Warren: Chicago’s Hidden Hungry in Comparison to Nickle and Dimed

Article found here: http://www.chicagonewscoop.org/warren-chicagos-hungry-hidden-in-plain-sight/   

  This article discussed issues about hunger and poverty in Chicago and the lack of concern for it in local government. Chicago is trying to make improvements on giving the Chicago Transit Authority a better appearance. However, the number of ill fed and hungry individuals in Chicago has increased significantly. According to the article,  about 11 percent of people in LaGrange are hungry or ill-fed, while the figure is 15 percent in Elmwood Park, 6 percent in Burr Ridge, 14 percent in Wheeling and 5 percent in Kenilworth. The underlying theme is that Chicago continues to ignore poverty and the hungry even though their numbers continue to rise.
       This article relates to the overall theme of Nickle and Dimed. The U.S. ultimately ignores hunger and poverty issues though both are on the rise. Living costs remain greater than minimum wages making life ever more difficult for the lower and middle classes and furthermore, increasing poverty. Tax money is spent on ways to benefit the wealthy as opposed to being used in social services and other areas where it is most needed.

Ehrenreich Text

       One of the jobs the author discusses is being a waitress at the Hearthside.  At the Hearthside she is scheduled to work from 2:00 in the evening until 10:00 at night for $2.43 an hour, plus tips. It only takes her two weeks to soon realize that she will need a second job to sustain her life. Her experience as a waitress quickly proves to be miserable. Her co-workers express their disdain for working there and she is treated poorly by management. As she is trained, by Gail who works at the restaurant, she is made to feel somewhat useless and incompetent of taking care of even the most basic tasks. She quickly bonds with her co-workers as they find common grounds over time. Ehrenreich discovers the difficulty of being poor and is eventually forced to pick up a second waitress job at another restaurant. She quickly discovers that living in a hotel is actually more expensive than renting an apartment and that many people are forced to do so when they cannot afford the deposit on an apartment. Gas money and money for nutritious food is also more difficult to come by on a low income.
       After doing some research I found that the cost of living in Florida as a whole is $9.03/hr. That is more than the minimum wage set at $7.25/hr and still more than Ehrenreich was making at either of her jobs alone. This shows that a second job is almost necessary when your current job starts you at minimum wage. Ehrenreich also shows us the severe disadvantages the poor have when having to deal with a second job or a low income in general.


The information on the cost of living and minimum wage for Florida can be found here:
http://www.livingwage.geog.psu.edu/states/12

Rank Chapter 8, Future Discussions

       In Chapter 8 of One Nation Underprivileged by Robert Rank, he discusses several strategies that would ultimately help eliminate poverty. One of the first strategies he discusses is the creation of adequately paying jobs. Some of the key features of this strategy are raising wages of currently existing jobs, raising and indexing minimum wage and implementing earned income tax credit. Currently in the United States, minimum wages of basic jobs do not typically meet the requirements necessary to be above the poverty line. Often, multiple jobs and or low income alternatives to housing and cost of living are required to get by. Low wages are based on corporate policies to capitalize and make profit. The result is a greater stratification in the distribution of wealth nation-wide. By raising wages, corporations would have to reduce profit margins (though profits would still be relatively high) to create a balance for the lowest workers of that organization. Low paying jobs also lead to increased poverty. When an individual struggles to meet the cost of living, they incur debt, which, in the United States, tends to increase at an exponential rate. Debt usually results in borrowing which ultimately leads to more debt until more poverty is created.
       Raising the minimum wage would force other wages up as well, better equipping middle class workers with the resources necessary to sustain day to day life. Rank describes using earned income tax as beneficial to lower income workers. The EITC like raising minimum wages and other existing wages would damge high profit margins for large companies. However, equalizing pay would greatly reduce poverty levels and only mean that the wealthy would only make several hundred million in profits as opposed to breaking a billion.
       I feel that this strategy is the first key step in eliminating poverty as it equalizes the playing field for the most important resource in today's society: money. Greater access to money would create better living conditions, better health care, better education, increased value of housing in poorer neighborhoods and generally just more access to other resources that would increase living conditions. For those who do not strive to gain a high level of education or a prestigious career, it would at least provide them with the financial resources they would need to sustain a normal life through a regular job. Increasing wages and better paying jobs is ultimately one of the most important factors in eliminating poverty across the nation.

Student Blog Critiques

       Today, I looked at some of the blogs created by my fellow classmates. The first blog I looked at was created by Mark V. The information found on this blog was very credible and the entries themselves were powerful. However, though ultimately its a great blog, there are a few aspects of the blog itself that can be improved upon to make it even better. Uniform text may make it easier to read. Using the same highlight color as well as same font size may make the blog look more professional. Also,  though blogs tend to encourage personal opinions, more factual information from scholarly credible resources may help greatly reinforce those opinions.
       I saw similar issues on Jordee Y.'s blog. Also, on this blog in particular, it was somewhat bland in visuals. It was all black on white text with almost no imagery or design. by adding some visuals, this blog can attract more attention which would ultimately help spread awareness on the issues being projected in this blog. Despite these few aspects, the blog itself is still very well organized.

The blogs I reviewed can be found here:
http://thatsjustthewayitislovewins.blogspot.com/ - Mark V.
http://yato7.wordpress.com/ Jordee Y.

Action Service Project

       At the beginning of November, I began my volunteer work with the St. Vincent de Paul Center. The center has an outreach program with three primary goals. Their goals are children's services, services to the elderly and disabled and services to the homeless and those who are severely struggling financially. The first day I simply met the staff and toured the facility. I officially began my volunteer work on November 10th. As I showed up the the gymnasium in the center, I was not exactly sure what to expect. All I knew for sure based on what the staff members had told me was that I would be assisting in the set up for a luncheon for the homeless on November 12th. On the 10th and 11th I spent a great deal of time doing physical work. Setting up tables, organizing classrooms, folding clothes and moving boxes. Once we got everything set up, we got an orientation from the coordinators on how the luncheon event would actually be run.
       On November 12th, I arrived early in the morning and by 9:00 AM a line had formed at the front door of the de Paul center that looped around the corner into the parking lot. The head coordinator, Katy Murphy began organizing volunteers in the main lobby. According to the sign in rosters, there were approximately two hundred volunteers that morning and many of them had recently signed up to participate. School groups, church organizations, social workers and even a group of workers from the Starbucks across the street had come to participate in serving the homeless. We were assigned jobs by groups and throughout the day, supervisors rotated volunteers into different positions to ensure everyone go the full experience of working with the outreach program. That particular day, I spent some time directed traffic in hallways to serving food to escorting homeless guests. Though we were organized to somewhat systematically move through the facility, we were encouraged to sit down and eat with the homeless guests we were ushering. From that particular experience, to me, it seemed as though the homeless I directly worked with were happier to sit down and have a conversation with someone over a warm meal. Many of them were surprised to receive sleeping bags and winter basics such as new coats and thermal underwear. Many of the homeless went straight for the hygiene services, and many of the homeless men waited anxiously for haircuts. The experience of this luncheon was an eye-opener, in that it destroyed many of society’s stereotypes about the lower class and homeless. Though, statistically, mental illnesses, drug and alcohol problems remains a prevalent problem among the homeless, it most certainly does not represent all of them. I personally feel that the most important feature of this experience is understanding that many of the homeless are regular people like anyone else who now suffer poverty.
       My last day at the St. Xavier de Paul center, I worked in the gymnasium helping organize leftover food and clothes to be donated to other organizations or to be distributed at following events. Though I did not participate in the next event to provide aid to the homeless, I do hope to participate in the future. The outreach program has a lot of resources for assisting the needy and it was truly a rewarding experience to have participated in volunteering with them.

The St. Xavier de Paul center is located at 2145 N. Halsted St. at the southeast corner of the DePaul campus. If anyone is interested in volunteering there, this is their website: www.svdpc.org

The St. Xavier de Paul Center, 2145 N. Halsted

Reflection to the Broadway Youth Center Speakers

       A couple weeks ago, our class was visited by several speakers from the Broadway Youth Center in Chicago. As they began they began they're session in a unique fashion of introductions that included astrological signs and gender preference in the form of pronoun preferences, I knew it was not going to be what I had originally expected. The speakers spent over an hour setting up abstract rules for discussion, often laughing and yelling over each other. They're supervisor who sat among the students did little to maintain a focus on the topic at hand. Though the presentation was largely disorganized, the last 15 minutes or so provided us with some basic information about what the actual youth center is and does. The final few minutes of the presentation also provided valuable insight to the personal experiences of each speaker and gave us an accurate  representation of the hardships homeless youths have to face.
       Though it is understandable that the presenters were doing this as a project to help them get jobs, it may be beneficial to both them and us as the audience if their supervisor had done more to prepare them to speak or at least intervened during their tangents to keep the focus on an appropriate topic. Also, if the speakers had some sort of outline or structure to their presentation, it would have ultimately been more beneficial to us. I believe the goal of these events should be to raise awareness about the seriousness of these issues regarding homeless, not to laugh and joke for over an hour in front of an academic audience. However, again, the end of the presentation did provide valuable insight on the social issues as well as what the Broadway Youth Center strives to accomplish.

Reflection to the Hunger Banquet

       For our class last week, we participated in NEIU's Hunger Banquet on the second floor of the Student Union. Upon entry into the conference room, we were each handed a ticket which determined where in the class we would sit and ultimately, what kind of meal we would be having for dinner. Upper class students were directed to sit at an ornate table where they were served a full nutritious meal. Students assigned to the middle class were directed to sit at regular tables where they were served pasta and bread. Finally, students assigned to the lower class such as myself, were directed to sit on the floor and were served a cup of water and an even smaller cup of broth as their meal.
       The banquet opened by a reading by the host in regard to many of the hunger statistics the world faces daily. She juggled a few people into different classes giving stories of upward and downward mobility experienced by those who were being moved. Though the experience was simulated, I felt the reactions of the students in each group was appropriate. Though we all worked together in a normal academic situation, the stratified room caused different reactions. Upper class students seemed to "innocently" giggle at those in lower classes, especially those in the poorest class. The middle class seemed neutral, almost apathetic to both other classes.
       What I found most surprising about the banquet is that almost almost everyone acted out their stereotypical role. The upper class admit to feeling awkward when leered upon by the poor but ultimately ignored them and many refused to make eye contact. No one who had a real meal offered to share with anyone else which reflects almost perfectly on how our society as a whole reacts to these situations. The banquet was a good experience though, for us in the lower class ultimately left hungry. It showed us how mobility in class really works and how large the economical gaps between classes really are.

EC: Peace Presentation

       A couple weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to attend a peace presentation at NEIU, Chicago. The presentation was headed by founder of Food not Bombs, Keith McHenry. McHenry gave a detailed presentation on what Food not Bombs does, where they operate and they injustices they both face and have to deal with throughout day to day life. Mr. McHenry discussed how Food not Bombs began as a small local organization to feed the homeless and dedicated to the idea that we should be addressing the poverty and hunger issue in the United States before concerning ourselves with even more weapons development. The organization quickly grew and became a target of local law enforcement and was accused countless times for breaking local laws by serving food without permits. As the organization grew, so did the attentions of law officials. As the organization went international, Food not Bombs became a target of the FBI and even the CIA as a wanted terrorist organization accused of spreading radical ideas.
       It was very clear that Food not Bombs is a peaceful organization simply and quite clearly dedicated to feeding the hungry and attacking poverty. The organization has 1000s of chapters that spring up and disappear world wide, dedicated to the cause if needed at that time. The organization itself does not have a solid structure which is a good thing in that it allows chapters to spring up almost completely independently. Food not Bombs continues its work throughout the world in assisting the hungry and poor where ever they are.

Food not Bombs Logo

Action Project Details

        So far, I have been in touch with the Illinois Hunger Coalition. I am aware that many of my fellow classmates have opted to work with the same organization, however, in response to this, I have requested to if possible, work in a different location or on a different project. I have requested to be directed to working with a shelters, preferably on the south side of the city early in during the day on weekends. Though I cannot provide anymore details on my project plans, I have established a dialogue with the Illinois Hunger Coalition and am currently working setting up a schedule in which I will be able to volunteer my services to them.

Poverty in Chicago III

The documentary referenced in my  posts last month can be found here:

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/poverty-in-chicago/

The following is some statistical data I found on Chicago. Though I could not find an updated fact sheet, I believe its safe to assume it has gotten worse since 2009:

Residents with income below the poverty level in 2009:
Chicago: 21.6%
Whole state: 13.3%

Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level in 2009:
Chicago: 10.1%
Whole state: 6.0%

Children below poverty level:
Chicago, Illinois: 31.2%
State: 18.6%

Poverty rate among high school graduates not in families:
Chicago: 18.0%
Illinois: 16.2%

(Varying levels of poverty by region in chicago, IL)

Poverty rate among people who did not graduate high school not in families:    
Chicago: 46.4%
Illinois: 37.3%

Reference:
http://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-Chicago-Illinois.html

       Though not at all suprising given today's current national economic status, the statistical data provided on Chicago's poverty levels is still nothing short of disgraceful. Another source revealed that the average, middle class cost of living in Chicago would require an income of approximately $16-$18/hr where as the state minimum wage still sits at $8.25/hr. The statistics show that even those with 4 year degrees would still find difficulties in meeting that requirement and thus poverty in Chicago is still on the rise.

Poverty in Philadelphia: A look at the Statistical Data

       The following is just some of the statistical data found through the mayor's report of Philadelphia via my group's presentation on poverty and hunger in Philadelphia:


Homeless Citizens -


On the street on any given night:
Single Adults = 506
Persons in Families = 0
Unaccompanied Youth = No figure given


In Emergency Shelters:
Single Adults = 2155
Persons in Families = 1504
Unaccompanied Youth = 22


In Transitional Shelters:
Single Adults = 393
Persons in Families = 1746
Unaccompanied Youth = 4


Total number of persons in emergency shelters over the past year = 14094
Extrapolated number of persons in emergency shelters over the past year = 18329 (this is an estimated number that is calculated by including shelters that do not participate in the counting system)


Total number of persons in transitional housing over the past year = 3144
Extrapolated number of persons in transitional housing over the past year = 3414


Total number of beds available in emergency shelters = 3744
Total number of beds available in Transitional Housing = 2593
Total number of beds available in Permanent Supportive Housing = 4590


       Through our group discussions and presentation, we found that overtime, Philadelphia had become de-industrialized which led to mass layoffs and a mass reduction in jobs. Similar to what happened in Detroit (though not as dependent on industry) Philadelphia never recovered from the deconstruction of the industrial sector which came about through neo-liberal policies that moved many working class jobs to Asia. The city does very little in response  to poverty and hunger issues because it cannot produce enough revenue due to a major lack of jobs and profitable production. Federal funded organization do not provide enough (as seen on a nation-wide scale) and the city itself is too poor to fund its own organizations. Until more jobs can be produced, Philadelphia cannot generate the revenue necessary to fund organizations to help the poor and needy.

(A homeless man as seen on the streets of Philadelphia)

(Imani Sullivan, a participant in the "Witnesses To Hunger" photo exhibit in Philadelphia, talks about her frustration over trying to care for her two children with her janitor's pay.)




References:
http://www.usmayors.org/pressreleases/documents/hungerhomelessnessreport_121208.pdf
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/12/child_hunger.html

Rank Part II

        In chapter 4, Part II, Rank discusses the basic fundamentals that need to be rediscovered in American society that need to be addressed in order to combat poverty. rank talks about how poverty is ultimately unwise, unjust and unfair. It is often viewed as outside of the boudaries of the American experience and as a result does not fall under the jurisdiction of American concern.  He goes on to describe a nation in which the stratification between the elite upper class and the lower poor class is greater than any other nation in the world. Furthermore, the richest nation on Earth with a greater poverty rate than every other developed nation. Rank then describes the values in which this country was built. The foundations that built this nation, democracy, freedom, equality and the values passed down by our forefathers through the Anglo American church are all horribly defied by the open acceptance of ignoring and even outcasting Americans who suffer at or below the poverty line. Rank calls upon the American people and essentially challenges them to live up to the ideals on which this nation was founded. He puts a strong emphasis on democracy and how it is the obligation of the American people to restore it to its fullest in order to keep alive the true spirit of this nation. Aside from the importance of justice and American ideology, Rank also discusses how political moves that reinforce poverty are for short term benefits as opposed to long term benefits that can be built overtime (such as strengthening the economy).
       Though Rank makes a strong point in idealism and the values on which this nation was built, I strongly disagree with this being a feasable way to restore justice and decrease the severe magnitude of poverty throughout the nation. A world where good intentions simply is not realistic, and to appeal to the wealthy elite who believe their actions are just in that profit is the root of capitalism would require a lot more benefits than good moral behavior and restoring the spirit of the nation. I believe the real approach to reducing poverty levels would (unfortunately) have to address tangible issues considering (and I do believe this is a safe assumption) many millionaire CEOs simply do not care about the starving, homeless Americans in the streets of the nation. A careful analysis and statistical data regarding the exponentially growing divide between the upper and lower classes and its potential effects on the nation as a whole may force American Elitests into reconsidering their actions regarding profit at all costs. It is difficult for a group of extreme insubordination to reason with an extremely powerful group even if the dominant group is a minority. The wealthy control assets such as education, the media, social assets and obviously, financial assets that prevent them from even being reasoned with to ensure the elimination of any serious opposition. The intention to oppress the lower class to maintain and even further profit margins is blatently obvious. This is yet another reason that good moral behavior just is not enough to combat poverty. The elitests also need to know that aside from potentially destroying the economy which will result in their own destruction, they may be creating a potential enemy. By continuing to destroy survivability rates for more and more Americans in terms of financial stability, the tolerance of such action is quickly decreasing. Though still suppressed, many more social movements against the elite are occuring which may eventually evolve into powerful tools to overcome the oppression. Rank's third point regarding long term benefits in political decisions in regard to poverty are the best way to combat the issue. Politicians and businesses (unfortunately) need to realize that it may be to their advantage to abolish poverty to create a more effective working force capable of furthering their own interests. Though I strongly disagree with the interests of big businesses in the United States, it may, at the time being, be the best short term answer UNTIL greater levels of economic equality and justice can be pursued.

Poverty In the United States

Blog Reviews

       Today, I got an opportunity to look at a couple of blogs designed by my fellow classmates. The first blog that I looked at was Kristen's blog. The page itself was colorful and provided much more information from the reading material regarding poverty in the U.S. in various entries. This is one major aspect that I quickly realized my own blog may be missing. Though I show strong opinions of myself that I attempt to reinforce through the assignments, more data in the forms of statistics and other articles would help support my opinions. I enjoyed reading through Kristen's blog and encourage others to check out her site and watch the posted videos.
       The second blog I got to take a look at was titled Help End Hunger by Angelina. I thought this was an absolutely fantastic blog with lots of creative detail, graphics, pictures, videos and detailed entries. In many of the entries Angelina both provided a more than substantial amount of information about the discussion topics as well as strong, supported personal opinions. Angelina's blog has inspired me to put forth more effort into raising the quality and amount of information and graphics in my own blog as well.

Both blogs I reviewed can be found here:
Kristen's blog: http://hh48.wordpress.com/
Angelina's blog: http://helpendhunger.wordpress.com/

Rank Ch. 3: Poverty as a Structural Failing

       In chapter 3 of Robert Rank's One Nation Underprivileged, Rank addresses three aspects to show poverty as the result of structural failings in the United States. Under economic, political and social levels, Rank shows us the consistent and systemic failures in the American system that result in mass poverty on a nation-wide scale. One of Rank's contentions on this issue is how the social ideologies and psychological standpoints of American society reinforce poverty and prevent any major changes to the system. Rank argues that in the American system, those who are born into a a particular wealth class tend to stay in that class throughout the duration on their lives and even pass it on to future generations. For example, middle class parents tend to have children who will remain in the middle class and so on and so forth. Though there are very few exceptions to these instances, this remains true for the majority of all Americans. Rank further explains that America does not provide a level playing ground and compares it to a large game of Monopoly where all the players start off with different quantities of money. This goes on to reinforce Rank's idea that citizens living in anything but the upper classes cannot afford upward mobility.
       I completely agree with Rank's argument in regard to poverty as a partial result of social institutions in the U.S. A large part of upward mobility in terms of personal finance requires a large amount of personal finance to begin with. For example, one could argue that in order to acquire a high paying job, one must have a high level of education which requires a large amount of money. Those struggling to put food on their tables due to low paying jobs are far less likely to afford a high quality education than those who had already inherited large sums of money from prior wealthy generations in the same bloodline. In the previous chapter Rank also showed a variety of tables showing that socio-economic status was also based on race, gender, sex, age, etc. which brings about a variety of sub-issues in the same category. In the U.S. the system is designed to keep particular groups wealthy (as shown by the charts, typically older, white, males) and particular groups not nearly as wealthy (particularly minorities). Rank ultimately shows us that the system is flawed and in my own opinion, the economic and social institutions of this nation would need to see some drastic changes in order to help reduce poverty levels.

Poverty in Chicago II

       In Chicago also resides the issues of homeless shelters and rehabilitation for chronic drug and alcohol abusers. Both are clearly very ineffective and provide very little real aid to those who need it. As stated in the previous post, Chicago is the third highest ranking city for drug overdose in the nation. There are very rehabilitation programs and most only last 28 days. This results in individuals returning to drug use as stated by a homeless interviewee in the documentary "Poverty in Chicago". Shelters were compared to the same quality as prisons. Often, violent outbreaks among its temporary inhabitants occur as well as low quality care. Some shelters even have specific criteria that cannot be met by all homeless people. This includes age, sex or the requirement of some sort of religious commitment.
       Chicago does a poor job of taking care of those who are suffering in some form of poverty. Chicago politics keep those in poverty oppressed and encourages citizens to turn a blind eye to the poor. Society gives them labels that we may often throw around with unknowing prejudice such as "junkie", "alcoholic", "crazy". These terms are often used loosely without ever understanding how a homeless individual got to that point. Further understanding poverty is a necessity if we are to ever overcome it.

(Delvin as seen in "Chicago Poverty")

Poverty in Chicago I

  In my research for poverty in Chicago, I found a documentary regarding various aspects of Chicago poverty and direct interviews with homeless individuals in the city. The documentary is called "Poverty in Chicago" and can be found at http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/poverty-in-chicago/. I highly recommend taking 45 minutes to watch the video if any readers have the opportunity. Brian Schodorf, the director of the documentary, investigated several issues regarding poverty in Chicago and drew on major conclusion among several contributing to the phenomenon. Chicago is the third highest ranking city for drug overdose in the United States. Chicago slums and projects account for the entire states heroin and crack cocaine supply hot spots. Though drugs may be the primary reason those in poverty remain oppressed in poverty, Schodorf also accounts for other aspects including mental health issues, former convicts and even explores the race barrier between the middle class and those suffering in poverty.
       The movie reveals that low income housing areas in Chicago quickly became diluted with high crime rates and drug trafficking. As a result, poor values, circulating drugs, and lack of education create a vicious cycle almost completely indestructible in which those living in those areas cannot escape poverty. Children are taught to sell drugs and partake in a life of crime in order to survive since upward mobility is almost completely unattainable. The downward spiraling financial situations for those living in the slums create little or no motivation to work towards financial success through societies mainstream standards such as education and work. As a result, the south side of Chicago, which accounts for 60% of the city has a 40% homeless rate and countless others suffering far below the poverty line. The documentary also showed that Chicago police obviously know about the high rates of drug trafficking, often see it but do very little about it. A social worker in the video implies that as part of city politics, the allowance of drug trafficking can be used to nullify a group of people and ultimately keep them oppressed.
       The documentary continued to show how poverty in American society is highly frowned upon and Chicago has ultimately gotten significantly better at ignoring the poor instead of providing any form of aid. The poor in Chicago continue to suffer and as time progresses, statistically, they are actually getting poorer. However, it is up to the American people to better understand this problem and stop turning a blind eye to those suffering so we can someday combat poverty and homelessness in Chicago.

Poverty in Illinois

           Since before the decline in the American economy, Illinois has been suffering financially. The end of 2009 showed unemployment at 10.2% which the state has not seen since the 1930s. The increasing numbers in poverty also reveal stratification on a different levels. Statistics since 2008 reveal that there is an increased likelihood for poverty and homelessness for non-whites in Illinois (though the numbers ultimately reflect the nation as a whole). Black residents in Illinois suffered a massive 17.1% unemployment rate where as white residents were at 9.0%. unreported cases suspect that the gap between these two numbers is far greater. Similar numbers exist for younger workers. Approximately 16% of Illinois residents ages 20-24 are unemployed as opposed to 9% of workers older than 24. Also, a resident with an education level less than a high school diploma is 4 times less likely to be unemployed than a resident with a bachelors degree. The worsening economy has shown us that many of the biases that exist within the United States are far from being abolished, in fact, are growing worse as money is becoming more difficult to acquire. The statistics ultimately reveal that it is not only difficult to survive in the current U.S. economy but it is far more difficult to be any type of minority and survive financially.
          The current Illinois poverty line is as follows: 1 person household, $1,836 income per month, $6,680 and less than $11,000 for a family of 4. Since 2008, Illinois residents in extreme poverty has worsened. As of 2008, 1 out every 7 Illinois households has zero or negative net worth. As of March 2010, March 2010 than Illinois, in which 1 out of every 371 homes received a foreclosure filing. Also, the Illinoisans’ average debt from all sources is over $11,300. 680,000 Illinoisans lived in extreme poverty in 2008 on an annual income of less than half of the poverty line. These numbers continue to grow and can be expected to get much worse in the recent events of the debt ceiling being raised as well as the announcement that the United States is once again in a recession.

(Taylor High Rise, Chicago, IL)

References:
http://www.heartlandalliance.org/whatwedo/advocacy/reports/2010-report-on-illinois-poverty.html
http://www.egyptianaaa.org/eligibilityguidelines.htm

Poverty in Philadelphia

          In a recent project undertaken by myself and three other justice 371 students, we have found some shocking statistics regarding poverty in Philadelphia. The project called for several groups to study different major cities throughout the U.S. in regard to poverty and hunger levels and statistics. Our assigned city, Philadelphia, proved to be one of the most devastated cities with almost 25% of its population at or below the poverty line. Our group divided various topics regarding the city up for our presentation. Before presenting, we compiled and shared our information for our own benefit and for the sake of the project. My particular topic was hunger in Philadelphia.

          Amongst the various sub-problems caused by poverty in Philadelphia lies the growing issue of hunger.  In 2009, 316,000 Philadelphia residents received help from a food pantry or hunger assistance organization. This was a 41% increase since 2008. The year 2010 saw a 62% increase in requests for food assistance from various social aid organizations and food pantries.  Though Philadelphia saw a 45% increase in the budget for emergency food rations, approximately 35% of the food demands went unmet. Since last year, Philadelphia has been projected to see a decrease in resources for food supplies and an increase in requests for food assistance. As of this year, 448,000 Philadelphia residents collect food stamps from SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) to provide for themselves and or their families. The National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Summer Food Service Program for Children, WIC (the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children) and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) are all federally funded programs implemented to combat hunger in Philadelphia and other major cities where high levels of poverty and hunger exist. Philadelphia also has approximately 700 soup kitchens though more may be needed to decrease the city’s high levels of hunger.

References:
http://www.hungercoalition.org/snap-campaign
http://www.usmayors.org/pressreleases/documents/hungerhomelessnessreport_121208.pdf

Visiting the Peace of Mind Exhibit

 

       Today I was given the opportunity to view the Peace of Mind Exhibit at Northeastern's Student Union. The exhibit itself was a series of portraits and text lining the walls with different perspectives of what peace is. The individuals in the portraits shared there views on peace which ranged from almost tangible views to a variety of strong ideological views. They covered peace from a personal perspective to what peace may be at a global level. Various perspectives described peace at a spiritual level whereas others did so on a political level. However, there was on common factor that every single view of peace covered: lack of conflict. Each individual described peace as being free of some sort of conflict.

       The Peace of Mind Exhibit brought forth new perspectives on the sort of mentality needed to combat hunger, poverty and injustice both here in the United States and around the globe. Ultimately, we as a people need to eliminate conflict amongst ourselves and with that will come a sense of selflessness that will contribute to the greater good of mankind. By overcoming our conflicts caused by selfishness, we can learn to help each other in order to ensure justice and equality for all.

31 Million U.S. Kids Live in Poverty Today As Racial Inequality Deepens

http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/08/31_million_us_kids_live_in_poverty_today_as_racial_inequality_deepens.html

       Currently, in the United States, approximately one out of every five children are living in poverty. As this is a national average, statistically, these numbers tend to grow far worse based on race. Reports show that poverty among children grows within the Latino community and shows the worst poverty levels in the Black American community.

Understanding the Impact of Poverty

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/the-best-life/2011/08/24/understanding-the-impact-of-poverty

(Though this image does not directly relate to the article, I did find it appropriate in addressing the recession causing poverty throughout the nation)

Currently one in seven Americans is collecting food stamps giving an estimated total of about 45 million across the nation. 25 million are suffering from unemployment though, this is a projected number so it is safe to assume that the number of unemployed Americans is much higher. With the debt ceiling having been recently increases business continues to threaten the middle and lower classes. Part time jobs are growing far more common than full time jobs if one can even find work in today's economy. Government agencies project potential pay cuts, retirement and social security are both being severely damaged or projected to suffer major cuts in the coming years and the cost of living is more difficult to meet when middle and lower class wages simply do not provide enough.

Poverty Defined

       Poverty can be defined as extreme insufficient funds which ultimately hinder one's ability to survive by the standards of a distributive justice style society. In such a society, goods are exchanged according to an individual's or group's social value. In many cases a form of currency in coin or paper form representative of high value material (typically gold) is used for such exchanges. In this case one's social value can be defined as how much income they can generate in a given amount of time. Failure to generate a particular income in a given amount of time in respect to the region in which that individual lives and according to cost of living results in poverty. This particular amount of income is defined as the poverty line. The poverty line is an amount of money an individual needs to meet or exceed in order to acquire basic necessities for survival in a distributive society such as food, clothing and shelter.
       The current legal definition of poverty is already copesetic, however, the definition itself is often skewed and manipulation by politics in order to change statistical data regarding it. The current defintion of poverty is the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. in politics, the poverty line can be adjusted as well as statistics regarding poverty in that region may be falsely altered to change what the defintion of poverty in that region is. I don't believe its the definition of poverty that needs to be adjusted, but the politicians who adjust it. Poverty is typically criminalized and frowned upon in the U.S. and as a result, the blatently obvious issues are swept aside. Ultimately, politicians as well as citizens need to confront poverty and better understand it if we, as a nation, are to ever overcome it.

References:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poverty