The Geography of Poverty

                                       The Children of Appalachia                                       

WHO?
After reading some informative literature, I have been made aware that hispanics, blacks, and Native Americans make up the majority of the poor minority living in the United States. I once thought high-poverty neighborhoods existed only in urban areas, but it is important to note that there are just as many high-poverty neighborhoods in rural areas as there are in central, metropolitan cities. 

WHY?
In my previous post, I listed four specific reasons why an individual may come across poverty in his or her lifetime. I have come to the realization that not only may fault lie with the individual or bad luck, but the government has more control over the alleviation of poverty than I once thought. According to the spatial mismatch theory by John Kain, "increases in the concentration of inner-city poor are directly linked to the elimination of low-skill manufacturing jobs and the deconcentration of employment from central cities to the surrounding suburbs." Although only a theory, it makes a great deal of sense. Those that live in ghettos are more likely to experience racial and ethnic discrimination, residential segregation, and employment dislocations. Adding those factors with the already low educational level of most inhabitants makes for an extremely bad situation. It's also heart-breaking to realize that a great deal of those in poverty don't take advantage of government funding programs, but rather continue to work at low-skill level jobs for a few hours a day only to receive minimum wage. I have begun to feel that some are accustomed to a life where making a few bucks an hour is the norm- it's not right. In the words of John Iceland, "... people are affected by their neighborhoods and the economic and social environment of high-poverty areas negatively affects those who live there."

WHAT SHOULD BE DONE?
It's obvious that the government must implement more programs that are aimed to help improve school systems across the nation, especially in areas of concentrated poverty. Education is the doorway to a brighter future, and many of the kids in poverty are being dealt a crappy hand. There is absolutely no reason why the quality of an education in America is based on location rather than consistency. I also think it is imperative for the federal and state governments to invest more money in the infrastructure of high poverty neighborhoods. It's no secret that once an impoverished individual makes it out of poverty, one of the first things they look forward to is moving out of the area. Once individuals begin to move, the neighborhood is on an even faster decline downhill than before. The bottom-line is the government must make poverty alleviation programs more interactive than before. This will make impoverished individuals more self-reliant (no crutches), but they'll also have access to quality materials to better their chances of making it out of poverty.

An outsiders perspective on poverty...

Who?

As a full-time college student, I and many of my fellow peers have noticed the ever-growing population of homeless people in and around the city. When I think of the word poverty, the homeless people I see and sometimes interact with are the only group of people that come to mind. While writing this blog I began to realize that it was quite naive of me to think of the homeless as the only individuals in poverty, as those individuals make up a small percentage of the impoverished population. The United States is immensely ethnically diverse which makes it difficult for the average person to gage which group of people make up the majority of a certain population. If I could take a wild guess I would assume that African-Americans make up the majority of the impoverished population in the United States. Don't get me wrong, I have seen people of all backgrounds living in section eight housing or using food stamps at the grocery stores, but I have to say that of those individuals I see, African-Americans make up a majority of the people I notice.

Why?

I can't help but imagine that a great number of poor individuals are in that very position because of 1) prolonged abuse of drugs and alcohol 2) s/he was born into an unfortunate situation 3) hard economic times have cost them their jobs or 4) those who want a free ride. Those who struggle with drug and alcohol abuse have an extremely difficult time budgeting monies, avoiding the temptation of drugs or alcohol, and focusing on important duties such as school or work. It is also extremely sad when innocent children are born and raised into families that have known nothing other than a life of poverty. I imagine that it is rare when a child raised in poverty will go out into the world looking to make something of him or herself, simply because they don't know that there are things that even they can accomplish; despite being poor. As an all too familiar time in the American economy, many people have lost their jobs. Even though many people have saved for years, nothing could have prepared us for the jolt in the economy that we are still recovering from- years later. Lastly, there are some individuals who take advantage of the programs available to those in poverty. They are the individuals who lack morals and take away from people that express a true need.

What is being done?

The United States government has developed programs which are designed to help alleviate poverty. Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a popular, federally-funded program which helps low-income women obtain nutrition education, supplemental food, and healthcare for themselves and their babies. Here in the United States, Food Stamps and subsidized housing are also available to individuals making moderate to low income. For those individuals who are in dire need of food and shelter, there are soup kitchens and homeless shelters available to those in need. In some cases, homeless shelters are free only for a few nights, but they will soon charge a small fee to stay subsequent nights. Although there are many other programs in place in the United States that aim to alleviate poverty, I am "out of the loop" on poverty alleviation programs in other countries. China has a one child per family rule to help slow population growth, which can ultimately lead to decreased poverty rates. The United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF) is a global relief program that seeks to provide children across the globe with clean water, education, food, healthcare, and emergency relief aid.

What should be done?

I don't have a full list of programs that have been designed to help reduce poverty in the United States and other countries, but I do know that poverty has and continues to be a problem for people across the globe. Whether white, black, hispanic, or asian, there are people of all nationalities and ethnicities that suffer from the effects of poverty. We all see those sunday morning Feed A Child commercials begging us to give to those who aren't fortunate enough to take advantage of poverty alleviation programs that we have here in the states. Let us be thankful for those governmental programs instead of constantly critiquing them.