Human Services During Contemporary America

Post the economic crisis in America and the recession during the years of 2008 and 2009, the country saw a great increase in poverty and worsening of living conditions of Americans. Currently, almost 50 million of fellow Americans are living in extremely bad conditions under the poverty line which means earning less than $11490 for a single person or $23550 for a family of four people. That’s about 1 in every 6 people in this country are living under poverty. A person living in this country on minimum wage which is $7.25 an hour also cannot pull himself out of poverty even after working 40 hours a week.

Poverty is a human services issue that is spread throughout the nation and world. ‘The percentage of children who are poor is more than three times as high in the United States as it is in Norway or the Netherlands.’ (Porter, 2016) The trend since 2000 is that there is an increasing amount of families, and in turn children, living in poverty. Poverty has been defined as the state of being extremely poor. But what does that mean? Poverty is the lack of financial, emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical resources. Children cannot change their situation because they are dependent on adults to provide for them which makes poverty easily passed from generation to generation. “Poverty directly and indirectly affects

“What is poverty? Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for the future, living one day at a time. Poverty is losing a child to illness brought about by unclean water. Poverty is powerlessness, lack of representation and freedom” (The World Bank, 2009).

“In the United States, child poverty rates are higher than rates for the adult and elderly populations.” (Katherine Magnuson and Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal 1) As poverty rates increase, more children are involved. Children, uninfluenced by the evils of the world, are pushed by these harsh living conditions and treated unfairly by others. Growing up in poverty can lead to lasting effects, and those effects include education issues, physical health is proven worse, and inadequate behavior. As an adult, these issues can turn into whether or not survival is promised.

The United States ranks among the wealthiest nations in the world, many Americans are living in poverty. Over the past two decades, the gap between the rich and the poor has widened. The minimum wage as of now is 7.25. Full time workers work at least 40 hours a week and if a single mother get paid every two weeks she only makes 590 a month meaning that she cannot miss a day of work because she has a child to feed, bills to pay, gas etc.. In the economy there are two categories of poverty that those living in poverty can be placed in Relative Poverty which is lower than current standard and Absolute Poverty which is life threatening. Once you’re in poverty it’s hard to escape from that lower level.

When analyzing children growing up in poverty a lot of factors come into play such as their physical, psychological and emotional development. To grow up in poverty can have long term effect on a child. What should be emphasized in analyzing the effects of poverty on children is how it has caused many children around the world to suffer from physical disorders, malnutrition, and even diminishes their capacities to function in society. Poverty has played a major role in the functioning of families and the level of social and emotional competency that children are able to reach. Children in poverty stricken families are exposed to greater and emotional risks and stress level factors. They are even capable of understanding and dealing with

The Great Recession of 2007 that lasted until 2009 greatly increased the number of unemployed and impoverished people. The length of the recession and the amount of time it took for America’s market to recover and for the nation’s unemployment rate to decline contributed greatly to the current rates of poverty. Those who do not face job insecurity were instead faced with the expensive cost of living, and families living in metropolitan areas were often hit the hardest. A report released by the Economic Policy Institute breaks down the average cost of living for an American family of four to be around 48,778 dollars per year, with costs that include housing, food, childcare transportation, and health care. While families in urban areas faced and additional 30,000 dollars in living costs (2). Families that make around 20-30,000 dollars a year found themselves unable to meet all the costs needed, thus contributing to the number of families considered to be the working

A child in poverty can have negative and positive effects on their opportunity for social mobility, as oppose to a child that is born in a higher class. It is believed that if you are born into a poor family you will stay poor. It’s very hard to move up from your social status if you have very little to begin with. The effects that poverty has on a child’s opportunity are things like not being able to get a higher education, having and not having the motivation to strive for better opportunities because of situation their family is in, and will not have as many opportunities as a child born into a family of a higher social status.

The U.S.’s national economy has improved since 2008 from its financial crisis and recession. Still, this improvement doesn’t necessarily mean that people are not living in poverty any

As our world settles for more poverty more and more complications are created, starting with the increasing death rate. As families get poor, it is difficult to sustain a livable life while taking care of others. They begin to die without adequate water and food, while bringing

Poverty can lead to serious effects. Children who grow up in poverty are likely to have frequent health problems than the children who grow in better financial circumstances. For example, infants who are born into poverty have a low birth weight, and they grow up with mental or physical disabilities. Not only are they sick, but they are most likely to die before their first birthday. Children who are raised in poverty might miss school often because of their illnesses, and they have a much higher accident rate than the other children. Nearly a billion of the world’s population can’t read nor write. Poor families experience stress much more than a normal family does. They are more likely to be exposed to negative events such as illness, job loss, death of a family member, and depression. Homelessness is another effect of poverty. Homeless children are less likely to receive proper nutrition, protection and they experience more health problems. Around 1.4 million children die each year from lack of access to safe and clean water and proper nutrition. Homeless women experience a high rate of low birth weight infants as well as miscarriages. Families who do not have homes receive much more stress than other families. They also have disruption in school, work, friendships, and family relationships. There are other effects of poverty such as drug abuse and addiction, child and woman abuse, debts pressure, and increase in crimes.

Poverty is a massive issue today, it surrounds all of life’s experiences, and it impacts on the future for people everywhere, and on health everywhere in society. Poverty is not just related to unemployment or

In 2011, nearly 46.2 million Americans were living in poverty (U.S. Census Bureau). So how does this affect our children? A child born into poverty will eventually attend a poor neighborhood daycare facility and kindergarten then move on to a poor school system. A poor school system will affect their chance of extra abilities or activities to enhance their education as it would be in an average income family or even an above income family.

Walking down the streets of Chicago, touring the beautiful sites of New York City, or even having a bite to eat in Washington D.C, one will see a common site among all of these places: poverty. A total of 46 million Americans are facing poverty each day; that is over 14 percent of the population (Hoyer). Although many have tried to put an end to this nation-wide problem, there seems to be only one solution: creating more jobs. Eliminating unemployment and creating more jobs can be difficult, but it is definitely attainable. With more jobs available, those who are unemployed will be able to get jobs and have a steady income. They will begin to benefit both physically and mentally throughout their transition from poverty to employment. Those in poverty will be able to bring themselves up out of the darkness and enjoy life like any other American.

First, many factors converge to make poverty a complex,multidimensional phenomenon. Second, as expected, poverty is routinely defined as the lack ofwhat is necessary for material well-being — especially food but also housing, land, and otherassets. Poverty is the lack of multiple resources leading to physical deprivation. (World Development Report) Third, poorpeople’s definitions reveal important psychological aspects of poverty. Poor people are acutelyaware of their lack of voice, power, and independence, which subject them to exploitation. Theirpoverty also leaves them vulnerable to rudeness, humiliation, and inhumane treatment by both private and public agents of the state from whom they seek help.Hence there is another universal aspect of poverty, which makes it particularly painful and difficult to explain is: Vulnerability