Education is the most
important factor in Poverty
Parents need to encourage
children to strive for an
education
Children who are in poverty
are at a much different level
already in Kindergarten
(J. Cook, 2014)

Interview With Judy Cook
(Continued)
The quality of daycare needs to improve into a learning
style. More certifies professionals are needed in the area
of Early Childhood Education
Welfare must be accompanied by counseling
More case management

(J. Cook, 2014)


Gregory, P. R. (2014, January 20). Is Obama's Team Now To The Left Of
Socialist France? - Forbes. Retrieved from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2014/01/20/is-obamas-
team-now-to-the-left-of-socialist-france/

J. Cook, personal communication, October 7
th
, 2014

Karger, H. J., & Stoesz, D. (2014). American social welfare policy: A pluralist
approach.

Poverty | The White House. (2014). Retrieved from
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/poverty

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity. (2014). Race and Equity.
Retrieved October 7, 2014, from
http://www.spotlightonpoverty.org/race_and_equity.aspx
.
U.S. Department of Defense. (2014). DoD Information Related to the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Retrieved October 7,
2014, from http://www.defense.gov/recovery/




References (Continued)
U.S. News & World Report. Obama's
American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act Has Been a Success - US News. (2012).
Retrieved from
http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/is-
obama-turning-the-economy-
around/obamas-american-recovery-and-
reinvestment-act-has-been-a-success