Social Work and Poverty

Introduction

 

Public’s Perception of Poverty

While I was researching the topic of poverty and all that it entails, I realized that there are so many different definitions of poverty.  The first set of definitions refers to “material need”: (1) poverty as a specific need; (2) poverty as a pattern of deprivation; and (3) poverty as a low standard of living.  There are a lot of families that cannot afford essential needs that promote personal development, personal health, personal safety, etc.  There are different types of poverty, which really boils down to the amount of time an individual or family has been living in poverty.  Some fall into poverty for a little while, some live in poverty for a period of time, and some live in poverty for a majority of their lives. 

 

The second set of definitions refers to “economic circumstances”: (1) poverty as a lack of circumstances; (2) poverty as economic distance; and (3) poverty as economic class.  People are perceived as poor if they do not have the resources (money) to obtain the resources they need.  In the economy that we live in today, there is a huge competition for things such as affordable and safe housing and adequate and livable wages. 

 

The third and final set of definitions refers to “social relationships”: (1) social class; (2) dependency; (3) social exclusion; and (4) lack of entitlement.  Due to the public’s perceptions of poverty, “the poor” are often classified as a class of individuals who live on welfare benefits.  Sadly, some argue that “the poor are uneducated individuals dependent on welfare mugging and drug dealing.”   The first assumption surrounding the link between poverty and dependency relies on the popular beliefs about how benefits work, who receives them, and what happens when “poor people” get them.  Benefits are believed to support poor people but we know, as social workers, that that is not just the case.  Yes, benefits support poor people but not JUST poor people.  This is a huge misconception. There are different programs that provide assistance and support to individuals for different reasons.  They can benefit the young, the middle-aged, the elderly, the physically handicapped, etc.  The second assumption is that poor people are dependent on the money.  Some Americans strongly believe that individuals should take responsibility for themselves.  The idea that poor people are trapped in dependency has three main components: (1) they are dependent, (2) they are trapped in their dependency, and (3) they have learned dependent behavior as a result.

 

 

 Responses to Poverty

 

“Never, never, be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake.  Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”

-Martin Luther King, Jr.


 

There have been many responses about how to end poverty, especially among the helping professions.  The first response is based on the idea of “poor relief.”  The idea of poor relief surrounds the notion that if individuals or families are in need, they can be given basic necessities like clothing, food, or shelter.  It also surrounds the notion that if they lack financial resources, then they can be given money and other resources that will help them in their low economic position.  The second response is based on the idea of social protection.  Social protection can be offered through general provisions of social services.  This type of response is thought to provide safety nets for individuals who are aging, sick, handicapped, or unemployed.  Despite these circumstances being at times predictable, some individuals who fall into such categories run the risk of living in poverty if services are not in place to assist them.  The third response is strategic intervention.  This common form of intervention is the selection of a specific approach or measurement, intended to respond to certain significant characteristics of poverty.  The fourth response is prevention.  The response focuses on stopping “poor people” from becoming “poor” in the first place.  This is a difficult task because there are numerous reasons why individuals and families find themselves in poverty at one point or another in their lives.  Social workers and individuals in the working professions can assist in the fight to end poverty… Whether it be advocating for the voiceless, pushing legislature and policy changes, or creating programs that focus on the different aspects of poverty.