Poverty In San Fernando Essay

My Social Sciences service-learning project was place in the office of the Miami-Dade County Commissioner Esteban Bovo. Commissioner Bovo represents District 13 which includes the vibrant and diverse communities of Hialeah, Miami Lakes, Palm Springs North, several other unincorporated neighborhoods and including where I live. Also, Commissioner Esteban Bovo stands in for the community and the County Government providing services, programs, and pertinent legislation. Therefore, in my experience as a volunteer and student I was able to determinate the connection between my Social Sciences class and the government.

Change is inevitable under any circumstance, and San Francisco County (SFC), which consists of only the city itself, has seen some major changes in the area of income. Over the past four decades, the Bay Area censuses have calculated the per capita income and median family income which have both only increased in San Francisco (SF). This rise in income is usually a positive sign of a growing middle class, but in SFC, it is a sign of growing income inequality. While the entire Bay Area economy booms, the wealth being generated in SFC is landing in the hands of a select group of elites, widening the gap between the rich and the poor and making the middle class smaller. The SF government has even tried to appease this by raising the minimum wage to create a more liveable income for those residing at the bottom. But even with a raise in the minimum wage in SFC, income inequality continues to grow between the rich and poor as the rich continue to experience exponential economic gain, and the middle class continues to decrease in size.

So, through this, it shows that Latinos tend to be on a lower economic status than white Americans. As shown in Making the San Fernando Valley, “On one end of the valley [the west side], gated mansions and old ranch houses still preside over well-groomed neighborhoods; on the other side [the east side], some residents still don’t have sewer hookups or streetlights. On the west side of the Valley, a majority of residents are white, whereas on the east side, just one third are; West Valley residents also earn five thousand dollars more per year…. Educational achievements reflect similar discrepancies.” (Barraclough L. B., 2011). Proven within this quote, white Americans are situated in better communities within the city of San

According to a report of Orange County Register by Roosevelt, Roosevelt, (August 9, 2015), Orange Country poverty is growing tremendously because of income variation, homelessness and overcrowded housing. By federal criteria, Orange County’s poverty rate was 8.8 percent in the previous nine years, which has risen to 13.5 percent recently. For a family of four, that means an annual income below $24,00. However, Orange County’s cost of living is 46 percent higher than the national average. The main reason, which accounts for a range of local factors, including housing price and Orange County’s poverty rate. According to Roosevelt (August 9, 2015) “in Orange County, third of Youths under 12 live in poverty, which is higher proportion than in the surrounding counties of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernadine and San Diego”. Even though, Orange

The reason we think of poverty affecting only Blacks and Latino/ as in America is because of the double jeopardy, or a dual disadvantage for children who are both poor and African American or Latino. These segregated communities of concentrated poverty are the direct result of postwar policies such as redlining, when banks refused to lend money to white people living in neighborhoods with African Americans or Latinos, encouraging them to flee central cities. Programs like the GI Bill enabled many white families to buy homes with little or no money down and in some cases pay less to move into a newly constructed home than to remain in an urban area. Thus, whites who could receive mortgages in new suburban developments moved away, leaving people

It is a common trend to neglect the people from non-white background in the developed countries like America. Same is the case of the Latin women in Los Angeles. They are not treated equal to the national Americans and the opportunities provided are very less in comparison. This on hand makes them fall short of financial resources and on other push

More than 800 million people in the world are malnourished, 777 million of them are from the developing world (Raphel, S., 2014). Poverty is an issue that must be addressed to the population loud and clear or everyone will end up suffering. There are many families trying to survive and live from paycheck to paycheck. Unfortunately, there are some families that are unable to support himself or herself or any family member. One important key issue of poverty in the United States is inequality. Many Americans blame the poor people for their own fate but you should never judge a book by its cover. There can be many reasons why an individual or families end up in poverty. For example, low wage jobs, discrimination and social inequality, vulnerability to natural disasters, war and political instability. Another big issue we face today is child poverty. This is a very critical issue because these young children are our future. If we let these children live in poverty, there is a higher chance they will drop out of school, look for work in order to support their family, or give up in life.

One urban problem these immigrants face when arriving to Los Angeles is having a lack of education, and not being able to become educated properly. According to “5 Challenges Facing the Hispanic/Latino Community in the U.S.”, by Elias Moitinho, “Hispanics/Latinos have low levels of educational attainments” where “the high school dropout rate among Latino youths (17%) is nearly three times as high as it is among white youths (6%) and nearly double the rate among blacks (9%).” This issue facing Hispanic immigrants as they settle in Los Angeles can be related to poverty where “reportedly, 5 million Latinos (one-third of their total number) are living in poverty in the state” of California (Palash Ghosh). Considering how poverty is relevant to Hispanic immigrants, this leads to fiscal problems where services such as public education lack funding, resulting in an education crisis. Another urban problem is the issue of transportation use. Hispanic immigrants require transportation to get to their locations such as work, and many rely on public transportation due to their economic conditions. These immigrants reply on “a diverse transportation network” that is “especially important for those without cars, which includes…17 percent of Latino… households” (Manuel Pastor). Another urban challenge immigrant Hispanics face is settling in areas

In 1990, 41 percent of Puerto Rican children were living in poverty, compared to 32 percent of Mexican-American children, 22 percent of Central/South

1. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2012, there were 46.5 million Americans in living poverty and the official U.S. poverty rate was 15.0 percent. (U.S. Census Bureau)

Every 1 in 5 Hispanic American lives below the poverty line and the average income for most households in $10,000 below those in non-ethnic households. Many lack wealth or a type of savings because of the downturn of the economy. Hispanic Americans relied on the fact they owned their homes for income when it came time to care for the elderly,

Many reforms in the UnitedStates have been passed to help fight against the “War on Poverty”; but it has not been effective in eradicating poverty in the U.S. There are about 46 million people who are living in impoverished conditions and poverty continues to be a social issue in this country (Heritage Foundation, 2011) In the beginning, our country was formed under the belief that “this land is the land of opportunity and if we worked hard enough the American Dream can be gained” (Schwarz, 1997). People immigrate to this country today in hopes of becoming rich so they could gain a better life. In spite of coming to this country for a better life, many are faced with the lack of skills and money to succeed. In the end, most will end

The issue of poverty in the United States seems to lie on the grounds of race education and family structure. As expected I found that educational levels paralleled poverty levels. Unexpected , research was found to prove that race did in fact play a substantial role in poverty. Family structure along with other influential factors either locked an individual into poverty or provided a means for escape from the continuing cycle. Other factors contributing to poverty was the location of homes or neighborhoods and the accessibility to better paying jobs.

While capital punishment may be unjust for criminals, it is also an injustice done to unsuspecting citizens. Taxpayers are stuck paying for this entire process, from a criminal’s first court case to their execution. This is especially bad for American citizens because even though it might not seem like it, the death penalty is more costly than life in prison. For example, in an article titled “Californians asked to end death penalty - to save money,” cases involving capital punishment are proven to cost more than ones that do not. This is partially due to the fact that there are few public defenders equipped to handle death penalty cases. It also has to do with the number of appeals to higher courts inmates are forced go through. Both of these contribute to a mess of petitions and appeals that can span a decade, sometimes more. These can get costly, especially when compared to life in prison. In the same article, it was estimated that cases involving capital punishment can cost taxpayers $3 million in lifetime costs. This is about $1.9 million more than any other court case. This is just one example of an unnecessary cost that could be avoided if prisoners were given life in prison without parole. Supporters of the death penalty will also argue that the cost of executing someone is cheaper than keeping them alive. While the drugs themselves may be cheap, the cost of keeping someone on death row is not. The specific costs are not tracked by state officials, but studies

Poverty and inequality exist in every developed culture and often are only patched in order for society to continue upwardly. Poverty and inequality in the United States exists for many reasons; reasons that very from the prospective lens. Interpretive theories in particular ask us to question our reality and its constructs. Interpretive theories require us to looks at the world as a social realm, one that we created and constantly change. Interpretive theories study the relationship between power and the construction of social roles as well as the invisible collection of patterns and habits that make up domination, (Delgado & Stefanic, 2001). Susan Kemp argues that the view of the world is dominated by the experiences of white western