Jacob
Cabral
Professor
Broadous
PAS
113B
22
March 2012
Stuck In a Hard Place: A Life in Poverty
Much has happened since the early dawning
days of America. There have been wars, catastrophes, and major political
events. Many of these events in our history have changed the way we approached
things and reformed our mindset of how we live our everyday lives. The recession
of America’s economy, including the downfall of jobs, have been going on for a
lot of years. Throughout these years, numerous amounts of people have lost
their jobs and have gone into poverty. That is still the case now. It is sad to
see families living in poverty and not being able to live the average American
life; to not be able to prepare and eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner with their
family. Majority of families in poverty consist of two parents, but there are
some consisting of a single parent. Among these families are the kids. They
take it the hardest when it comes to adjusting to living in a car or on the
street. It is a struggle and a major life adjustment. By changing the place
where one lives so drastically, it may alter their well-being. Poverty does shape
a person's worldview. It impacts that person in every way thinkable. Poverty is
destroying the lives of many Americans and the reason why is due to the lack of
jobs, the descending economy, and the misuse of welfare.
Before collecting the data for this
essay, I went to a shelter to observe and study people in poverty. The shelter
I attended was made for families in need of a place to stay, known as Los
Angeles Family Housing. At L.A. Family Housing, they also provided classes to
build their well-being and to help them create a better budget when using their
money. Places like this shelter are what keep families from living on the
streets when losing their job. When losing a job, it is hard to get back on
track financially and in life. It might take a while for them to find a decent
paying job unless they are determined and look for a job continuously.
Therefore, when there is no more money to spend and they realize they no longer
have a place to stay, shelters are a good thing to have. However, having so
many shelters can also keep people from working hard. Some might think of it as
a way to have free housing. Majority of parents do not stop working just so
they can have a free place to live; they actually care enough about their
children to keep a steady and well-paying job. It is heartbreaking to know that
there are parents willing to do this so they can get by freely. Overall, it is
hard for the majority of families to live the perfect life and not have to
struggle with financial obligations. Nowadays, it is rare to see the average
American not in poverty. It is becoming a normal situation, sadly. “By some
measures…two parent families are the least secure members of society, for they
get little in the way of income or medical supports despite their vulnerability
to swings in the economy” (Ellwood 81). Parents are fighting to keep balanced
lives for their children and it is unfortunate to see that two parent families
are the least protected.
America’s economy has been drifting
further and further into debt. This has been an ongoing process for many years
now. “During the first half of the 1900s, the widening gap between the rich and
the poor continued and the growing distance between the wealthy and the middle
class became apparent” (Axinn & Levin 306). From this quote, you can see
that our country’s economy has been taking an immense toll on the lives of its
citizens, especially the lives of the children. “Twenty-six percent of all
children under the age of 6, some 6 million children, were poor in 1992.”
(Axinn & Levin 308). This is disturbing to know that only 20 years ago,
kids were living their lives in poverty. That amount has
now increased to even more children living day to day without a single meal or
bed to sleep in. In the video, Throwaway
People, families were shown living their lives while in poverty. There was
a scene in which it depicted the family residing and sleeping in their minivan.
The children talked about and described the ways they would get dressed and how
they would eat. They would use the public restrooms in parks to merely brush
their teeth and wash themselves off; a simple way they were able to bathe themselves.
When it came to food they would "ask other kids if they didn't want what
was on their plate" or "if they were going to finish that" just so they could eat and
share what they were able to scrap with the rest of their family (PBS:
Throwaway People). It is horrible to see families, especially children, have to
search and always be on the lookout for food. They should be able to have three
meals a day and not have to worry about at least eating once a day. Places like
the L.A. Family Housing Shelter help those types of families. At this shelter
they provide three hardy and healthy meals a day for the families staying
there. Without these places, members of families would be so hungry they'd be
in pain and might die. Spaces like this give me the vision of a better place for
those in poverty in the future.
The welfare system was introduced to
the United States beginning in the 1930s during the Great Depression. From this
plan, the government would aid those in need by providing general welfare
payments, health care through Medicaid, food stamps, special payments for
pregnant women and young mothers, and federal and state housing benefits. This
was a big deal for those in poverty. Due to the welfare system, the growing
inequality of income and wealth occurred. "To 'get the economy
going'," Ronald Reagan decided that "the federal budget was to be
balanced...by cutting back on food, health, housing, job training, and income
programs for the poor while simultaneously cutting taxes for upper-income
groups hoping to increase their investments" (Axinn & Levin 306). By
doing this, citizens in the U.S. were unable to fully live their lives how they
used to. Nonetheless, this inspired some people to work hard for what they
needed and encouraged them to get jobs. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan told a
story to an audience about a woman on welfare and how she dealt with the cut on
welfare. He talked about how his cuts "allowed her to break free from
welfare dependence" (Chappell 199). This woman didn't have to rely on
welfare after Reagan's bold decision. She was able to take care of herself
because of the courage and faith that the cuts on welfare gave her. Welfare is
a good thing for those in need, but it also may hold others back in attempting
to get jobs and living an independent life.
Poverty is in our everyday lives. It
surrounds us no matter what. Many things can lead someone to go into poverty,
but there are ways to stay out of it. Avoid poverty by keeping a budget of how
much you spend and make sure you have a job that keeps you financially stable. If
you do not have a job you're sure about, have a backup plan. Reasons behind people
ending up in poverty are low wages, having children when not financially able to
take care of them, and having only one parent work and make money instead of the
two. In addition, the Los Angeles Family Housing shelter is a great way to get back
on your feet if you're struggling with money. It helps you get back on track with
your life by providing shelter, classes on overall improvement, and meals. This
type of space is what makes life better and those in need happier. You can get out
of poverty, but it just takes time.
Works Cited
Axinn,
June, and Herman Levin. Social Welfare: A History of the American Response
to Need. New York: Dodd, Mead,
1975. Print.
Chappell,
Marisa. The War on Welfare: Family, Poverty, and Politics in Modern America.
Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania,
2010. Print.
Ellwood,
David T. Poor Support: Poverty in the American Family. New York: Basic,
1988. Print.
PBS: Throwaway People
