Category: Poverty in America

Poverty and Homelessness in the United States continue to grow exponentially as more and more citizens’ budgets continue to tighten and more families end up below the poverty line and out of their homes. The issue of Poverty and Homelessness is hard to solve and define, at what point does the middle-class sinkage constitute a homelessness crisis in America? The economy still continues to be affected due to factors such as inflation and employment rates, will this continue to push Americans below the poverty line? These issues all have an effect on our country and are becoming more and more of a widespread social issue than ever before.

Poverty is when a person’s income is so low that they cannot sustain themselves and live properly, this leads to homelessness as these people below the poverty line cannot afford a place to stay. Poverty makes it so many cannot afford the basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, and savings. For the issue of poverty rates, the United States Census Bureau found that:

The official poverty rate in 2020 was 11.4 percent, up 1.0 percentage points from 10.5 percent in 2019. This is the first increase in poverty after five consecutive annual declines. In 2020, there were 37.2 million people in poverty, approximately 3.3 million more than in 2019 (pg 1)

The poverty rate has begun to creep up again after a steady decline over the years, many factors such as economy, income rate, and socioeconomic status contribute to these rising rates of poverty because of their effect on the whole country. Job rates decline rapidly and wages also come down with them which puts more people in a struggling state financially and leads to potential homelessness. Poverty rates coincide with homelessness rates the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty found that “Insufficient income and lack of affordable housing are the leading causes of homelessness: In 2012, 10.3 million renters (approximately one in four) had extremely low incomes” (pg 1). Low incomes contribute widely to the poverty and homelessness issue in the United States, the minimum wage in many states has not coincided with the cost of living in that state, and many who work full-time jobs cannot afford to rent an apartment or buy a home in their area as the cause of housing continues to rapidly increase. Rent increases have had a direct link to homelessness rates, huge cities like Los Angeles and new york have pushed the minimum wage rates up themselves but still suffer from high renting rates that contribute to renters having to spend a majority of their income on housing even if they are in danger of being in the low-income range. The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty also found that “After paying their rent and utilities, 75% of ELI households end up with less than half of their income left to pay for necessities such as food, medicine, transportation, or childcare.” (p. 1). Citizens and Families in the United States are being squeezed so hard by the housing rates that they must choose where a majority of their income must be spent on, many who live paycheck to paycheck have also had to decide what necessities they may need to skip in order to pay all their bills for the month. Poverty leads many families to miss opportunities that families with stabilized incomes can enjoy. They cannot afford proper clothes or vacations for themselves or their family, they are forced in many cases to pick over food or pay their bills for the month. Many in poverty also do not receive proper health care due to the jobs they have not provided them, this means an injury or hospital bill may drain all their potential savings and prevent them from saving enough to move up from the poverty line. Poverty cannot be fully blamed on any single factor, while wages high dictate what you are able to afford and if you are able to get proper savings, factors such as rapidly changing bills or issues that come out of nowhere such as school, medical, or transportation costs also greatly contribute to poverty. If the cost of general living is high many more will move to the poverty line. The middle class has shrunk and continued to shrink over the years as things continue to get more expensive. “ The share of adults who live in middle-class households fell from 61% in 1971 to 50% in 2021” (Kochhar, 2021, p. 1). The upper class has risen exponentially in income rates and householding rates while the middle class has consistently gone down, if a majority of the money is going to rich high earning people this causes them to control major aspects of daily life for Americans who make lower income which leads to more in poverty. This shows that the issue of poverty in America is not so black and white, the factors that all attribute to poverty majorly affect people who are struggling with income. Poverty can also be attributed to the direct consequence of the cost of college institutions and loan interest rates, many who go to college are stuck with massively overpriced student loans that can plague them for the majority of their lives, student loan debt is a massive factor in many trying to survive in the middle and lower class, these loans are also stacked on with high-interest rates that keep you in a cycle of forever paying off these loans.

Homelessness is the state of having no home, not having a roof over your head can trap you in a perpetual state of issues socially and economically. Homelessness is becoming a very widespread issue in many ways, housing rates continue to increase exponentially as the housing market is continuing to boom. Citizens or families looking to rent in high-value areas have to deal with high monthly rents and or shortages when these areas fill up. Low-income housing even with renting is becoming harder and harder to come by and there is not enough low-income housing to support a vast amount of Americans who are middle to lower-class. If you are low-income and at risk of losing your house it is harder for you to fight being evicted from your home. Homelessness is a direct consequence of poverty, citizens and families with extremely low incomes are at high risk of suffering from homelessness. If wages in the United States do not improve a homelessness crisis in major cities and across states could become a problem, many people who are not suffering from poverty do give mind to these issues affecting many American and the widespread problem of homelessness needs to be addressed as the economy continues to be affected by inflation rates. “Homelessness alone in New York City has tripled over the last 20 years.” (Sanchez, 2018, p. 2). It’s clear that this issue of homelessness that plagues Americans is not going away, many Americans have also had to turn to shelters for their families which also puts a strain on their local governments to keep facilities that help with the homelessness and poverty issues running to prevent potential casualties from this crisis. Nationally there are about half a million dealing with homelessness every night in the United States, many cannot even think of affording a proper place to stay and most have trouble holding a job. Homelessness also directly pushes up poverty and income issues as not having a consistent place to stay and store items can prevent someone from going to work to earn a living, this causes a cycle of homelessness as they cannot hold a job long enough to make enough income to afford a place to stay.

While homelessness and poverty coincide there are also social issues that directly lead to homelessness and poverty. The social causes that directly lead to poverty and homelessness are vast and detrimental to many. The stigma around poverty and homelessness have to lead many to have trouble trying to seek help for the issues they may have, a person might be too scared of social backlash if they speak out about their struggles with poverty which can lead directly to homelessness. Women in domestic abuse situations can lead directly to homelessness if the abuse of their partner forces them to leave home, many do not have proper support structures they can turn to or may be too afraid to speak out and seek help if they are homeless due to domestic abuse. Mental illness or other medical issues may prevent a person from working enough to provide an income for themselves, even with government assistance they may still end up living on the poverty line and still be unable to afford a place to stay. Drug and alcohol abuse or struggles with addictions such as gambling can cause instability with income that makes someone become homeless, if they are spending a majority of their income on their addiction is not stable enough to provide consistent housing for themselves and in turn, live on the street to fully support their addictions. “The concepts of addiction, family breakdown, government assistance, and mental illness were activated at levels considered sufficiently high to dominate the system leading to certain homelessness” (Mago, 2013, case 1). Social issues like these plague many looking to just have a roof above their heads, the United States does not have proper systems in place to deal with these issues and prevent many of these social problems from causing people to become homeless. The race or color of a person is also a social issue that can massively affect homelessness, disadvantage meant for people of color leads to higher poverty and unemployment rates, and higher incarceration rates can also prevent many people of color from securing a proper job once they leave prison. “, historically marginalized racial groups are far more likely to experience homelessness as a result of segregation and discrimination in employment and housing, among other things.” (State of Homelessness, 2021, p. 1). One aspect often looked past for social issues of poverty and homelessness is Americans living with a disability, while disability assistance from the government does help it does not fully cover expenses for someone who may not be able to work at all due to their disability. It can be very scary for someone that has to live off assistance from the government to properly provide for themselves if these disability programs are not wide enough to cover these people from going into poverty. Injuries from work that land people on disability or assistance from the government may not provide someone with enough income to provide for themselves if they are fully taken out of work. Social issues like this massive plague many trying to get out of Poverty and Homelessness, it not only perpetuates homelessness but mental health issues or struggles with identity also keep many from securing jobs that bring them out of poverty.

There is no clear answer to fixing poverty and homelessness issues in America, but there are solutions that can vastly bring down the rates of poverty that can also cut homelessness for many. The issue of high-income housing is one of the major driving forces behind these issues, by providing and maintaining low-income housing the strain of a majority of a person’s income being spent on housing and utilities can be mitigated. This would allow many to properly start saving up and naturally building enough savings to put themselves past the poverty line. Low-income housing also prevents many from having to sleep on the street even if they do have low income, moving away from the need for homeless shelters and turning them into affordable housing spots that everyone can afford can help many from having to worry about where they may have to sleep. Rent regulation can also help middle-class families from spending outrageous rates on rent, preventing landlords from overcharging rent rates and establishing proper housing for not only low-income families but families who have to spend a huge amount of their normal income on rent every year. The affordability of college, medical treatment, and general living expenses can also be massively tackled to lower the poverty line. The United States is plagued with massive school and medical debt due to the high cost of a degree and insurance for many. If the United States were to provide medical healthcare and college to all for a massively reduced cost this would help many increase their income and savings without having to worry about finding a high-paying job after college to pay off their loans or being one bad medical bill away from losing all their savings. Paving access to affordable healthcare and college institutions does not helps move massive amounts of money into the economy as instead of spending a majority of the money on bills and loans that need to be paid it instead can be spent on necessities and items that boost spending overall which drives American’s economy. The prevention of social issues that plague people who suffer from poverty and homelessness can also be a massive step in the right direction to solve these issues, providing basic mental health and abuse consoling, domestic abuse prevention, removing the stigma around poverty and homelessness also provide many with a safety net that if they do experience these issues they can quickly seek help before things get out of hand and there income or housing comes into jeopardy. Poverty and Homelessness alleviation can be directly contributed to Economic growth, by increasing income and tackling issues such as minimum wage federally and state-side we can directly grow the economy and give many a path out of poverty itself. Economic growth through poverty prevention can also grow the economy directly as the poverty line shrinks more money can flood into the economy and boost it even higher. In Danilo’s article about Economic Security Program, it states:

Economic security programs have become more effective at reducing poverty and racial disparities over the last five decades. In 1970, families’ government benefits and the taxes they paid lowered the white poverty rate by 3 percentage points and the Black poverty rate by 2 percentage points, and left the Latino poverty rate unchanged. In contrast, in 2017, accounting for government benefits and taxes lowered the white poverty rate by 12 percentage points, Black poverty by 16 percentage points, and Latino poverty by 12 percentage points. (pg 1).

Expanding the country’s economic security programs such as government assistance and welfare helps lower the poverty and homelessness rate by further securing a safety net for many Americans on the edge, these programs do not waste tax-payer money but are effective in providing enough support to boost families incomes enough to help drive more money into the economy. Government assistance is also a stigma that needs to be pushed past as a solution to many in poverty, taking assistance from the government should not be seen as freeloading but as an essential way to prevent many from going homeless or losing a majority of their income to the cost of living in America. It has been proven these programs not only boost adults who are affected by low-income poverty, but also by providing for children and boost them with school, and general programs they are way more likely to be on a better trajectory for life than with no intervention at all. Programs from the government that directly help people with disability can also massive improve their quality of life and even help them get back into the workforce, expanding the disability program for many who struggle with the ability to properly work or provide for themselves can also show how proper systems in place like social security for people with disabilities can be applied to everyone to also give them a safety net.

While solutions to poverty and homelessness aren’t simple, direct action from the government is always a good step to combating issues for Americans trying to live above the poverty line with a roof above their heads. The United States would not only see a benefit from tackling poverty through the quality of life being raised but would also see a massive improvement in the economy. Early intervention and prevention would help stop many who have low income from skidding below the poverty line and also help combat the social issues that plague many trying to keep their families afloat. I believe that by tackling poverty and homelessness in America directly you will also see a massive benefit in the economy and bring down inflation and rates across the board.

Introduction

Poverty is not having ample money to fulfill the most important needs that consist of clothing and protection of substances or regional monetary property. Poverty is a circumstance in which the community has no economic belongings and basic elements for the minimal preferred of residing poverty potential. The desires of a minimum of trends have the populace that the incomes are so low that the vital human desires cannot be fulfilled to influence poverty people. Each state has its criteria to determine how many humans live in poverty.

Explanation of the picture

In the picture, it is evident that people are living in poverty because there are not many resources available. The hut and pool table are man-made materials which means they must do everything themselves seeing that they are supported with the necessary equipment. Living in poverty does its benefits but the majority of the time it is seen as a disadvantage. It does not show that the people are supported by electricity, so they must make their own light or fire to see at night. A picture says 1000 words so there is a lot going on. The people are wearing old clothes because you can see it is worn out and old. They would have to make use of hunting and making their own food by farming. It seems like they are living in the middle of nowhere and making use of fruit to continue their game. Everything in the picture was done by people.

What factors does poverty affect?

Poverty has a big impact on your future including factors like education, health, participation, and income. Living in poverty capability a life of hostilities and deprivation. Poverty is like being enclosed in a jail mobile phone with no doorways or windows. It feels claustrophobic as if there is no way out. Only the most resilient do not give up. Still, there is no assurance that lifestyles will get better and those in poverty comprehend this all too well.

Education

Children living in poverty regularly lack get admission to proper education. It is due to the fact there aren’t ample exceptional schools, their parents cannot find the money for school fees, or impoverished families need their young people to work. This causes the illiterate rate to increase and influences more children to not continue with school. Education is one of the motivations for a better way of living and contributing to getting yourself out of poverty. Education is the key to success but unfortunately, not all schools are equipped with the resources to educate learners. Unprivileged schools have a lot of talented learners but due to poverty they cannot live up to their potential and afford to go further or expand their talent.

Health

People living in poverty are more likely going to carry diseases or become aware of sicknesses spreading because they do not have the medication or medical support they need. It is often seen that people living in poverty are not neat or the area they live in is filled with rubbish. In the picture, you can see there is rubbish laying on the ground. All the rubbish can cause diseases and contains a lot of bacteria. People living in poverty do not always have food to eat or drink. They must go extremely far to get water to wash and drink. It is difficult for people living in poverty to stay healthy because they cannot afford to pay for everything. Sanitation is not always safe to drink or used in any form.

Security

Living in poverty does not give you the necessary security you should have. The crime rate is higher in poverty areas because people tend to steal, rob and break into houses more than in urban areas. Gender-based violence and rape tend to be higher in rural areas because people cannot protect themselves.

Income

To receive an income does not mean you are financially independent. Some people’s income must go to support family members or to survive. An income could possibly just help you to put food on the table. In South Africa, it is scarce to get a job and the unemployment rate is high which means poverty places a big role in South Africa and other African countries.

Advantages of living in poverty

People living in poverty are equipped with government assistance and social services. You qualify to get a monthly stipend which could help you buy food or help you obtain your basic needs. People are assisted with free medical services in certain places, and they do not have to pay taxes due to a certain income. In some school learners are sponsored with food or financial support with bursaries. People tend to be happier than people who are financially stable. Communities tend to be closer and more involved within the community itself. The biggest advantage is handling the adversity which makes you stronger.

Ways to Break the Cycle of Poverty

Educating yourself comes first because it is most important. Change your mindset towards money. Leverage community resources and avoid predatory payday lending. Ask someone you trust, focus on your credit, and don’t be afraid to walk away. It is important to build independence and work on your self-esteem. Do not overthink and stress too much it could cause mental health issues.

Conclusion

Poverty, in the easiest journey of the word, is additionally used to describe a person whose dwelling stipulations cease them from being capable to accumulate education, is in search of medical help, tightly closed to a normal job, and take phase in recreational matters to do due to a lack of money. Poverty is not truly about money, but time is money, and everything has a price to it. It is a large dialog about marginalization, exclusion, and domestic and international economic indicators. It is not possible to live in this era without having to pay anything.

David Gursky, the poverty expert at Stanford explained that there are two ways that poverty can be understood. One can think of it in absolute terms- simply having insufficient resources to meet the basic demands of functioning in a contemporary world. So one can think about not having enough food, not having the shelter that one needs to function minimally in society, not having enough access to jobs, etc. One can also think of it in relative terms, where one takes into account what their level of income is within society as a whole. As we become a more complicated and differentiated society, our needs and capacity for minimal functioning shift over time. For example, as cell phones increasingly become the method by which potential employers contact people who apply for jobs, people start needing a cell phone to be eligible for these jobs. Gursky believes that the main mechanism which creates poverty and inequality in US society comes that lots of kids born into poor neighborhoods do not have access to very good educational training at the preschool, primary, or secondary level. Vastly inferior training imparted to children born in poor neighborhoods leads to the fact that many of them do not qualify to get entry into college. Gurski further reinforces that the main source of poverty is inadequate access to college. There is “one big thing” he believes that if changed about American society would fundamentally reduce childhood poverty. He feels that it is highly illegitimate to have a highly segregated residential living situation where poor people and rich people live in separate neighborhoods which is vastly prevalent in the US. He further stressed that the biggest commitment of the people of the US towards their country could be to remove this residential segregation based on income and if implemented this would have the biggest effect on the reduction of poverty and inequality. He referred to it as ‘The Golden Ticket’ to reduce poverty and inequality.

But he also pointed out that it would be the most difficult change to implement and that is why many people focus on educational reforms as a remedy. This would be hard to remove segregated residential status because it could challenge the provision of the fundamental human right to live in any place in a country where a citizen would wish to. Further, changing the mindset of the people towards a phenomenon that was happening for ages is the most difficult hurdle one needs to cross. But Gursky strongly believes that if one is to make a change with a serious commitment to eradicate poverty from the US also needs to pursue the policy of delegitimizing the status of segregated living. By doing so, they would be able to focus on having a fundamental education reform in which labor can respond to price signals. There is a huge price signal in the form of very high returns for a college education. If the market is working as it is supposed to work, labor would respond to that signal and it would drive down the returns to education because there would be more competition among the highly educated folks. But labor is not responding to that price signal. It is not possible for kids who are born into poor neighborhoods to reap the benefits of price signals because of inadequate training

Government policies and benefits intended to support those in need— will play a significant role not only for those classified as living in poverty or deep poverty but also for those in near poverty. I feel that some long-term policies could be introduced to make US society free from poverty and inequality. One example could be a government-funded nutritional assistance program for poor children so that they get their nutritional requirements and are physically fit and healthy. Raising the federal hourly minimum wage limit, and creating a monthly child allowance program for poor families would also help as well. In poor families, children after reaching the legal working age, tend to opt for part-time jobs. These measures would help them to have some savings, which could be useful for skill-building which might further help them to be qualified enough to apply to public universities or colleges, or better-paying jobs. This in a way could correct the inherent fault of the labor market to some extent. Increasing access to affordable high-quality pre-school programs would also help the poor children to build their skills. 

Introduction

It can be argued that teachers who engage with the issues of social justice are able to offer a more enriched academical education which formulates pupils into becoming effective contributors and confident individuals not only in society as a whole but the world of work beyond school (Arshad et al., 2012). Social Justice is an aspect that is embedded in the Standards for Registration put forward by the GTCS, General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS, 2017). “There is clear evidence of a persistent gap in attainment between pupils from the richest and poorest households in Scotland” (Sosu & Ellis, 2014). Thus, brings about the issue of social deprivation and its relationship with attainment. The Attainment Gap in Scotland is a current issue within education that emphasizes the bond between academic achievement and its interference with positive school-leaver destinations for pupils from a low-income background. Scottish Government (2014), projects the concern that children living in the most deprived areas are around two years of schooling behind their peers at age 15’, the age when exams and future prospects become a focus within secondary school. This aspect of social justice became a noteworthy interest whilst placed in a secondary school in central Scotland, where 78% of students reside in Scottish index for multiple deprivations (SIMD) deciles 1-3 therefore the influence of teacher’s actions and lesson content is substantial. This inquiry seeks to analyze the methods being implemented to increase positive school leaver destinations for pupils from socially deprived backgrounds, going beyond Gillborn and Youdell’s (2001) theory of educational triage and following a school’s journey in its aim to achieve social justice for all. Hence, this essay will discuss the relationship between social deprivation and attainment whilst considering how schools use the additional funding to support programs and groups for those in this bracket, literature that influenced my inquiry, then relate my findings back to relevant research and theory.

Literature Review

The attainment gap starts in the early years of education and continues through individuals’ primary and secondary school experience and in most cases, widens as pupils progress through the school years. As previously indicated, the poverty attainment gap has a direct impact on school leaver destinations and therefore can determine income levels within adulthood. Wrigley et al (2012) state that after a review of educational systems around the world, the challenge faced by the school is that learning must reflect and support the needs of their pupils. This triggers the need for inclusive practice within our schools. Inclusion defined by Ainscow (2016) is said to address the ‘problems’ of social injustice and diversity in societies. Therefore, it can be said that we cannot achieve social justice without inclusion and vice versa. A central aim of the inclusion agenda is to remove barriers to participation and barriers to achievement in learning that some students had identified and experienced – social deprivation. With inclusion being a means to implement social justice, we have policies to enhance inclusive educational practice. Underpinned by the Curriculum for Excellence and inclusion-centered policy; Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC), the Scottish Government responded with a plan developed to improve Scottish education; (Delivering Excellence and Equity in Scottish Education, 2016) which incorporated the ‘Scottish Attainment Gap Challenge’ policy where the aim is to achieve equity in education. This can be achieved by ensuring every child has the same opportunity to succeed. The policy draws attention to the damning discovery that those living in the least deprived areas are twice as likely as those living in the most deprived areas to leave school with a higher qualification (Delivering Excellence and Equity in Scottish Education, 2016). However, Murphy (2014) criticized the policy by expressing that the attainment gap in fact doesn’t exist, although there is a clear link between pupils’ social status and their attainment. Murphy further projects the concern of unfair outcomes in positive leaver destinations relating to social class and states that those from low-class backgrounds are seen to have fragmented lives, limiting their opportunities to focus on studies. This exposes the substantial link between a pupil’s family background and educational achievement. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (Hirsch, 2007), states that a primary cause of child poverty is a lack of opportunities among parents with low skills and low qualifications. This may result in children experiencing limited opportunities to grow their knowledge from a young age simply because their families may not have the finance to support educational activities.

Sociological explanations for the link between a pupil’s schooling success and family background refer to the importance of cultural capital (De Graaf, P.M., 1986). The concept of ‘capital’ has allowed researchers to view culture as a resource and one that enables access to scarce rewards and can be transmitted down each generation (Lareau, A.& Weininger E.B., 2003). Bourdieu’s theory gives scope for those children from middle-class families to be at an educational advantage due to their possession of cultural capital ahead of those from lower-class backgrounds (Sullivan, 2001). Cultural capital demonstrates an individual’s cultural competence and therefore, social status by the accumulation of knowledge and skills. Bourdieu further presents the association between both social class and educational attainment with participation in cultural activities such as book reading, cinema, and attending museums and gave the explanation that it leads to the development of knowledge or skills which enhance a pupil’s success in school and therefore, school leaver destination (Bourdieu and Boltanski 1981; Sullivan, 2001).

With the diverse range of success within schools, there has been a growing interest in the placement of ability within schools. The current educational system places a huge emphasis on achieving grades A-C. Gillborn and Youdell (2001), echo this by stating that a school now lives or dies on its results and that teachers are under pressure more now than ever to get A-C passes. This creates the discussion of the ‘A-C economy’, a term used for the competitive and increasingly fraught realities of secondary education in a system dominated by annually publishing league tables of performance, labeling schools as the ‘best’ and ‘worst’ relating to their A-C pass numbers (Gillborn and Youdell, 2001). Responding to the A-C economy and the need to survive, a study carried out by Gillborn and Youdell (2001) places a huge emphasis on the understanding of ‘ability’ and how it influences a school’s decisions on how to improve performance. Often ability is seen as relatively fixed within schools and it can be measured through tests to identify an individual’s academic potential. The Government has proclaimed that not only does ability exists as a measurable trait through the use of examinations, but that ability is also unevenly distributed through social class groups and the best way for schools to engage with the power of the government is to separate pupils in accordance (Gillborn and Youdell, 2001). This idea is reflected in the Labour Party’s manifesto, where it is declared that in order to maximize the potential of pupils, ‘setting’ them into groups is necessary for different abilities to be benefited. A theoretical framework of this claim is that of viewing education as a ‘triage’. The educational triage theory involves categorizing pupils into three groups in accordance with their abilities. The groups are ‘safe’, those perceived by the school to be on track to achieve the benchmark of five A-C grades, and the group ‘without hope’, those perceived to be incapable of achieving the benchmark (Youdell, 2004). These groups are seen to be neglected within the educational triage as their achievements are said to be set. However, those within the ‘under-achievers’ bracket where they are regarded as ‘borderline’ of achieving the benchmark five A-C grades receive additional resources as they are deemed to be most likely to benefit from this support. The theory of educational triage became increasingly valuable to this inquiry after an examination of the division of pupils across the three triage groups. It showed the correlation between a high number of pupils of low social background and therefore deprivation to be placed in the group ‘without hope’ (Youdell, 2004). Therefore, papers such as McKnight et al (2005) and Leos-Urbel et al (2013) suggest that underachievement is associated with social deprivation (Arshad, Wrigley, and Pratt 20). A suggestion of this could be the earlier identified lack of cultural capital which influenced the accumulation of knowledge and skills from a young age and therefore viewed as set to fail due to their decreased access to educational activities out with school. Research highlights that although schools cannot hope to address all inequalities faced by pupils, teachers can and do make a difference (Arshad et al, 2012). Therefore, this theory of educational triage will be later explored through the inquiry into how the additional funding is used to raise attainment and increase positive leave of pupils of social deprivation.

As part of the Scottish Governments attempts to close the attainment gap, a £120 million Pupil equity funding (PEF) was allocated to 2,300 Scottish schools which form part of the £179 million Attainment Scotland Fund for 2018-2019 to tackle the growing poverty-related attainment gap (Gov. scot, 2018). Deputy first minister, John Swinney stated that “Every child should have the best possible start in life, no matter their background. Schools have a significant role to play in ensuring every child is given the right support to help them achieve their full potential.” How PEF is used within Scottish schools at a micro level is at the discrepancy of each school therefore, localizing power to individual schools based on the surrounding community and pupils within, creates a targeted support based on the background-related needs of their own pupils. This in turn supports a greater holistic development of pupils to constrain the influence of social deprivation and ensure pupils are presented with opportunities to achieve their full potential and enhance a positive school leaver destination.

Context and Method

Research for this inquiry was undertaken in a comprehensive secondary school within central Scotland in an area where social deprivation is heightened within the community for pupils and their families with 78% living within the lowest SIMD deciles. For the purpose of this inquiry, ethically we will regard this school as School A. BERA guidelines indicate that anonymity should remain throughout the inquiry for ethical reasons (BERA, 2011). The inquiry aimed to examine programs within the school that were in place by the school and wider community as a consequence of PEF funding in an attempt to raise attainment and increase positive school-leaver destinations. Information for this inquiry was gathered through observations and informal conversations with both pupils and teaching staff. An interesting aspect of many of these programs was that they were provided by the PE department due to their strong relationships with pupils and in particular those in the senior phase regarded as nearing school leavers. This was reflected in the high uptake of PE, where four national, four higher, and two sports leadership classes for the 2018/19 school year were supported. Focusing on the attainment gap within the boundaries of the school, Scottish Public Health Observatory, 2018 reported that of pupils living within the local authority, 55.3 % were likely to leave with 1 or more qualifications of SCQF level 6, higher, compared to to the national average of 61.6%. Furthermore, www.schoolguide.co.uk (2019) indicated that 21% of school leavers from this secondary school leave with 5 or higher qualifications compared to the national average of 31%. Drawing on these statistics and that of 78% of pupils living in SIMD 1-3. The school received a share of £194,400 share of PEF allocated to close the attainment gap (Gov. Scot, 2018). However, it is noteworthy to mention that www.schoolguide.co.uk (2019) also highlights that within the school’s role of 982 pupils, the school exceeds the national benchmark with 93% of school leavers entering a positive destination (S4-S6) compared to the national average of 68%. This could be in light of the programs which are in place to increase the attainment not only through SQA qualifications but wider achievements.

Findings

The school in which the inquiry took place took full advantage of PEF by implementing programs and groups to support and increase inclusion. Many initiatives targeted those affected by social deprivation which aimed to influence their educational attainment, therefore, driving them to achieve social justice. The Scottish attainment gap report by Joseph Rowntree Foundation (Sosu & Ellis, 2014) highlights that carefully implemented nurture groups and mentoring schemes have a positive impact on reducing the attainment gap associated with pupils from socially deprived backgrounds. Aspects of these interventions were apparent within the school in its journey to closing the attainment gap. An interestingly eye-opening conversation with the head teacher of School A made me aware of the abundance of support within the school, they stated that:

“We have 4 catchment schools within the areas which is considerably less than the average 6, however, we receive around 60% placing requests each year from parents who wish for their children to attend School A due to the support we offer through our teacher mentoring groups, especially in the senior phase”

This supports the statement made by Hart et al. (2004) that teachers can make a difference, be it a limited one. The mentoring groups present in school A were inevitable in the younger years (S1-3) however, played a greater role in the senior phase (S4-6). The aims of these were groups to provide a nurturing and nourishing role in a pupil’s life to bridge the way for increasing academic success and allow pupils to confide in a strong adult relationship that may not be available at home. The mentoring scheme (NAME OF GROUP) was run by the newly appointed “head of nurture” who had previously been a pupil support teacher. The group was not one in which you could opt into but one in which pupils were advised to attend reflecting on their current educational progress and which SIMD they reside in.

Social justice is meant for everyone. The concept of just and fair relationships between individuals and society is important in our everyday lives, especially in education. Students should be receiving resources and being treated fairly so that they feel safe and secure to learn. Social justice can be seen differently by individuals. Some believe social justice is equality, while others believe it is equity. Before this course, I had not paid much attention to the difference between equality and equity. Equality aims to ensure fairness to everyone by allowing everyone to do the same things in order to succeed. Equity aims to understand what individuals need and allows everyone to get what they need in order to succeed. After having taken this course and engaging in classroom fieldwork, I strongly believe social justice, especially for students with disabilities in public education, is equity. Throughout the course, we were introduced to different disabilities. Each disability discussed was presented with ways that allowed the student with the disability to succeed in a public education alongside their typically developing peers. An example was how some students with a disability used Tobii, an eye-tracker and alternative communication device, that allowed them to communicate with their peers and participate in the classroom. Social justice is allowing students, who cannot communicate like their typically developing peers, to have the resources, such as Tobii, that they need in order to succeed.

An important form of social justice for students with disabilities in an inclusive setting is an IEP (individualized education plan). An IEP provides reasonable learning goals for the student and states the services that the school must provide for the child. Services may include therapeutic recreation, language services, physical therapy, assistive technology, such as a communication device, and many other services. An IEP also demonstrates social justice because it makes modifications to the programs for students with disabilities.

As a future educator, I want to ensure that all my students have the resources they need in order to succeed. As I continue with my field experience, I have already been exposed to ways in which social justice can be promoted in an inclusive classroom setting for students with disabilities. I am currently working with a student who is blind. I noticed that her handouts are translated into braille. This allows the student to have the materials and resources she needs in order to succeed in her class. I know that this is equity and not equality. If it were equality, she would be given the same handouts as her classmates, and it would not allow her to fully succeed because it would not be of any use to her. I also noticed that this student has the opportunity to have handouts and assignments read to her. The teacher does a good job of making sure that this student has social justice by giving her material that is hands-on. She will occasionally work in groups with her typically developing peers, however, while all her peers get the same material, her material will differ.

In order to promote social justice in my classroom I will make sure that all students’ needs are being met by implanting a strategic plan. It is my responsibility to ensure that my teaching is effective for all students and that all students have the materials, and resources they need to succeed. Social justice in a classroom is having high expectations for all students and, instead of lowering my expectations for students with disabilities, I should give them the materials and help they need in order to succeed. I will also seek help from others in order to educate myself and allow students to receive the best education possible.

As a future educator, I believe it is important to promote collaboration and cooperation between myself, other teachers, related service providers, and parents/guardians in order to promote social injustice for students with disabilities. It is important to collaborate with other teachers to ensure that we are on the same page. I feel it will be best to collaborate with the student’s previous teacher at the beginning of the year to ensure that the student has a smooth and easy transition to a new classroom. I could talk to the previous teacher and learn about how the child learned best and what did not work out for the child. This will allow me to get to know the child and their needs. I can also talk to the teacher of the child the following year after me. I can give the teacher examples of what kind of material and services the student needs and how they learn best. By having teachers of the student communicate and work with each other we can ensure that the student has a smooth transition throughout their academic years and that they are receiving the best form of education. I can also collaborate with other teachers to learn and share about teaching strategies, assessment strategies, behavior management strategies, and advice on curriculum modifications. If I am aware of a strategy that works well with a student I can advise other teachers and hope it helps them. I can also seek strategies from other teachers that have worked with students with disabilities and hope that they will help me in my classroom. I can also collaborate with teachers for moral support.

Collaboration between myself and related service providers is also important. As a future educator, I need to be aware of all the resources I have in order to better help my teaching for all my students. Every person involved in the education of a child should be collaborating to help the child receive the best services and education. As a teacher, I could ask the school or the parents, if appropriate and acceptable, for the contact information of the service providers that the child may have. I can also reach out to other service providers, as well as update current service providers throughout the academic year in consideration of the child’s performance and goals.

I believe communication between parents/guardians of children with disabilities is important because parents are the ones who know the strengths of the child the most. I can collaborate with parents to understand the child’s strengths and limitations. I can have face-to-face meetings with the parents/ guardians to discuss how the child is performing in the classroom. I can also seek help and advice from parents/ guardians to better understand the child. In class we discussed IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which promotes collaboration between the school and families. IDEA allows families to have a voice in their child’s education. Teachers should also promote families to have a voice in their child’s education. As a future educator, it is my responsibility to collaborate with families to teach them and explain to them their child’s education plan, and what I and the school believe is best for them. I can also collaborate with parents to teach them and inform them in ways that they can advocate for their children with disabilities. I am aware that not many families are well educated in the disability of their child, as a future educator and member of society, it is my responsibility to educate families about the disability and how they can help their child.

As a future educator, I am aware that I will be introduced to students with disabilities in my classroom and that I must seek out collaboration with teachers, related service providers, and parents and guardians. Working as a team is essential to ensure the success of the child. Each individual involved in the child’s education has their own area of expertise. Collaborating together will allow everyone to better help the child and understand concepts through different perspectives. Communication is important to maintain between all individuals working with a child with disabilities to discuss the child’s progress, success, and limitations in order to ensure that the same high expectations are held for the child regardless of the setting. I will also make sure that all students are aware that they have social rights and the right to free appropriate public education. I have seen that there are some students in classrooms that have not been treated with social justice and are unaware that their rights are being violated because they have not been shown or taught better. Many students, especially students with disabilities, have experienced neglect. After having taken this course I understand that every student is different and in order to promote social justice in my classroom, I need to understand the student’s needs, strengths, and challenges to promote and advocate for their social justice.

Spent is a game that showed me the wrenching choices that people in poverty routinely encounter – many choices that Americans, such as myself, don’t realize have to be a choice. In the game, I played as a single parent and made financial decisions for a month with only $1,000 to my name. Throughout the 30 days, I had to make decisions on what I spent my money on medical care, housing, food, transportation, and more. Some decisions were simple, such as whether I wanted a $6 salad or a $1 burger. Others were more difficult, such as spending money I didn’t necessarily have in order to give my mom the medication that she needed. Regardless of the simplicity or the difficulty of these decisions, they are decisions that my family has never faced, so they were very unfamiliar to me and gave me a much greater appreciation of the things that I have in my life. I believe that Spent gave a good representation of the experience of the working poor through the presentations of real-life situations and the visualization of the bank balance and movement of money which properly allowed me to experience the economic realities that impoverished people in America face daily.

Most of us are blind and numb to the effects of poverty because we don’t have to experience it. We have all mindlessly absorbed the data and stats of poverty, but only processed it from a distance, oblivious and unaware of the real difficulties that poverty holds. With my experience in the game, there seemed to be a constant pattern of no improvement. While this isn’t necessarily completely realistic, it allowed me to realize just how lucky I am in terms of my everyday life. Throughout the 18 years of my youth, I never once experienced money issues. Meanwhile, child poverty in America is currently at 17.5% (Pressman, 2018). This game made me realize how important one’s upbringing is. Our parents have a gigantic impact on our lives, just as our grandparents had an impact on theirs. Why have I never had to choose between basic expenses? Why have I been able to choose between things such as what type of car I wanted, when there are teenagers who would dream of having any type of reliable transportation? Why did I work a job solely for extra expenses such as going to the movies and getting new clothes when there are teenagers who work to support THEIR families, having to choose between a social life and money for their basic expenses? It’s because of my upbringing. It is because my dad is a white businessman who graduated from Cornell and has enough wealth to easily support a family of six and because his dad was also a white businessman who was able to easily climb his way to the top of the company he worked for. This does not make me more deserving than the impoverished and neither does it make me morally better – I’m just lucky.

Spent emphasizes the power of upbringing by showing the struggle of being a single parent. For example, in my experience in the game, I had to decide that my child couldn’t go to a birthday party because I didn’t have enough money to provide a birthday present. My financial stability as a parent in the game and my upbringing as a child in the game are negatively impacting them. This game shows the reality and burdens of lower-class families. It has been shown that children have a higher average score on their SAT if their parents have a higher income, and the amount of time that lower-class parents have to work can greatly interfere with family relationships (Markovits, 2019). There is a pattern of how greatly one’s upbringing impacts the future generations of the family. Kids get stuck in trying to achieve upward mobility, whether that’s due to economic issues within the community, the upbringing that they experienced, or the overall sense of striving for the American Dream among the working class (Vance, 2016).

The American Dream states that ALL people, with the right amount of effort and work, can achieve what they are working towards. All they must do is work hard enough (Hernandez, Wealth Inequality in America). The American Dream isn’t as simple as it sounds, though. In fact, the American Dream is a rare phenomenon to those born in the lower class, with one out of every 100 children in the poorest fifth of households, and less than one out of 50 children in the middle fifth of households joining the top five percent (Markovits, 2019). Spent gives a good insight into how hard it is to make this progress. In my 30 days in the game, every time I took a step forward, it seemed like the next day I was taking two steps back. The game made me choose between items such as toilet paper and paper towels, fixing my own sink or getting a plumper, and deciding whether to give my mom the medicine that she needs for her health. There were simple choices and there were tough choices, but why weren’t there any beneficial choices? I believe that the reason the game did not provide any true room for improvement was to show players that social mobility is hard to come by in the lower class, which could be due to the Matthew Effect: the concept that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer (Hernandez, Wealth Inequality in America). This idea is seen in many ways, including the hardships that children born into an impoverished community face. For instance, a child in a low-income family is more likely to deal with experiences of childhood trauma and therefore is more likely to get into situations such as becoming more vulnerable to the idea of doing drugs or having to drop out of high school in order to support their family (Vance, 2016). Spent provides an increased of awareness of the hardships that low-income parents face by allowing a person to experience this reality.

While the game explores the hardships of low-income working families, there is no emphasis on the differences between race and gender in terms of poverty. The aspect of further hardships that the discriminated, impoverished community goes through is not shown in Spent and does not give the player any viewpoint of what these individuals have to face. Spent utilizes finances as the biggest aspect of the game but doesn’t focus on any racial elements of poverty and financial struggles. To be blunt, in America, the chances of making it from the bottom to the top are slim if you aren’t white. To put it in perspective, only 3% of non-Hispanic whites live in high-poverty communities compared to one-third of black and one-fifth of Hispanic low-income working families (Turner and Fortuny, 2009). Furthermore, if a black American is born in the bottom lower class, there is a 50% chance of staying at the bottom compared to a 3% chance of making it all the way to the top. Compared to this, white Americans have roughly the same chance to stay at the bottom as they do to make it to the top (Hernandez, Wealth Inequality in America). This could be largely due to the fact that it hasn’t even been a century since segregation became outlawed, immigration laws, or lack thereof, and stereotypes. While I have not experienced racial inequality, the data provided on American poverty today gives great insight into how racial differences have a huge influence over where an individual can improve in poverty.

In terms of gender discrimination, there is gender stratification, allowing men to have the upper hand in terms of “wealth, power, and privilege” (Venator, 2017). While I have not experienced the turmoil of racial struggles, I do understand the impact of gender stratification. I worked at a local pizza place throughout my senior year of high school and became very aware of the differences that gender holds. I worked as a cashier because that was the only thing I could be. I was not allowed to be a driver or a cook because I was a female. That seemed unfair to me since the cooks and drivers made more money. I felt perfectly capable of being able to make a pizza and put it in the oven, or being able to drive pizzas around, but my gender blocked me from being able to make that extra money. I got stuck with a pink-collar job and was unable to fulfill my full potential or showcase skills that I knew I had but were deemed as too manly or dangerous. (Venator, 2017). This is a clear example of gender socialization that leads to gender stratification. Gender can go hand and hand with the differences in class, but the game Spent lacks the tools to show this. To elaborate on that, Spent does not show the fundamental reality that women, especially single mothers, don’t have equal chances for mobility due to gender stratification. Gender stratification results in disadvantages for women in their education opportunities along with their occupation opportunities and can lead to a difference in their earnings and financial stability overall.

Spent has given me a new perspective on the idea that America is a society based on the divisions in income and wealth. These inequalities leave the impoverished making decisions that Americans in the middle and upper class don’t have due to their privileges. This game allows players to gather a deeper understanding of just how brutal the hardships of the impoverished can be, but it does not show the relationship between class, gender, and race; nor does it provide solutions to what can be done to fix the struggles that these inequalities in wealth and income create. Overall, Spent hammers down the idea of the continuous stream of adversities among the lower class, making the game less accurate than reality, but providing a much greater impact among players on the interaction they get out of the game.

Does international Aid have a long-term negative effect on poverty-stricken countries, if so, how does this affect those who live in poverty and aim to grow their economies? America exporting rice to Haiti is an example of International Aid having a detrimental effect on the economy of Haiti in the long term. The local farmers of Haiti were forced to decrease their rice prices as the supply outweighed the demand. This harmed the farming industry in Haiti, as rice production was the farmer’s main source of income. Whilst a cheaper product was provided to the Haitian people to purchase, the offer was to assist humanitarian aid to the country of Haiti. The long-term effect on the economy and housing in Haiti is devastating with evidence of this from the documentary, Poverty Inc. Pope Francis states ‘Just as the commandment ‘Thou shalt not kill’ sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say ‘thou shalt not’ to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills’ (Pope Francis, 2013). The Pope’s quote gives humans an insight into the treatment and exclusion of poor people especially those living in Haiti. Both the Catholic and Secular approaches to International Aid are foreseen as both negatives and positives. The Catholic approach allows humans to live a life like Jesus did whereas both Utilitarianism and Kant and Categorical Imperatives, allow humans to follow Jesus’ commands, but with more consequences and disadvantages.

For hundreds of years, Catholics have been inspired to assist others less fortunate than themselves and this can be seen through the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis’ quote, and Catholic organizations such as Caritas Australia. The concept of International Aid gives Catholics a sense of justice and meaning through helping, caring for the poverty-stricken, and following Jesus’ and his disciple’s teachings. ‘The Church’s love for the poor… is a part of her constant tradition.’ (CCC, 1992, 2444) Jesus had numerous concerns for the poor with regard to how they were being treated and the conditions that they were forced to live with. Catholics can give love and assist the poor to live a better life and fulfill Jesus’ teachings ‘…All people are called to a life of being like God, of striving for goodness.’ (Connellan, 2019) In relation to the rice epidemic in Haiti, Catholics would have encouraged Haitians to support one another, within their community as well as accepting foreign aid suppliers from countries such as America. By promoting the Catholic ethos in the rice situation, Haitians can continue to support their local businesses and instead of importing rice, they can export it to other countries to help boost their countries economy. An example of a Catholic group supporting International Aid in not only Haiti but developing countries is Caritas Australia. Caritas teaches that every person is created in the image of God, thus having human dignity. “No human being should have their dignity or freedom comprised” (Caritas Australia, 2018). The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) is evidence that Catholic people are to give help to the poor. Under the Human Solidarity chapter, it states “Society ensures social justice by providing the conditions that allow associations and individuals to obtain their due” (CCC, 1992, 1943). To allow Haiti to rebuild its economy and poverty crisis, richer nations have to allow the developing country to do so. Instead of Americans exporting rice into Haiti, let the Haitians export rice into America so that they can grow steadily and become stronger economically as a country. Another teaching is that “The differences among persons belong to God’s plan, who wills that we should need one another. These differences should encourage charity” (CCC, 1992, 1946). By encouraging Haiti to export localized rice and other material goods, God’s need for charity amongst humans will decrease with communities be able to help one another with minimal help from other nations. The Natural Law Theory showcases the morality of what is right and wrong and what is good and bad. Natural Law theorist Thomas Aquinas believes that the approach to resolving ‘…ethical dilemmas begins with the basic belief that everyone has the right to live their life.’ With the Natural Law theory, people can give the poor a right to live their lives and constantly support one another (McKenna, 2018). Pope John Paul ll commented, “We must be careful not to see the poor as victims only to be helped.” Poverty is not only about the lack of resources of one’s country, but more importantly the exclusion from exchange and efficiency” (Smith, Doyle, 2018). In Scripture, humans are reminded that God is indeed on the side of the poor. This is not because they are ‘better’, but because “…poverty is an affront to God’s design for us and he stands with and wants justice for those whom the world has discarded and diminished in such a way.” (Smith, Doyle, 2018) The exclusion and inequality of poverty and International Aid in Haiti and other developing countries can be seen through the words of Pope Francis’ quote “… ’ Thou shalt not’ to an economy of exclusion and inequality.” (Pope Francis, 2013) Catholics are reminded of the good and love to output into aid-dependent countries so that they can continue to follow Jesus’ teachings and fulfill a Catholic way of life.

Utilitarianism is one of the numerous secular approaches which addresses the issue of poverty and International Aid in the world today which can be approached either positively or negatively depending on the situation at hand. Utilitarianism is one of the most influential theories and focuses on ‘…whether actions are morally right or wrong depends on their effect.’ (Nathanson, 2017) The only effect of the action taken is that there are good and bad outcomes that can influence a situation. Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) were both theorists of Utilitarianism and their theories have had huge impacts on approaches to political, economic, and social policy (Nathanson, 2017). Utilitarians believe that the purpose of morals and ethics is to make life seem better by increasing the number of good things in the world and decreasing the number of bad things. Peter Singer, a Utilitarian believes that each person “…should be taking one percent of their income and donating it to eradicating poverty and helping those in need.” (Ord, 2017) By acting on this, we will contribute to the decrease of aid dumping and get countries such as Haiti to become more economically independent. This also allows for government and businesses to not profit from aid. The view that humans have of one another when donating to others in poverty-stricken countries and helping support contentment and well-being within these countries is something that Utilitarians aim to promote. Utilitarians are all about contributions and donations to developing countries. Most of the time they cannot see the long-term effect that this can have on the country itself. Considering the main idea of Utilitarianism and the importation of rice into Haiti, the outcome of the good or the bad depends on the effect, foresees a long-term effect of Haiti being eradicated.

It affects farmers’ produce and income and also their personal achievements. The rice fixture is not a long-term solution, therefore the Utilitarian approach to International Aid is not sustainable. Utilitarianism can also be both unpredictable and unmeasurable (GetRevising, 2014). Therefore, Utilitarianism cannot be a secular approach that we rely upon and can only be useful in some cases. Utilitarianism is one way in which humans can implement charity organizations by endlessly donating to poverty-stricken countries. Although Utilitarians do not purposely form “…an economy of exclusion and inequality.”, as Pope Francis states (Pope Francis, 2013) the well-being and caring of those in poor countries, create a sense of plateau for the poor, no creation of growth in the economy and a continuous feeling of exclusion from the world.

The Kant and Categorical Imperatives secular theory addresses International Aid and Poverty in a way that evaluates the long- and short-term effects of decisions that we as humans make. The Categorical Imperative was introduced by Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) who argued that the ultimate principle of morality was a standard of rationality (Augustyn, 2017). The Categorical Imperative was supposed to stipulate a way for humans to make moral and ethical judgments and evaluate moral actions (P, 2017). Formulation 2 of Kant’s theory is titled ‘The Formula of Humanity’ and explains that the act of “…humanity whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end and never as a mere means.” (Crash Course, 2016) This formula showcases how to determine and differentiate between right and wrong; you have to use reason and have consideration for others. For Kantians, two main questions are asked before deciding to act upon a situation, these are “Can I rationally will that everyone act as I propose to act?” and “Does my action respect the goals of human beings rather than merely using them for my own purposes?” (CSUS, 2016) These questions allow Kantians to suggest issues and solutions for future intentions. In relation to the Haiti rice epidemic, a Kantian would ask these questions and figure out whether the effects of the situation are long or short-term. As shown in the second question, we can see that providing imports of rice from America will merely benefit the Americans, not the Haitian people. Haiti people want to be able to export rice to America, not impact the well-being of its countries on its people. Just as Pope Francis states, ‘…we also have to say ‘thou shalt not’ to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills,’ (Pope Francis, 2013) Kant and Categorical Imperatives and Utilitarianism share the importance of building strong economies in poverty-stricken countries.

International Aid in third-world countries has a major effect, not only on a country’s economy, but also on its growth, stimulation, and dignity of it too. The Haitian people are struggling to provide and sell rice to their communities and even export it out into the world due to an ongoing importation of rice from countries of high power. The Catholic, Utilitarianism Kant, and Categorical Imperatives all have similar ideas on how they approach International Aid, in particular, the Haiti rice epidemic. By approaching International Aid and Aid dumping in a situation such as the Haiti rice epidemic, humans can see how important it is to not exclude Haiti, but instead, let them grow economically independent by exporting products. By doing this, we will decrease the number of people living in poverty not only in Haiti but in other developing countries.

Rising childcare cost, shortfall of federal housing assistance, and stagnant or falling incomes among the poor communities are some challenges we face in developing effective programs, services, and responsive social policies. “As a result of these trends, most poor renting families now devote over half of their income to housing costs, and eviction has become commonplace in low-income communities”. 2 Poor single mothers with young children, particularly African Americans, are at especially high risk of eviction and unable to find affordable child care.

A few challenges that low-income families face are jobs that they seek require a college degree, work hours are limited for most single-family households and those of low job-skills, and most jobs’ pay does not match the means of living for the individual. When it comes time to look for a job, people look for three key things when reading the job posting- location, pay, and requirements for the job.

Most people do not have a college degree and without one, it is hard to find a job when majority of the employers require a bachelor degree minimum. There are employees who will hire you based on the number of years of experience you have in the field if you do not have a degree. However, what if you do not have a degree and have low job-skills for the job then what- one word unemployed. A challenge with having a full / part time hourly job is unpredictable monthly incomes, difficulty meeting life obligations, and adverse health outcomes. Employed single parents -jobs are still operating while the child does not have school that day or vacation week which can cause a day of no pay or paying someone to watch the child(ren) while working.

Minimum wage is not enough to survive living on your own as a single person let alone as a single parent with 1, 2, or even 3+ kids. Jobs typically pay as low as $11/ hour in Massachusetts, while minimum rent in MA for a studio / one bedroom apartment is starting at $1,100 a month. A person will need to factor food, utilities, and travel fare to and from work into their expense as well. The thought of paying rent, food, utilities, travel fare, work clothes, and more on a minimum wage can stress anyone out and force them to seek for assistance.

With the government shutdowns, assistant or even just housing assistant has become harder to receive. So many people are on the waiting list and some I have spoken to have been placed on the Boston Metropolitan Housing listing since 2013. There is little to none government funding for low-income based people looking for food and or shelter assistance. When the person discovers assistance is not available, the person is then facing eviction. Fluctuating income, no available housing assistance, along with the landlords increasing the rent can cause most families to face eviction. The economy is changing and landlords are now facing a change in their personal incoming income causing the rent to rise on their property for the living tenants so the landlords can still manage to keep up with the change in economy.

In addition to rent changing, childcare is among things that the economy has affected as well. The average cost of home daycare for an infant starts at $3,394 a year and goes up to $10,679 a year ($283 to $890 a month), but in large cities this cost is likely to be higher.3 In addition to rent changing, child care is among things that the economy has affected as well. With little to no childcare assistant available single parents struggle to find day care in their price range or in their distance if they can afford it. Sometimes it is a lose-lose situation and you have to figure out which one you can deal with longer.

In conclusion, we face challenges like rising childcare cost, shortfall of federal housing assistance, and stagnant or falling incomes among the poor communities due to the lack of support from the government for the communities in poverty. If the government took the time to visit the poor communities they will have a visual of what needs to change to have an idea of how to begin change. As well as, it is not only up to the government to make change – we in the community can make change within ourselves to spread change across.

Supporting People in Poverty

Andrew Carnegie (2019) said, “The best means of benefitting the community is to place within its reach the ladders upon which the aspiring can rise…” On any particular day in America, over 600,000 individuals are homeless (Gaines, 2019). Despite the common vision to aid in economic and social equality, there is skepticism about community driven social change (Dorius, 2009). The role of community development organizations and philanthropic reporters is to identify and analyze the impacts of social change and community development, but due to the lack of evidence and comprehension, people are concerned with the actual magnitude of the community programs (Dorius, 2009).

History of Poverty

The negative view on low-income people has been negative for over 400 years, dating back to the English poor laws in the 15th century (Williams, 2019). People feel the burden of being poor. Many individuals are distanced on interpersonal and institutional levels in workplaces, schools, and social gatherings due to their lack of resources (Williams, 2019). Stereotypes for low-income people are taught and displayed at a young age through parental views and actions, and this is why people in poverty also have negative views on themselves and their outcomes (Williams, 2019). In 1980, the top 1% of wageworkers owned about 11% of the nation’s income while the bottom 50% owned about 21%. In 2016, the top 1% jumped to owning 20% of the nation’s income and the bottom 50% dropped to 13% in the same time (Williams, 2019).

Those especially susceptible to poverty include women, people of color, people with special needs, and children, which make up 36% of the poor population (Cox, 2019). An increase in homelessness hit after the 2008 Great Recession in which housing increases drastically, unemployment exploded, and foreclosures increased (Cox, 2019). Losing a job when the unemployment rate is greater than 8% raises the chances of long-term unemployment by three and a half times than when the rate is 6% or less (Williams, 2019). A one-point increase in the unemployment rate raises the chances of becoming long-term unemployed by 35% (Williams, 2019). With higher rates of economic inequality, health outcomes become more prevalent, for example: living with chronic diseases, struggling with substance or alcohol use disorders, dying sooner than counterparts outside the income inequal community, and mental health issues (Williams, 2019).

More support is available for non-cash assistance programs, such as subsidies that are designated for specific things and homeless shelters. Supporters can become skeptical of those seeking assistance, because cash assistance is pleasing to many and those who do not truly need the assistance may attempt to receive a share in the distributions (Cambell, 2017).In a survey conducted on Amazon’s MTurk, less than 10% of participants supported cash assistance, over 1 in 5 supported food stamps and subsidies, and support for housing assistance is somewhere in the middle. Participants supported income equality, and equality in providing the basic needs such as food, shelter and transportation, but preferred to show support in terms of policy and advocacy rather than support such as subsidies and government programs (Cambell, 2017).

The word “welfare” reduces community support because it signifies reckless government programs and conjures images of unpredictable recipients (Cambell, 2017). When one thinks of assistance to the poor, they think of homeless shelters and soup kitchens, and when they think about welfare– housing assistance, food stamps, and cash assistance programs come to mind. People support an increase in budget for assistance to the poor but provide little support for increasing the welfare budget (Cambell, 2017). Currently there are about 46 million individuals on food stamps, which provide to children, elderly, people with special needs, and those below the poverty line (Cox, 2019).

In Kentucky, work requirements were installed in the Medicaid expansion requiring those who sought help to be working or volunteering at least 20 hours per week. Those who failed to follow this requirement were “locked out” of services for up to 6 months. In its success, emergency room use for regular care and trouble paying medical expenses significantly decreased and over 40% of people reported an increase to excellent health and overall well-being. This addition is based on the belief that if people worked harder, they could overcome poverty and be able to stabilize themselves long term, which is not entirely correct (Williams, 2019).

Changes to Support People in Poverty

Kroft, Lange, and Notowidigdo sent fabricated resumes to real job openings and discovered an “unemployment cliff” in that of applicants for the same job. Similar resumes were sent to the same job application with differences in unemployment rates and job history. The applicants with over 6 months of unemployment were significantly less likely to get the job than a person with a similar resume but with a smaller period of unemployment (Williams, 2019). Even if employers are not thinking the thought directly, most people see an employment gap of over 6 months and wonder why they have been unemployed for that length of time. Due to the cliff, many skilled and ambitious workers are out of work, depressing our economic growth (Williams, 2019).

Studying people that come from or live in poverty is the best way to understand poverty and their injustices. People believe it is the individual’s responsibility to become successful, work hard, and provide for their families. While others believe society plays a role and should assist with accommodating their hardships (Cox, 2019). Increasing economic security and understanding social constructs will help combat poverty and create a thriving community. Governmental programs, economic and political, are defective, exploitive, and biases to people in poverty. There is need to review and advocate regularly for policies and programs that set to reduce poverty (Cox, 2019). Federal property rates, disposable income, and rate of employment are areas not often thought of needing social change because most practitioners are concerned with qualitative details, but change is essential in all areas to accomplish the change. Many social workers focus on solving social problems on a person-focused level, not evaluated by experts (Dorius, 2009).

In low-income areas, there is little housing, transportation, and job opportunities that make it harder to move out of the community. Often times transportation is not offered out of the area to higher paying jobs, and the jobs within the community are low paying, not nearly enough to provide for a family. There needs to be not just local change but regional change to support areas of poverty. Putting these ideas into organizational and thorough terms to encourage mutual and measurable outcomes and objectives has been more difficult to understand (Dorius, 2009).

People attribute their success to hard work, taking risks, perseverance, talents, and drives (Williams, 2019) and believe that people are in poverty because of low work ethic, low ability, immoral behavior, or adverse cultural beliefs and practices (Cambell, 2017). But white women only make 77 cents to the male dollar, and the number decreases for African American and Latino women, so success is not determined on ethics and values alone (Cox, 2019). Getting people to take part in their own situation is one of the basis of social change and it can be hard to engage individuals in their own change (Dorius, 2009).

Andrew Carnegie published “The Gospel of Wealth” and gave definition to redistributing wealth from few to many hands. He believed the antidote for the unequal handling of wealth was “returning their surplus wealth to the mass of their fellows in the forms best calculated to do them lasting good” (Williams, 2019). There is a humanitarianism belief that ties helping those in need and improving others progress to self-sufficiency. When it comes to acts of giving, the intention and attempts matter more than the outcome. There are reasons giving of time or money may not result in the outcome we had hoped for, but as long as the gift was pure and meaningful, then the act is not wrong (Policy, 2018).

In order to value everyone equally and eliminate means test, a universal basic income program that provides support to obtain all basic needs has been considered. Over 50% of recipients who can work worked in the same month they applied for benefits, and over 74% worked that year. Over two thirds of the benefits go to children, elderly or people with disabilities. Recipients should not have to be deterred from accepting a raise, working more, or finding a better paying job and anticipate losing their benefits. When there is an increase in income, food stamps and programs alike will reduce the amount of support provided. This makes it difficult to maintain their standard of living and ability to “pull out of poverty.” People need support transitioning to a higher paying job, such as transportation, uniforms, and training (Gaines, 2019).

By introducing the US Department of Agriculture’s Low-Cost Food Plan, the true cost of food can be considered and provide a more accurate amount for food stamps. Making changes to the way food stamps are calculated include using the median cost of housing and reducing penalties for domestic partners within a home and will encourage honest reporting (Gaines, 2019).

How Change Will Happen

Local development projects and programs in education, employment and wealth are being created to empower low income individuals and impact agendas of local organizations (Dorius, 2009). 91.9% of social workers expect to initiate or complete social change while working in their current organizations. Most of these social workers support change by providing support to clients and advocating for local agendas and programs. By teaching low-income families how to become self-sufficient and providing services not easily accessible, social workers believe they are leading social change and stabilizing their communities (Dorius, 2009).

An idea that “staring over again” and bringing the middle class into an impoverished area will stabilize the economy was considered. The idea is that the middle class would bring back money and businesses, which bring jobs and income to low-income households. It is time we create a policy framework that supports communities for people of all incomes while providing new experiences and chances to “start over again.” The definition of community change is complicated because there are many approaches to developing low-income communities and the sure outcome is not clear (Dorius, 2009).

In an interview of social workers, six empowerment ideas were used to explain initiating social change. For example, “achieving economic self-sufficiency,” by teaching people how to access assets in an unfavorable world. Continuing education for low-income individuals and families, possible barriers they might face, and for those who need assistance to control their own economic destiny. Community development programs and projects can help support those living in poor conditions with a focus on dignity and respect for their clients. Supporting low-income people to build self-confidence, recognize common values, create a vision for themselves, and use community action to take control of their life again can benefit the society overall (Dorius, 2009).

Although there is no definite path to overcome poverty, there is lack of accountability for the behavioral requirements for social change along with the policy and support (Dorius, 2009). Referring clients to other social assistance agencies and providing opportunity to receive the services they need such as health care, protection from financial abuse (high interest rates on credit cards and loans, payday loans, cars or houses), mental health services, and insurance options helps create a more economic equally society (Cox, 2019). Working with other organizations to provide a high level of support, advocate for change, and access knowledge are part of assisting people to address all aspect of their lives and maintain well-being (Williams, 2019).

How These Changes Will Increase Social Justice

Most salaried employees would not be seen as a social problem, but they want to focus on growing in “self-interest” instead of redistributing to those in need (Williams, 2019). Surveys have shown that wealthier people are less generous than low-income people. When people from different socioeconomic statuses are exposed to each other, the wealthier person is less inclined to supporting redistribution. When low-income people manifest within a society, the wealthier person is less willing to support policies and safety nets for those that are homeless and in poverty (Sands, 2017). White people respond negatively to other white people but not to other races (Sands, 2017).

Regardless of race, gender, age, or abilities, everyone deserves economic and social rights and opportunities fairly (Cox, 2019). With an increase in counseling and interaction with people in poverty, they start to trust and open up to professionals about their needs and whether they are being met or if they need some assistance with providing basic needs (Crumb, 2019). Professionals who work together can overcome oppression, discrimination, and marginalized status for their clients. They can advocate and provide resources for whatever assistance best fits their needs (Crumb, 2019). It also creates a sense of self awareness for clients and professionals and assist in identifying goals and values.

Less than 70% of affordable housing is in low-access areas with high unemployment rates, low wages, and high crime (Gaines, 2019). The US Department of Housing and Urban Development have estimated over 12 million households spend more than 30% of their income on housing (Plassmeyer, 2018). These households are considered cost-burdening. Households that are cost-burdening violate their lease most often due to late or nonpayment of rent. The change in affordable housing will increase the economy and give people stability in their homes (Plassmeyer, 2018). Providing support and care to low-income families will stabilize the communities such that the needs of their people are successfully being met (Dorius, 2009).

Poverty is not alone caused by economic resources but also the ability to access education, tools, and resources that would benefit their situation (CARE, 2013). By advocating for fair labor policies, such as ratifying living-wage policies, supporting family leave, and equal, family centric labor laws, more working parents and families are able to spend more time together and be more financially stable and able to influence their own situation (Gaines, 2019). An essential, public form of advocacy are petitions which is less costly than other ways of political involvement and are a path to potential political participation (Sands, 2017).

Advocating for people is rewarding and can influence others in the long run. Getting to know people and supporting them by providing education and options based on their situation is what social work is all about. Bettering the lives of other people individually, in groups and as a community whole is overall benefiting to the society.

References

1. Campbell, C., & Gaddis, S. M. (2017). “I Don’t Agree with Giving Cash”: A Survey Experiment Examining Support for Public Assistance. Social Science Quarterly (Wiley-Blackwell), 98(5), 1352–1373. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.12338
2. CARE’s Poverty & Social Work Definition. (2013, October 22). Retrieved December 3, 2019, from https://www.care.org/work/poverty/cares-poverty-social-work-definition.
3. Cox, L. E., Tice, C. J., & Long, D. D. (2019). Introduction to social work: an advocacy-based profession(2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
4. Crumb, L., Haskins, N., & Brown, S. (2019). Integrating Social Justice Advocacy into Mental Health Counseling in Rural, Impoverished American Communities. Professional Counselor, 9(1), 20–34. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1215753
5. Dorius, N. (2009). Understanding Change in Poor Communities: What Is It and How Will We Know When It Happens? Journal of Urban Affairs, 31(1), 97–109. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9906.2008.00438.x
6. Gaines-Turner, T., Simmons, J. C., & Chilton, M. (2019). Recommendations From SNAP Participants to Improve Wages and End Stigma. American Journal of Public Health, 109(12), 1664–1667. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2019.305362
7. Plassmeyer, M., Brisson, D., & Lechuga-Peña, S. (2018). Impact of services on retaining subsidized housing. Journal of Urban Affairs, 40(2), 261–273. https://doi.org/10.1080/07352166.2017.1324246
8. Policy, M. G. P. of P., & Associate, A. T. P. (2018). Doing Well and Doing Good? How Concern for Others Shapes Policy Preferences and Partisanship among Affluent Americans. Public Opinion Quarterly, 82(2), 209–230. https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfy020
9. Sands, M. L. (2017). Exposure to inequality affects support for redistribution. PNAS Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 114(4), 663–668. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1615010113
10. Williams, W. R. (2019). Considering Carnegie’s Legacy in the Time of Trump: A Science and Policy Agenda for Studying Social Class. Journal of Social Issues, 75(1), 356–382. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12303

In California, there are many citizens and immigrants who are struggling to earn enough income to support themselves and, if applicable, one’s family. The cost of living in California is so high that many families in the Bay Area, in particular, are having a hard time paying off their bills. Even though the minimum wage continues to increase, yet the cost of living keeps increasing, but families are still struggling to earn a good living. This also leads to a high crime rate.

Many of the families in California works as full-time workers and try to earn a decent amount of money, but they are still struggling. According to Bohn, “17. 8% of Californians (about 6.9 million) lacked enough resources to meet basic needs in 2017.” (Bohn). This shows how many families don’t earn enough money for a living which results in poverty and not having enough resources to survive in California. My parents also are struggling to put food on the table for my brother and me, because they only make $65,000 a year. Even though my parents work seven days a week, and eight hours per day, yet my parents are still having trouble earning money to have a good life here in San Jose, California. This makes me sad, because my family came to America to have a better life, yet my family is struggling.

Immigrants are also one of the highest to experience poverty because they are less educated than people who were born in the U. S. Bohn states, “23. 6% Latinos lived in poverty, compared with 17. 6% African American, 16.4% of Asian/ Pacific Islander, and 12.% of White.” (Bohn). This means that people who are not from the U. S are very poor, and don’t make enough money to support themselves, and their families. Besides, immigrants are less fortunate on landing a good-paying job, because they did not finish school, and don’t know how to speak English properly. This results in many immigrants to work below the minimum wage, but this is not enough to support their family. In Bohn’s view, “For 44.9% of those in poverty, at least one family member reported working full time…or part of the year.” (Bohn). Most of the immigrants have to work two jobs to be able to survive. As a result, many of the families have to work together. This is very devastating to see because all the family members have to work to be able to help each other.

Even young adults are affected by poverty in California, because their parents don’t earn enough money for a living, and lead to becoming homeless. According to Hellerstein, “But the 56-year-old Bessera becomes emotional…afford to rent anymore on her $400 a month income.” (Hellerstein). Based on this information, many people who live in California are having a hard time paying off their houses and other bills. They don’t make enough for a living which results in living on the streets. I see this a lot in my neighborhood because where I live is in the heart of Silicon Valley in San Jose, California. Hellerstein herself writes, “Experts say the statistics can largely be traced to high housing costs… are hospitality and agriculture.” (Hellerstein). This means that Silicon Valley is where technology is born and created many jobs for people. However, this increased the value of items in the area, including houses, tax, and accessories. This also resulted in increased minimum wage yearly, so people can afford to live in Silicon Valley, but the living cost is also increased. Everything is just so expensive that people can’t afford to have nice things. With that said, Bessera and her family had no choice, but to live out in the street as a result.

Another concern is students who are struggling to balance school and work to survive. Most of the students who are in college are having a hard time paying off their tuition fees for school, and this affects their living situation as well. According to Deruy, “ 4,000 students at San Jose State who found themselves in the last year… from California State University. (Deruy). Students are already in debt from school, yet tuition is very expensive, and this leads to many students being homeless. Of course, student can’t afford to pay a dorm or an apartment to live in, since the government won’t help. The student ended up working at a part-time job somewhere and balancing school at the same time. This is really hard to do because it distracts students from learning. Based on my experience, I had a hard time balancing school and work during my high school years, and even up today. I had no choice but to work, so I can help my parents pay their bills for them. Now that I am in college, I work more than before, because the government did not give me money for tuition. As a result, I’m under a very stressful time as a freshman in college. In addition, according to Deruy, “Now several years later… part-time job with homework to help his parents.” (Deruy). Juan Maruffo is one of the students who struggle to make a living with his family even though he is in school, and he has a part-time job. With that said, he experienced poverty at the end of his high school senior when Maruffo’s dad was fired and his family wounded up in the street for several months while he was in college. He had probably had a hard time dealing with that kind of situation. This shows how many students go through hardship in poverty, and even though life is tough, yet they still managed to balance their life.

Crime is the last resort of poverty because the crime rate is increasing as people are becoming unable to support themselves. According to Regoli, “When people live in households that are struggling… 1,000 people in middle-to-high families.” (Regoli). Many of the people who live in America are in poverty, and that’s why we have one of the highest crime rates in the world. People can’t afford to make a decent living with just a minimum wage at a workplace. As a result, they live in a ghetto place where crime is committed. People are also trying to earn enough money by selling drugs illegally on the streets. Usually, urban places are where the crime is at height, and the Bay Area is an urban Area. I live in a very ghetto place because there are always cops roaming around my neighborhood. But almost everyone who lives in the area is experiencing poverty like me. Most of the area in San Jose is ghetto which there are many crimes committed in the city. As a result, crime is linked to poverty, since people would earn money illegally which is a crime under the law.

Many of us are living in poverty in California and have struggled to make a living, but we still manage to work hard and put food on the table for our families. Hopefully, the government will help the poor from poverty by creating programs that give families some extra help. So in this way, people can live very comfortably and have a good-paying job instead of stressing of not having enough money to pay their bills.