Poverty and Children in the United States
Abstract
The United States is the richest nation, yet millions of Americans live below the poverty line and millions more struggle every month. The children in society today living in poverty is increasing daily. The majority of these children are from single-parent homes where sometimes parents are not working or have become disabled and therefore cannot work. Children who are raised in foster care and leave as adults do not have strong relationship ties most of the time and are at an increased risk for experiencing poverty, early parenthood and homelessness (American School Board Journal, 2007). The reason for most of the poverty in the United States is due to low family incomes.
Poverty is a disease. A disease that clogs our government system as it is something there is no cure for, at least not yet. Poverty is declining, but the reasons for families still living in poverty continue to grow. When there are no jobs or no opportunities, or losing one's job due to illness or debilitating injury, a family can find themselves in the lap of poverty without realizing how they got into the situation. What is poverty? Poverty can be explained to be lacking the resources to meet the basic needs for healthy living. By not having insufficient income to provide food, shelter and clothing needed to preserve health for oneself or one's family. What is meant by income here, besides the wage of a job, are food stamps, school lunches and public housing. Poverty is visible to most of us when we see a homeless person on the street asking for money or food. Or on television when we see the poor countries and the plight of the children among the communities where there is a shortage of food. Poverty has many faces; it changes from place and place and can be described in many ways. Poverty is not having freedom and leaves one feeling powerless. People want to escape poverty and most cannot. How many children become victims to an illness brought about by
The United States is the richest nation, yet millions of Americans live below the poverty line and millions more struggle every month. The children in society today living in poverty is increasing daily. The majority of these children are from single-parent homes where sometimes parents are not working or have become disabled and therefore cannot work. Children who are raised in foster care and leave as adults do not have strong relationship ties most of the time and are at an increased risk for experiencing poverty, early parenthood and homelessness (American School Board Journal, 2007). The reason for most of the poverty in the United States is due to low family incomes.
Poverty is a disease. A disease that clogs our government system as it is something there is no cure for, at least not yet. Poverty is declining, but the reasons for families still living in poverty continue to grow. When there are no jobs or no opportunities, or losing one's job due to illness or debilitating injury, a family can find themselves in the lap of poverty without realizing how they got into the situation. What is poverty? Poverty can be explained to be lacking the resources to meet the basic needs for healthy living. By not having insufficient income to provide food, shelter and clothing needed to preserve health for oneself or one's family. What is meant by income here, besides the wage of a job, are food stamps, school lunches and public housing. Poverty is visible to most of us when we see a homeless person on the street asking for money or food. Or on television when we see the poor countries and the plight of the children among the communities where there is a shortage of food. Poverty has many faces; it changes from place and place and can be described in many ways. Poverty is not having freedom and leaves one feeling powerless. People want to escape poverty and most cannot. How many children become victims to an illness brought about by
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