Chapter 7 Poverty and How to Help

SOCIAL WORK AND SOCIAL WELFARE: AN INTRODUCTION by Ambrosino/ Shuttlesworth/ Heffernan/ Ambrosino

Chapter 7: Poverty, Income Assistance,

and Homelessness

Copyright © 2012 Cengage Learning, Brooks/Cole Publishing.

Empowering Programs with Resourcesthat Enhance Social Work Education


Social Work: A Competency-Oriented Education

Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)

- Defines Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAs)

- Developed 10 “Core Competencies” and 41 Related “Practice Behaviors”

Every student should master the Practice Behaviors and Core Competencies before completing the program


Resources Aligned to EPAS 2008

The Textbook –

- “Helping Hands” icons call attention to content that relates to Practice Behaviors and Competencies

- “Competency Notes” at the end of the chapter help put the Practice Behaviors and Competencies in practical context


Resources Aligned to EPAS 2008 (cont’d)

The Practice Behaviors Workbook developed

with the text provides assignable exercises that assist in mastering the Practice Behavior and Competencies

Additional on-line resources can be found at: www.cengage.com/socialwork


Views on poverty and how to help

• Multiple views on poverty, what should be done,

and who should do it• Most people want successful anti-poverty programs

in place, but there is lack of agreement about what

those programs should be

EP 2.1.1a, 2.1.8a


Conceptualizations of poverty

• As deprivation• As inequality in the distribution of income• As culture• As exploitation by the ruling class• As structure

EP 2.1.1a, 2.1.8a


Defining poverty

• Inadequate household income when defined by a specific standard

• Relative poverty• Market basket concept

EP 2.1.1a, 2.1.8a


Federal poverty guidelines (2010)

HouseholdSize

IncomeLimit

Household Size

Income Limit

1 $10,380 5 $25,790

2 $14,570 6 $29,530

3 $18,310 7 $33,270

4 $22,050 8 $37,010

EP 2.1.1a, 2.1.8a


Who are America’s poor?

Who is considered poor depends on:• Overall performance of economy• Household composition and members’ access to

economic system• Levels of expenditure on social welfare programs• Effectiveness of social welfare programs

EP 2.1.3a, 2.1.7b


The poor are a diverse group• 14% of U.S. population live in poverty • African Americans and Latinos are almost 3 times

more likely to be poor than whites• 1 in 10 persons 65 and older is poor• Almost 30% of female householders live in poverty

• 1 in 3 African American and a like number of Latino

children lives in poverty compared to less than 1 in 10 white children

EP 2.1.3a, 2.1.7b


Debunking stereotypes about the poor

• Not all poor people are on welfare – many are

two-parent families with both parents working

full-time, often in minimum wage jobs with few or

no benefits• 20% of families living in poverty line have a

working family member

EP 2.1.3a, 2.1.7b


Social Security Act of 1935• Cornerstone of American social welfare policy • Set tone for federal support for individuals and

families• The act has been modified many times over the

years to create new programs, modify existing

programs, or do away with programs

EP 2.1.3a, 2.1.7b


War on poverty is lost

• Economic Opportunity Act creates a plethora of

domestic anti-poverty programs• Many of these programs were ill-conceived, poorly

run, or not sustainable • White House preoccupied with Vietnam War • Welfare rolls escalate• Economy falters, new demands for belt-tightening

EP 2.1.3a, 2.1.7b


Last-ditch effort to reduce welfare rolls

• Public outcry about “evils of welfare” intensifies• Welfare reform efforts focus on work and personal

responsibility • Family Support Act (1988) offers glimmer of hope,

but ends up being too little, too late • Lack of jobs that pay living wage keep welfare rolls

high• “Contract with America” is launched

EP 2.1.3a, 2.1.7b, 2.1.8a


End to welfare as we knew it

• Republicans cut funds for low-income children, families, elderly, people with disabilities

• Block grants to states • Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity

Reconciliation Act (1996) eliminates welfare entitlement, creates lifetime limit on benefits and strict standards for complying with the law

EP 2.1.3a, 2.1.7b, 2.1.8a


End to welfare as we knew it (cont’d)

• Welfare rolls decline precipitously • Most people who exit welfare are employed in low-

paying, “dead end” jobs with few or no benefits• Community agencies unable to pick up slack created

by welfare reform initiatives • White House touts declining welfare rolls as proof

that welfare reform work

EP 2.1.3a, 2.1.7b, 2.1.8a


Current strategies for addressing poverty• Strong market and family system • Public assistance programs (TANF, Medicaid, SSI,

general assistance)• In-kind benefits and tax credits (Earned Income

Tax Credit, food benefits, housing assistance)

EP 2.1.1a, 2.1.8a, 2.1.8b


Other antipoverty programs• Direct provision of necessities • Empowerment efforts• Job training • Restructuring institutions to produce greater

access to economic opportunity• No easy solutions – most experts suggest

multiple strategies needed

EP 2.1.1a, 2.1.8a, 2.1.8b


2010 and beyond• Single, low-income mothers and those receiving

cash assistance have high rates of psychiatricillness

• Rural mothers, especially poor, single mothers, face formidable barriers to employment

• Reductions in food allotment results in high levels of food insecurity among non-citizen parents


EP 2.1.1a, 2.1.8a

Impact of poverty on children• Family stress and conflict• Limited opportunities for learning at home• Lower-quality child care• Inadequate nutrition• Inadequate housing; increased homelessness• Lack of transportation; increased isolation• Factors interfere with brain development

EP 2.1.6b


TANF reauthorization plan (2006)• Strengthen federal-state partnership• Maintain self-sufficiency through work and

additional constructive activities• Promote child well-being and healthy marriages• Encourage abstinence and prevent teen

pregnancy• Improve program performance

EP 2.1.6b


TANF reauthorization plan (2006)• Enhance child support enforcement• Reform food stamps to promote work

EP2.1.6b


HomelessnessA homeless person:

Someone who lacks fixed, regular and adequate night-time residence, and…has primary night time residency that is a supervised shelter providing temporary living accommodations or a public or private place not designed for use as regular sleeping accommodations for human beings.

EP 2.1.1a, 2.1.3a, 2.1.8a


Characteristics of homeless individuals• Youth • Elderly• Women and families• People of color• Survivors of domestic violence• Veterans• People with mental illness and addiction

EP 2.1.1a, 2.1.3a, 2.1.8a


Homelessness and mental illness

• 20-25% of single adults who are homeless suffer from some type of severe mental illness

• Many people become homeless as a result of a mental illness

• Others experience emotional problems as a result of being homeless

EP 2.1.1a, 2.1.3a, 2.1.8a


Homelessness and mental illness (cont’d)

Homeless people with mental disorders face more barriers to obtaining jobs, are in poorer health, and have more contact with the legal system than housed individuals

EP 2.1.1a, 2.1.3a, 2.1.8a


Homelessness and employment

• Inadequate or no employment and lack of affordable rental housing leave many people

homeless• It is difficult to find a job without a permanent

address• It is difficult to keep a job when homeless, though

20% of urban homeless are employed

EP 2.1.1a, 2.1.3a, 2.1.8a


Homelessness and healthcare

Homeless people:• Often experience poor health• Are at risk for tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, diabetes,

hypertension, addictive disorders, and mental disorders

• Lack access to good nutrition, and adequate personal hygiene

• Are likely have no health insurance

EP 2.1.1a, 2.1.3a, 2.1.8a


Homelessness and IsolationHomeless people:• Are likely to be isolated from families and

traditional social roles• Often have no ties to a support network; loss of

social support systems extends length of time being homeless

• Tend to remain isolated even when they find housing because of stigma of being homeless

EP 2.1.1a, 2.1.3a, 2.1.8a


Policies and programs• Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act• Housing Affordability for America Act• Other programs focus mostly on emergency

assistance, not long-term solutions or root causesof homelessness

EP2.1.8a, 2.1.8b


Ending homelessness • Affordable housing• Employment and education opportunities• Discharge planning from institutions• Child care and education for children• Comprehensive health/mental health care• Programs that make it possible for homeless

people to accumulate financial assets

EP 2.1.8a, 2.1.8b


Role of social workers in fighting poverty • Public assistance programs• Faith-based organizations• Housing programs• Health and mental health clinics• School-based programs • Emergency shelters• Advocacy programs

EP 2.1.1a, 2.1.8b


Eliminating poverty has been elusive

• It’s not that we haven’t tried (e.g., War on Poverty,

Great Society)• Individualist perspective remains strong• Capitalism requires an underclass in order to thrive• Globalism has only amplified the problem• Political will to end poverty doesn’t seem to exist• Domestic priorities have taken a back seat

EP 2.1.1a, 2.1.8a, 2.1.9b
