Work and Family Final

How many Americans live in poverty?

• According to the 2015 U.S. Census Bureau, 43.1 Million Americans lived in poverty, or 13.5% • Women and racial minorities most vulnerable

How can an illness or a car breaking down throw the working poor into a downturn from which they don't recover?

The working poor don't have the financial insulation/cash flow to protect them against accidents or emergencies. These setbacks often keep them from going to work, which drives them deeper and deeper into debt.

How is the common American ideal that "those who work hard prosper" hurt some?

The real-life stories told in The Working Poor demonstrate that work doesn't always lift the poor out of poverty. They often get trapped in low-paying jobs with no chance of upward mobility, no matter how hard they work. Shipler even says that those who do find a job feel "punished" for working, as their benefits are reduced. In some cases, they end up being worse off after they enter into the workforce.

Washington State Minimum Wage?

$11/hour

Current national minimum wage?

$6.95 for ages 21-24 and $7.20 for 25+ (will increase slightly in April 2017)

Civil Rights Act

1964: Outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin

Fare Start

1987: community meals program began when a Seattle top chef quit his job to create healthy meals for schools and shelters

The Housing Choice Voucher program (Section 8)

Enables families to acquire modest, decent, safe, sanitary and affordable housing by utilizing existing units in the local rental market. Families are able to choose a unit suitable for their individual needs in the jurisdictional area of the Housing Authority. Families pay 30% of their adjusted gross income for rent and utilities.

Seattle Minimum Wage?

Large employers: $13.50/hour ($15/hour by 2018) Small employers (>500 employees): $13/hour ($15/hour by 2019)

Is poverty a culture? Why or why not? If not, what is it?

Poverty is better described as a "cycle" rather than a "culture". But in a way, poverty is a culture because although America is the land of "opportunity", there are certain social groups that are systemically disadvantaged. Impoverished individuals are in their position partially because of their own unwise decisions, but the culture they are placed in is also to blame in instances such as: underfunded and poorly facilitated schools that lower success in education, inherited problems from their own parents, lack of social support, and poor housing that worsen health problems. These barriers further disadvantage and perpetuate poverty as a cycle within their culture.

Shipler states that poverty is relative. How does Shipler define poverty?

Poverty: to be unable to pay your bills out of your pay check, to be hopeless, to be helpless, to have no sense of direction, to lack cultural capital (having an appreciation for and access to the arts and supportive relationships)

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

Provides Federal grants to States for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk. Eligibility: must be between 100 and 185 percent of the federal poverty line

What do low-income families "squeeze" in their spending? What is the impact? In what ways does this have a long-term affect? Demonstrate the chain reaction of these spending restrictions.

Since other monthly payments are fixed, low-income families often compromise on nutrition, since food costs are elastic. Their paycheck goes towards the fixed bills first to avoid going into debt, leaving them with insubstantial amounts of money to pay for food. This is a huge problem because it leaves children and adults malnourished. The long-term affect of this "squeeze" is that the poor are more susceptible to health problems without the proper nutrition.

What income level for a family of four determines the threshold today?

The 2017 poverty guidelines determine the income level of $24,600 for a family of four to be considered in poverty.

How is the poverty level determined?

The Census Bureau defines poverty through calculations derived from spending patterns in 1955, before inflation has raised the cost of living. This sets the poverty level at approximately three times the cost of a "thrifty food basket". This formula is no longer valid today, because costs have risen, so the Census Bureau is testing more accurate formulas that rely on actual costs of food, clothing, shelter, utilities, etc., and it would factor in previously ignored costs such as healthcare-related expenditures.

Respond to an employer's comment about his or her minimum wage employees: "they just don't call, they just don't care".

The worthlessness that minimum wage employees feel is one of the biggest contributors to their "no call, no show" behavior. It's not that they don't care about their work obligations, they just feel like they aren't needed. They feel invisible when they are at work, so they assume that no one would even notice or care if they didn't show up. In most cases, this behavior doesn't come from disrespect, rather it stems from low-self worth and invisibility.

Why do many women who live in poverty see their early victimization from sexual abuse as major component of their socio-economic status as an adult?

Their trauma weighs them down long after it occurs. The sense of helplessness continues from childhood to adulthood, which paralyzes them from seeking out change for themselves. Early victimization can also affect the survivor's ability to enter into healthy, economically beneficial relationships. Being a single parent means there is only one income, instead of two, to support the household. Abuse is often passed from generation to generation, which also perpetuates poverty.

New Horizons

• Drop-In services for youth daily (low-barrier)—they can take up to 10 products from the supply closet, no questions asked. • Safe place for homeless youth to hang out and sleep (they have cots) • Hot meals every night • Clothes and Shoes • Showers and Laundry Services • Personal lockers that can be earned through chores • "The Nest"—a limited number of enclosed rooms for youth to sleep and store belongings, while they look for permanent housing. Those who sign up have to pay rent (around $30/month) and have goals that they are actively working towards to live there. • Resources available to youth such as: job training, case management, and day programs. These programs teach the youth basic skills, such as how to fill out a FAFSA so they can go to school. • Street Bean—Barista training

New Horizons

• Father Don saw a need for youth-specific services for the homeless youth • Downtown to Capitol Hill; Belltown since 1998

Medicare

• Health insurance program for people ages 65 and older and those with disabilities • Enacted in 1965 under president Lyndon Johnson

Affirmative Action

• Outcome of 1960's Civil Rights Movement • Policies through institutions and organizations that actively engage in efforts to improve opportunities for historically excluded groups • Used in job hiring and college admissions to increase numbers of minorities in these settings

Why do the working poor pay higher fees? Give some examples.

• Poor people are more likely to be audited by the IRS • Pay-day loan fees • Earned Income Tax Credit (you have to have some earned income, and linked to tax return)—many don't know it even exists • Since low-income individuals often lack basic math skills, they have to hire someone for a hefty fee to file their taxes to get their refunds. But they are so desperate to receive their checks, that they are willing to pay the fees.

Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)

• Prevention of illegal entries, deportation of illegal aliens, and working with the FBI to prosecute violations of immigration laws • In 1950's, immigration laws were enforced

Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)

• Provide more Americans with access to quality, affordable health insurance • Regulate healthcare industry • People with preexisting conditions cannot be denied • Signed into law in 2010 by President Obama

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

• Provides low-income Americans with food • Benefits are delivered monthly through electronic debit cards to be used at participating grocery stores • Eligibility: for individuals with gross incomes up to 130 percent of the federal poverty line

Fare Start

• Recognizes that poverty is a perpetual cycle • Helps people overcome barriers to employment by developing the work and life skills they need to have sustainable careers. • Their job training fuels their restaurant while also making food regularly to be brought to shelters through their community meal programs. • Allows trainees to develop valuable skills, confidence, and give back to the community. • Healthy and nutritious food is one of their values • Soft skill workshops • Communities have the ability to sustain themselves. Impoverished individuals have a lot to offer their own communities, and organizations like Fare Start show that this type of approach works!

Apple Health

• Washington state Medicaid, initiated in 2014 • Preventative care services • Pregnancy services and women's health services • Dental and healthcare services • Mental health services • Pediatric services • Eligibility for 4-person household: income at or below $2,829/month