Case Study: Rise Out Of Poverty

Many Americans work solely to pay for food, electricity, and housing. In response to this “nearly 30 states have raised their minimum wage to combat job loss, poverty, and economic inflation.” (http://www.pewresearch.org). This just goes to show that more than two thirds of the country are willing to raise their wages, because the local government thinks that it is absolutely necessary in order to allow people to live sustainably. States such as California have raised their wages up to as high as $15.00! Raising the minimum wage has helped many people begin to start to live healthy lives, and it provides a way for families to expend for necessities if they work at or near minimum wage,

Every New Yorker has the right to a safe and affordable place to live in. New York’s shortage of affordable housing has reached a crisis point. Poor and elderly people throughout New York City are at a greater risk of homelessness and forced low-income residents do not have food or medical care to stay in their homes. A sinful structure of homelessness in New York City is New York’s shortage of affordable housing. Millions of New Yorkers are desperate to find affordable housing and tens of thousands are forced to live either in dirty shelters or on the streets. Recent data indicates that nearly 60,000 people, including more than 23,000 children, stay in the city’s main homeless shelter system (Guelpa). A small amount of poor renter households received a housing subsidy from the local government. Little assistance is being provided which means that most poor families and individuals that seek assistance

At present time the minimum wage in Los Angeles is $10.50 per hour. Andrew Woo (2016) identified that the average rent of a one-bedroom apartment is $1,750 in Los Angeles (June 2016 California Apartment List Rent Report, para.4). A family of two working adults earning the minimum wage will invest two weeks of both of their paychecks to pay their monthly rent. Affordable housing is a social justice issue because it affects the most vulnerable individuals of our communities. These families deserve better opportunities for economic growth. Less money invested in housing means that parents can afford healthier foods, quality childcare, and will be able to provide suitable clothing for their children. This proposal will also increase economic growth within the community because families will have extra money to spend. The affordable housing is indispensable problem to solve because many families aren’t able to pay the increasing cost of rents. Families are sharing houses, renting converted garages or are becoming homeless. Parents are working overtime or looking for an extra job to bring the extra income to make ends meet. Children are being neglected, or not given basic necessities because parents don’t have any money

According to many people, homelessness is caused by low minimum wage, high unemployment rates, and overpriced housing. The minimum wage in California is $9.00 a hour, and a one bedroom apartment in Los Angeles is about $1,983. About 7.1 percent of the people are unemployed in the Los Angeles county, and about half the people rely on minimum wage. These overpriced apartments make it difficult for many families and individuals to have a stable home. When it comes to minimum wage or unemployment, you have one of two options, you either go hungry or become homeless. In order to fight against the real issue, we have to raise minimum wage, create more jobs, lower rent prices, or provide more financial support to

A full time worker earning $7.25 an hour will make approximately $15,080 a year (“Minimum Wage”). That’s barely more than what students pay for housing and food at some colleges, and we expect a family to live off of this? The poverty line is at $20,000 for a family of four, so how are these people supposed to raise their children in a healthy environment while working full-time to not even be on the poverty line? If this raise is done correctly, employment and prices won’t be hurt, and we will only be helping our nation’s hardest workers. “Katrina Gill is a certified nursing aide. She monitors 28 patients from 10:30pm to 7am, checking vitals, preventing bedsores, and changing diapers. She makes $14,400 a year with no benefits. She currently has $160,000 worth of medical debt from her son’s cancer care” (Conlin). “Joseph Schiraldi guards the Empire State Building, one of the biggest terrorist targets in the world, for eight hours every-single day. He makes $7.50 an hour in the nation’s most expensive city with no pension, no health care, and no sick days” (Conlin). How is it fair that hard-workers are forced to live below poverty, when raising the federal minimum wage would not have any major negative effects on our economy? Although some people believe that it is unnecessary to raise the federal minimum wage, while looking at the facts it is necessary to realize the benefits it would bring.

“According to a 2015 report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a worker must earn at least $15.50 an hour (over twice the federal minimum wage) to be able to afford to rent a "modest" one-bedroom apartment, and $19.35 for a two-bedroom unit (more than 2.5 times the minimum wage).” The report stated: "In no state can an individual working a typical 40-hour work week at the federal minimum wage afford a one-or two-bedroom apartment for his or her family." It is obvious to conclude that minimum wage is a problem, but what solutions can be produced to fix it? “A survey by the Small Business Network found that 82% of small businesses agreed that "’the government should not be setting wage rates.’” This statement shows how conservative business owners are about their money. If they want to decrease the minimum wage past what it is already, then there’s a serious conflict. These workers are barely making a living, and if they are affected negatively anymore, they are in serious trouble.

In the United States, the cost of living for a single adult with no children is an average of $28,474 every year (Career Trends, screen 1). This seems like a relatively low number, until the amount of people living together increases. A family of six, two adults and four children, rises to an annual cost of $82,900 (Career Trends, screen1). If an adult were to work full-time at minimum wage, they would only be getting $15,080 per year from their employer (University of California, screen 1). This amount of money is still about $14,000 short of how much it costs a single adult to live. In recent discussions of minimum wage, many people argue about whether it should be raised or not. Although the intentions to raise it are good, the outcome

Homelessness is one of the main problems plaguing the United States today, with low income earners at a higher risk of becoming homeless than previous years. There have been countless laws and ordinances put in place throughout the country in hopes of solving this growing problem but many of them have failed to address one of the main things causing this issue, economic inequality and the unequal distribution of wealth in the United States. Although there are many non-profit organizations working not only to get people off the streets, but to prevent them from becoming homeless in the first place, they are facing an uphill battle until the United States government addresses its country’s current unequal distribution of wealth. Throughout this essay I will be discussing the strategies multiple non-profit organizations, including the one I worked with last semester, are using in their battle to combat homelessness, the relationship between economic inequality and homelessness in the United States, and my experiences working with LifeMoves, formerly known as InnVision Shelter Network.

Although many Americans are aware that our country suffers severely in the category of poverty, minimum wage is not factor that many turn to think as a fault. They claim to know about minimum wage; however, it is merely a blank claim because they have neither experienced the hardship under a cap of expenses nor does the issue affect them. In fact, this issue is detrimental to our country as we are slowly falling into unemployment and homelessness. In Barbara Ehrenreich’s book, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, she states that minimum wage had fallen back comparing to the living cost in the 1900s; however, this statement is still true today. Enrenreich is a reliable reporter who travels to three different cities with contrasting backgrounds. She tried to experience the life of a minimum wage worker in order to accurately report the inside scoop of a life that most Americans do not know to exist. As a supporter of her claim after realizing the way our country has been living, I too believe that minimum wage does not fulfill its purpose and should be raised, as it does not serve enough to cover even the essential expenses.

The world is filled with luxuries such as personal islands, gold-plated cars, or crystal pianos. What about everyday items like food, clothing, and shelter? Families in the United States can barely afford such items because of an American tragedy: the minimum wage. Though the sights and sounds of fluttering money is alluring, it is also elusive. The minimum wage is a tragic loss for the United States because it cannot even provide the bare minimum for employees working tirelessly for it. Opposition of raising it can be negated by statistics that show how the country can move into a brighter future. Data from economic research shows

People do not account for the gaps in prices from state to state. Take for example a state like Texas, where the minimum wage is a mere $7.25 an hour whereas in Washington State the minimum wage is $9.47 an hour. Raising the minimum wage to a flat rate per hour for every state is just illogical and impractical. Not only would each state have to cope with the increase differently, but they would have to find ways to stand on their feet due to drastic changes, in states with lower wages. The idea spurs a one size fits all mentality, which simply does not work. The costs of living vary by state, in some cases by a large deal of money, if these costs were thrown off exceedingly it would cause an unequal economy. The raise in minimum would, in reality, throw off a whole

The question whether we should raise the minimum wage came up a lot in the last election. In fact, politicians and the media have of course done an amazing job at polarizing the issue. Most people may know that the federal minimum wage in the U.S. is currently $7.25 an hour, but there are about 29 states that have their own minimum wages that are higher than the federal requirement. States such as Massachusetts and California go as high as $10 dollars per hour. Actually, some cities like Washington, DC and Seattle have passed an even higher minimum of $15 per hour. Although the minimum wage is an important issue, unfortunately, it is usually grossly oversimplified by both proponents and opponents. Before deciding

The article “California Reaches Deal on $15 Minimum Wage” by Paul Davidson is about California’s minimum wage should be raised up to $15 an hour and it is in deal. Governor Jerry Brown and state legislators are propelling to raise California's minimum wage up to $15 in an hour by 2020. According to Fight for $15, about 6.5 million people in California, or 43% of the state's workforce, will earn less than $15. A dozen cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and many other municipalities in California, have already raised their minimum wage to $15. In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed a $ 15 fee for New York City from 2019 to 2021. Labor advocates agreed with the pact. However, I disagree with this concern, and I think that

Consequently, these cities have initiated plans to combat this issue. June 2, 2016, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo proposed a $10.4 Billion plan to combat homelessness in New York City, thus launching “Phase One of the Homelessness Action Plan” (New York). With this new five year plan, Governor Cuomo plans to attribute $2.6 Billion for new housing units and $7.8 Billion for continuing existing housing units, shelter beds, etc. In this first phase, 1,200 of 6,000 housing units will be built, adequate facilities will be supplied with 500 beds for the homeless, inspections of existing homeless shelters will be made and solutions to homelessness will be discussed. Similarly, Seattle has also raised the city budget to accommodate the growing homelessness issue. Mayor Murray has raised the city budget to over $50 million (Mayor). Paired with city efforts, there have been private efforts as well. Sharon Lee with Low Income Housing Institute is making an effort to build tiny house villages in three different Seattle locations to help the homeless transition to permanent housing and to get them off the street (Moreno). October 2016, Mayor Murray officially announced a plan to reduce and eliminate homelessness in Seattle called the “Pathways Home” plan. The goal of this plan is to find “safer alternative” living spaces (other than the street and park benches), make more of an effort to help the homeless by reaching out, use better judgement and “compassionate protocols” when acting upon unauthorized encampments and generally cleaning up the homeless areas (Office). Both Seattle and New York have similar action plans that include a raised budget and finding or building additional places to live. But differ in private efforts and personal contact with

New York is another state that plans to raise the minimum wage to $15. According to a study conducted by the UC Berkeley Labor Center, the minimum wage raise would generate a 23.4 percent wage increase for 3.16 million New York workers. (Michael Reich et al). The standard of living, purchasing power, and productivity