The Impact of Poverty on Urban Communities - Report Example

Arwa Terkmani MPS 574 Term Paper The Impact of Poverty on Urban Communities Issue Poverty has been described in so many ways. Generally, poverty is understood as the deprivation of essential goods and services such as, food, clothes, shelter and healthcare. Although poverty has many faces, one definition is the struggle to survive. Unfortunately, two- thirds of the world’s population goes to sleep hungry at night (Economics of Social Issues, 2006, page, 3). The struggle to survive is a world problem. A common method used to measure poverty is based on incomes or consumption levels. A person is considered poor if his or her consumption level falls below the minimum level of basic needs. For example, The World Bank sets poverty consumption levels as an individual living on less the $2.00 a day, this is a world total. In the U.S., the poverty level is listed in the table below provided by the Federal Register: 2006 HHS Poverty Guidelines Persons in Family or Household 48 Contiguous States and D.C. Alaska Hawaii 1 $ 9,800 $12,250 $11,270 2 13,200 16,500 15,180 3 16,600 20,750 19,090 4 20,000 25,000 23,000 5 23,400 29,250 26,910 6 26,800 33,500 30,820 7 30,200 37,750 34,730 8 33,600 42,000 38,640 For each additional person, add  3,400  4,250  3,910 SOURCE:  Federal Register, Vol. 71, No. 15, January 24, 2006, pp. 3848-3849 Even though the U.S has a strong economy in comparison to other countries that does not mean much, as a significant percentage of the population is struggling to survive. The United States has the largest national economy in the world, with a GDP for 2005 of 12.41 trillion dollars. In this mixed economy, corporations and other private firms make the vast majority of microeconomic decisions, and governments prefer to take a minimal role in the domestic economy. Because of this, the U.S. has a small social safety net, and business firms in the U.S. face considerably less regulation than those in many other nations (Facts About the United States, Worldfacts). On the global level, poverty has been estimated that in 2001, 1.1 billion people had consumption levels below $1 a day and 2.7 billion lived on less than $2 a day (Economics of Social Issues, 2006, page, 3). At the same time, the Census Bureau released its latest estimate of the fraction of Americans living below the poverty line. It was higher in 2001 (11.7 percent) than in 1973 (11.1 percent). The official measure indicates that a greater portion of families and children live in poverty in America today than three decades ago. Scope of Problem Poverty alleviation dominates the global agenda in the 21st century, as is featured in the Millenium Development Goals of the United Nation. The effect of poverty on the society varies across the urban and rural areas as it does across countries. It is estimated that, with urbanization, nearly 40 percent of the world’s population live in cities and by 2020, the growth in urban population will be faster in low-income countries than in high-income ones, leading to an even higher incidence of urban poor than it is now (World Bank, 2002, cited in Development Gateway). Hence, poverty alleviation assumes the most serious role for policy-makers not only in the U.S, but around the world. In absolute terms, poverty may be calculated on the basis of biological needs of human beings to survive. Unites States urban communities are not far from this calculation as a result of greater inequality in incomes between the rich and the poor. This is all the more glaring in urban areas where globalization benefits particular sections of the urban community in exclusion of others. Poverty impacts on urban communities involve health, occupation, income stability, housing facilities and access to public welfare services and social safety nets. Nevertheless, improving our poverty alleviation steps would definitely lessen the problem. The most significant effect of poverty on urban communities is on health. The census report found the number of people nationwide lacking health insurance coverage in 2005 increased to 46.6 million, up 1.3 million from 2004. The percentage of Americans lacking coverage hit 15.9 percent, up from 15.6 percent the previous year and well above the nation uninsured rate of 11.2 percent (Pittsburgh Post- Gazette, August, 2006, P, 1). Health policy experts said the growing percentage of uninsured Americans is a major leading cause to poverty. The Census Bureau reported that the percentages of Americans are covered by employer- based policies declining from 59.8 percent in the previous year to 59.5 percent in 2005. In the same way, the percentage of children without health insurance increased from 10.8 percent or 7.9 million uninsured in 2004 to 11.2 percent or 8.3 million uninsured in 2005, while children in poverty have an uninsured rate of 19 percent (Pittsburgh Post- Gazette, August, 2006, Page, 1). In addition, poor health is related to lack of hygienic sanitation and livings near industrial premises which have severe effects on the health of the urban poor, particularly in children, are prone to work-related diseases and environmental hazards. In fact, not only does lack of income inhibit their access to proper medication, but also the subsistence income makes it difficult for them to take leave from work even when they are ill (Pittsburgh Post- Gazette, August, 2006, Page, 2). Thus, million of Americans who live without health insurance live sicker and die younger as a result of lack of access to health care. Reduction of education funding is the next victim of urban poverty. Low level of investment by society and family in education translates into poorer outcomes when those children grow up with low level of education and employment skills. In the schools of poor urban communities, dropout rates are well over 50 percent. Also, crime and violence not only make teacher recruitment difficult, but offer little prospect of improving the educational environment for those students most at risk. The southern communities of the U.S are the most to suffer from poverty’s impact on education. For example, the state of Louisiana has long failed to adequately educate most of its children mostly because of residents’ income status. Since 1980, per capita income has dropped from 87 percent of the national average to about 80 percent in 2000(Education disparity cited in earnings gap, October 2006, page, 1). In other words, in 1980, state residents on average made $1,281 less than the average American, which jumped to nearly $10,000 less by 2005 - the biggest gap in the United States (Education disparity cited in earnings gap, October 2006, P, 1). Data indicates too that since 1980, the rate of state residents with a bachelors degree dropped from 90 percent of the national rate to 77 percent in 2000. In addition, current study demonstrates that 63 percent, nearly two-thirds, of the difference between Louisianas per capita income and the nations income can be explained solely by the states lower levels of education (Education disparity cited in earnings gap, October 2006, P, 2). Although Louisiana is more rural, the urban communities suffer as well as the rural areas. Furthermore, globalization has a vital role on urban communities’ poverty occurrence. Globalization divides society between the rich and the poor in the U.S communities. The owners of capital, information and knowledge tend to be in a better position to garner the gains of globalization while the poor who have no access to capital, information or political power are increasingly marginalized. Globalization has forced countries such as, the America to restructure its economy with greater emphasise on productivity and cost efficiency. As a result of “right-sizing of companies” have reduced employment in the formal sector, particularly of the semi-skilled and manual labor. More urban poor are now forced to be employed in the informal sectors where there is no job security and wages are low. Further, the greater pressure on governments to reduce on health, education, housing and other social services lead to economic gap within the society (UNESCAP). Available Solutions Recent data and statistics suggest a prolonged failure of national policies to address urban communities’ poverty in the United States. The most debilitating impacts of poverty on urban societies include adverse health, education, shelter issues as a result of low and unstable incomes. Most urban poor communities, live in overcrowded slums with little infrastructure. The citizens of these communities are malnourished. These residents of these communities also lack basic skills because of inadequate education. As such, improving our poverty alleviation programs should include focusing on greater access to income, capital, knowledge, information and political power. I personally believe finding a lasting end to the problem of poverty begins with education. In brief, the level of education affects the quality of life of everyone’s in the communities. The impact of poverty goes beyond depriving kids of education. Poor children get involved in criminal acts and drug use because of financial family problems due to lack of supervision, because parents are at work. As a result, they do not develop any decent job skill and remain poor beings through their lives. In brief, the basic causes of poverty are the lack of access to income, information and power. To address poverty on urban communities, we need to enhance our crucial poverty alleviation programs include providing safety nets for the poor in the face of globalization that cannot be reversed. Such interventions include providing the essential infrastructure in housing and other amenities like education, health programs, electricity, and solid waste management. At the same time, large investments in education and information provisions are needed to promote skills of the urban poor as well as awareness over their rights and duties. In addition, community-based empowerment programs and involving the poor in the political system is essential to increase their self-esteem. Another essential strategy is considering investment in health care relative to investment in industry or education. This is a healthy policy that would benefit the population in its output. In other terms, addressing urban communities’ needs and providing people with access to education would lead to national poverty reduction and economic growth. Other than a lack of formal education in poverty stricken urban communities, the most debilitating impact on these communities are lack of sexual education, on birth control, HIV/AIDS, and other sexually transmitted disease. There is also a lack of education recognizing mental health problems of the poor. These issues impact poverty stricken urban communities negatively. Not only do these issues impact these urban communities, these issues can be exacerbated by poverty. HIV/AIDS has affected poverty stricken urban areas. Due to lack of sex education, HIV/AIDS has not only spread, but is not being effectively treated in these communities. One author suggests, “the government has ignored the link between poverty and risk of HIV disease” (Campbell, 1999, p, 176). Although, HIV/AIDS education is mandatory in every U.S. school, the government has not taken into account children and parents who do not attend schools. Sex education is not only lacking in HIV/AIDS and other STD’s, but in birth control as well. Especially in first and second generation American immigrants in poverty stricken urban areas, more children represent religious and traditional aspects of their lives. Some are not even aware of cheap birth control, or how to even obtain birth control. By having more children, contracting HIV/AIDS or other STD’s, the poverty cycle continues in these urban communities. Mental health is another pressing issue for poverty stricken urban communities, in fact, mental health and crime prevention are parallel issues. A study shows that, “between 10 and 20 percent of all prisoners in state and federal correctional facilities suffer from a mental disorder serious” (Kupers, 1999, p, 11). Mental health services for poverty stricken urban communities are scarce, causing the violent mentally ill to get arrested, instead of getting help (Kuppers, 1999, p, 11-12). If more mental health preventive measures were taken in urban communities in need, less crime would be committed, at least 10 to 20 percent. The more education about these illnesses would help solve the issue, instead of ignoring the problem totally. Some mental illnesses are more prevalent in poverty stricken urban communities. Henning (2006) reports the following statistics: Mood Disorders Low-Income, Uninsured Population: 33% | General Population 16% Anxiety Disorders Low-Income, Uninsured Population: 36% | General Population 11% Alcohol Abuse Low-Income, Uninsured Population: 17% | General Population 7% Eating Disorders Low-Income, Uninsured Population: 10% | General Population 7% All of these except the eating disorders are twice as likely to occur with people in low-income situations. These statistics do not even take into consideration bi-polar, schizophrenia, and other serious mental illness. Most poverty stricken Americans are not as educated about these mental illnesses as affluent Americans. More education would help Americans know when to get help for their mental illness. Available Solutions The U.S. government has solutions to the all of the above problems, yet the issues are worsening or remaining the same. Some of the programs implemented by the government concerning sexual education are abstinence based curriculums, the mandatory HIV/AIDS classes in sophomore high school classes, and free clinics where information about sex is free. These methods are failing for a number of reasons. The abstinence based program is naïve. When teenagers are alone, they will experiment. Especially in urban poverty stricken communities is this true, due to lack of supervision. The lack of supervision cannot be helped, due to one parent homes and both parents working. This program could possibly work in a traditional man works and woman stays home to supervise the kids, or in countries where female and males are separated until marriage, but in today’s society this plan is not feasible. Secondly, the HIV/AIDS program is vague. For example, in Chicago Trice (2005) reports that even Chicago students felt the need for a more comprehensive sex education program. When speaking on HIV/AIDS to teenagers who have not been exposed to any sexual education, only assuming these teenagers know what the terms “condoms”, “menstruation”, and other sexual terms, the course is ineffective. Free clinics pose the problem of scarcity, access, and community stigma. Unless there is a free clinic on every block of urban communities in need, accessing them proves a problem to lower income families without access to cars or bus fare. According to Access to Health Insurance / Resources for Care, only twenty-four free clinics for all health care, not just sexual education, prevention, or sexual disease, exist in Chicago. Community stigma is also attached to going to a free clinic. All Americans have seen protestors at Planned Parenthood, even when a person only goes for sexual education or condoms. The government mental health/crime prevention is laughable in Chicago. To receive mental health help, one must go through Illinois Department of Human Services. There are no free clinics for mental health, only DHS services. Illinois Department of Human Services only offers mental health to qualified applicants, such as people receiving welfare, underage, or elderly. This leaves the majority of adults with no help at all for mental diseases which could help crime prevention. My Solutions The problem of sexual education in urban communities like some Chicago neighborhoods needs a different approach. Government programs have to take into account parental wishes. Sex education works best coming from parents. Some of parental concerns are cultural and religious. For example, Catholics do not believe in birth control. For Catholics interurban poverty communities, different sexual education needs to be approached on the issue of birth control Not only can a Catholic, teenager or adult, be taught about alternative methods of birth control, like abstinence and even the rhythm method. If sexual education takes into account of the different culture and religious aspects, it must be assumed some parents are not educated about sex. Parental sexual education should be more funded. Community leaders, such as Imams, Rabbis, Priests, and other influential leaders should be consulted on how they would approach sexual education for parents. Much of the objection about sexual education is that the education is focused on teenagers. Parents feel government is taking over their children, instilling values that are not their own. This is especially true for lower income parents, because teaching their children values are one of the few things they can control. By approaching respected members of urban communities in need to get input on this problem could be one solution. For mental health and crime prevention issues in lower income urban areas, free clinics need to be opened, more training for police officers on mental health symptoms, and new jails focusing only on mentally ill patients need to be explored. By educating police officers, teachers, and regular citizens of symptoms of mental illness, more people can receive life saving treatment, and even a possible way to break the poverty circle. These measures seem to be costly, but in the long run would be more effective by reducing poverty. If free clinics are opened to deal with a variety of mental illness, with free prescriptions for psychiatric drugs, the mentally ill community that could not afford treatment will receive it. If the poverty stricken mentally ill in urban areas is treated and recognized through eduction, more productive citizens can be produced lowering urban poverty. If police officers are trained to notice mental illness, then instead of going to jail, they could be helped. This relates to jails that are only for the mentally ill. By sending mentally ill patients to new jails only for the mentally ill, the cost would balance out by cutting down on prison population overcrowding. The mentally ill could be treated and released to start productive lives lowering urban poverty. Creating more productive citizens would pay for the new policies on mental health alone. However, by cutting crime 10 to 20 percent when a prisoner who is mentally ill is rehabilitated would not only be cost effective, but promote poverty cutting measures. The means would be justified in the end. In conclusion, education is the only way to combat poverty in urban community settings; education of not only the poverty stricken, but the community as a whole. Continuous studies, research, and practices need to be implemented until something works. When lower income families have the same statistics as the rest of America then the problem will be solved. America is supposed to be the land of the free, not the land of the urban poverty oppressed. References Access to Health Insurance / Resources for Care http://www.ahirc.org/cat_list.cfm?cat=31&st=IL Campbell, C. A. (1999) Women, Families and HIV/AIDS : A Sociological Perspective on the Epidemic in America. NY, Cambridge University Press. Development Gateway, http://topics.developmentgateway.org/gender/highlights/viewHighlight.do?activeHighlightId=101080 Facts About the United States, Worldfacts, http://worldfacts.us/US.htm Federal Register, Vol. 71, No. 15, January 24, 2006, pp. 3848-3849 Henning C. (2006) Poverty Increases Risk for Mental Illness. http://panicdisorder.about.com/cs/anxietymoreinfo/a/povertyrisk.htm Illinois Department of Human Services http://www.dhs.state.il.us/mhdd/mh/ Kupers, T. Ph.D. (1999) Prison Madness: The Mental Health Crisis Behind Bars and What We Must Do About It. Canada, John Wiley & Sons. Overview: Understanding Poverty, The World Bank, http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTPOVERTY/0,,contentMDK:20153855~menuPK:373757~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:336992,00.html Sentell, W. (11 October 2006). Education disparity cited in earnings gap. http://global.factiva.com/ha/default.aspx Sharp. (2006). Economics of Social Issues. NY, McGraw- Hill. Snowbeck, C. (30 August 2006). PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, STATE INCOME BELOW AVERAGE REPORT SHOWS MORE LIVE WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE. Trice, D. T. (5 December 2005) CHICAGO TRIBUNE, SEX EDUCATION SHOULD BE MORE THAN ABOUT AIDS. United Nations Economic and Social Council for Asia Pacific (UNESCAP), Urban Poverty Alleviation, http://www.unescap.org/huset/hangzhou/urban_poverty.htm Read More