Upward Bound

The purpose of this essay is to inform the reader of a real problem, media misrepresentation, and to try to have the reader change the way the think, feel, and perceive the poor. She gives examples of encounters she has had that are a result of the damaging depiction and conveys to the reader why those thoughts are wrong by using her own personal experiences. She mentions that before entering college she never thought about social class. However, the comments from both other students and her professors about poverty were alarming to her. Other people viewed the poor as, “shiftless, mindless, lazy, dishonest, and unworthy” indigents. Hook opposes that stereotypical image of the poor, referring back to being taught in a “culture of poverty,” the values to be intelligent, honest, and hard-working. She uses these personal experiences to her advantage by showing she has had an inside look at poverty.

The Denver community is working to help alleviate this cycle of poverty from their community. It was great to see that even though this is a huge problem in Denver they are taking steps, however small in light of the current situation, to improve their community. On our trip, we worked with DenUM Urban Ministries which is one such place trying to educate the public and help give aid to those who are homeless. Through this program, our group had the opportunity to learn about homelessness through hands-on activities. Showing the logistics of what poverty looks like on a personal level in a families finances and the tough choices

To many Americans, poverty is merely a synonym for ‘not rich’. Even those who understand the definition may struggle with the concept that poverty is not a distant, foreign, concern; poverty can occur in any country, region, neighborhood, and household. In a study performed by Carroll et al, 60% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “poor people are poor because of laziness and lack of will power (2011, p. 116). In the same questionnaire, 77% of respondents felt most poor people have the ability to escape poverty without government assistance (Carroll et al, 2011, p. 117). As above facts show, despite the widespread nature of this issue those not living in poverty often have

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.

Words provoke preconceived ideas and images in the mind, when it comes to a situation like poverty these preconceived notions can have undesirable and unintended consequences. Diana George examines the semantics and the imagery of the word poverty in her article titled “Changing the Face of Poverty; Nonprofits and the Problem of Representation. While also addressing the issue of the perception poverty and what someone in poverty truly looks like (676). Prof. George is arguing that organizations like Habitat for Humanity, which are created to help people in poverty actually perpetuate the wrong image of what someone in poverty looks like (678). Most organizations created to help those in need, especially those in the US tend to portray poverty as what is seen and thought of as living conditions in Third World countries (683). In reality, poverty is all around each and every one of us in this country on a daily basis, and people might not always recognize it for what it is (681,682). Furthermore, the majority of people living in poverty in the United States do not live like or look like someone living in a Third World country. But in reality they are still living in poverty nonetheless (682,683). Organizations that portray people living in poverty here in the US as totally devastated and completely impoverished are doing a disservice to the people they are attempting to help. Consequently, by doing this they are giving a limiting idea of what someone living in poverty

Ruby Payne spoke about poverty in A Framework for Understanding Poverty in a way that is helpful for my church to further understand the issue of poverty in our community. The attributes of this book will help my church to better serve and address issues regarding poverty throughout our church and throughout our community. Some of the key points that resided with my thoughts were that “poverty occurs in all races and in all countries.” (Payne, 10) As much as I believe this is common sense, common sense is not so common to everyone. There are so many stereotypes of what poverty looks like. The idea of who poverty affects has been a misleading depiction that predominantly focuses on specific racial or geographical sectors. It is

Based on the article “Changing the Face of Poverty” the issue that Diana George is responding to is poverty and its representation in the world. George first discusses how the nonprofit organization Habitat for Humanity tries to eliminate poverty by constructing houses for Americans who are suffering because of poverty. However, she states that the images which the nonprofit organization uses are pictures that try to “evoke the desire to give or to act, so that the benefactors don’t turn away” (George 240). These pictures may not completely depict all people who are suffering from poverty.

Everyday poverty goes on around us and all over the world but thankfully there are organizations that work to help relieve poverty. People or families with low income or no income are affected by poverty. Poverty is the condition of having insufficient funds, goods, or support. While people are sound asleep at night without a care in the world, homeless and poor people are out searching for food or a place to sleep on the streets. Poverty is nothing new and it has always existed, “state poor laws, generally inherited from English tradition, required towns to take care of their poor” (Poverty). In present time when driving around Houston it is common to see homeless people and where they reside, “high poverty areas in Houston have quadrupled

Many people in the United States are currently or have been a victim of poverty in today’s society. A number of economic poverty lines, poverty gaps and poverty orderings have been proposed. In general poverty it is the terms of income distribution and inequality (Poverty: An International Glossary. 2006, p61-62. 2p). In regards to poverty, there are various aspects in life that affect people in these communities. The largest concentration of poverty is public housing which is also known as “The Projects”. This then leads to many drug trade transactions and a growing epidemic of violence. Many people that are victims of poverty feel that the system is designed for them to fail.

In 2015, my sophomore year in high school, I was presented with an opportunity. Two of my friends and I had the ability to design our own community service project. I particularly was drawn to the issue of poverty in my hometown. I had always had an idea of what I thought homelessness was, however, as I talked to the manager of a Council Bluffs homeless shelter, The MICAH House, I realized I was completely wrong. Homelessness is not always like the stereotypical picture that the media portrays, but a mere lack of resources, resulting in complete inability for one to reground themselves. From that point on, I felt permanently attached to the matter. The largest issue that was revealed to us, among the shelter, was the lack of transportation.

As a requirement of the Upward Bound program, I need to attend at least 2 different workshops a semester. These workshops consist of, time Management skills, essay writing skills, how to perform better on tests and many more subjects. All these skills have led me into becoming the ideal and successful student that I am. Along the side of that, it has also given me an idea of what to expect in college. The Saturday classes I attend gives me the environment and atmosphere that is felt in the actual college setting. Due to the fact the I are inserted into college classes that will prepare me when I am actually enrolled into college. To prepare me even more, the program allows me to go on field trips to see and learn more about different colleges

While it has proven to be difficult to end poverty in America, Peter Edelman is optimistic. In his book So Rich, So Poor Edelman makes a call to action. There are four prominent ideas that underpin Edelman’s reasoning throughout the book: (1) More people must understand why poverty is still so prevalent in America; (2) extreme poverty must be taken into consideration as a shocking 6 million Americans’ sole income was food stamps in 2011. This fact alone creates a sense of urgency that drives Edelman; (3) increasing income inequality should be treated as a moral issue; and (4) bold political action will be required if substantive progress will be made in alleviating poverty.

Throughout the United States, homelessness and poverty have become an overwhelming issue. From people losing their jobs to others having to give up their homes, nearly 14.5 percent of Americans experience some type of poverty. This could look like a small percentage to some but in reality, it's more than 45 million people. While this number may be decreasing, the stereotype of those who are in poverty still remains. It is often thought that those in poverty are non-educated addicts and are generally criminal people. This, however, fails to be proven true. In my personal experiences, it was believed that the homeless and impoverished were of a lower social level and it was easy to assume the poor were in their walk of life for more reasons than simply not having money. Drugs, crime, and poverty all seemed to have the same definition.

This review is formulated with scholarly sources and references based off of poverty in America. This disclosure is approached with a value free sociological approach, and it will give insight on the social causes of poverty and the effects it has on America. Poverty is a very controversial topic. Many will assume that people living in poverty are lazy, made bad life decisions, or that they are solely the reason for their predicament however, people living in poverty would argue that their are deeper issues for it. Poverty will be deeply explained and researched from both perspectives

The United States is the wealthiest nation in the world, but yet poverty remains prevalent. Childhood poverty affects every aspect of their life. “Poverty is not having income for basic needs, food, medical care or basic needs and housing” (Crosson-Tower, 2014, p. 59). Poverty is affecting thousands of Americans every day, and it isn 't sparing anyone of a particular race, age or gender, leaving people on welfare, and without homes, or transportation. Poverty is a crisis that deserves attention from everyone, and it has many faces that are often not recognized