What Are The Effects Of Poverty In The United States

The United States, one of the most powerful and wealthiest countries in the world, 1 in 5 people suffer from the effects of poverty most of them being children and teens. Back in 1964, the government said,”that 23% of kids in the United States go to be hungry or without basic human needs”(LA Times). Another study done by the Census Bureau shows,”The official poverty rate is 13.5 percent...” and “...an estimated 43.1 million Americans lived in poverty according to the official measure”(UC Davis). Even though the United States is imagined as one of the richest and most powerful countries in the world, many people in the country don’t have access to many basic needs like clean water, plumbing, or good food. In the United States, around 20% of
Poverty is a very broad subject, but what is being mentioned here is people not being able to afford basic human needs (food, water, and shelter). Poverty doesn’t happen overnight, but” transitions into or out of poverty often happens after major life events such as marriage, divorce, or sudden changes in income.”(UC Davis). Many people, especially after a divorce, have problems financially because divorces can cost up to $25,000. Another way to go into poverty is a sudden change in income. This may occur when a person just got out of a job and is looking for a new one, but is unable to find/get one, and in that case they would go into a financial decline. Being in poverty is terrible, but the effects it has on people and their kids affect them for a very long time. People who are in poverty now will pass that on to their kids and this can lead to,” health and emotional problems, mediocre educations and fewer job opportunities that will keep them in poverty, they say."(Marisol). Poverty really affects not only this generation but the generation(s) ahead of us, as not everyone will get out of poverty and this will be passed down until it is
In the US, the federal government and state governments are,“spending per child was $11,300 over the course of a year. The spending included federal and state programs for education, health such as Medicaid and nutrition, social services and housing.” (Marisol). Not only are they helping to pay/support people for education but for healthcare and housing (trying to support basic human needs). These types of things help people succeed in life and hand down that success to their kids so they don’t need to go through what their parents might have had to go through. Another thing that is being done by the federal government is the addition of new jobs. To get new jobs the federal government thinks that they,”should invest in job-creation strategies such as rebuilding our infrastructure; developing renewable energy sources; renovating abandoned housing; and making other common-sense investments that create jobs…”(Center of American Progress). If these types of jobs are added to the market, not only will people be able to reenter the workforce and benefit greatly, but this is also boosting the american economy. To sum up, in the US things are being done to help decrease the amount of poverty in this country but it’s just taking more time then might have been