Poverty in America is a bit more discrete compared to other countries where it is more prevalent. There’s people on the street with no food, no shelter, run down tent communities with only a handful of people to help them. Unfortunately poverty in America is a cycle - it gets passed down from generation to generation. There are several organizations, charities, and government sectored systems to assist but it’s simply not enough. In order to remed these critical issues we must learn the root cause then find a solution. Below are 5 main interlocking causes of poverty in America.
POOR ECONOMY:
When there is a week economy in America that increases unemployment rates. A lot of companies start to cut jobs, perhaps revert to online vs brick and mortar, some companies decide to ship their manufacturing overseas in order to pay for their workers at lower rates or even worse, closing their doors but what this does is increase unemployment rates and when there’s unemployment, jobs become scarce therefore making the competition for jobs extremely high. This leaves so many Americans unemployed with the ability of collecting unemployment benefits that are much lesser rates than their previous salaries which causes families to go into poverty and in some cases homelessness.
LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING:
There’s been a continuous growing gap in America between what you earn and the cost of living or cost of housing which really makes it difficult for American families to make ends meet. The average in which one would need to make in order to afford a modest two bedroom apartment has increased from $15.35 an hour in 2016 to now $22.10 an hour in 2019 and those who don’t or can’t Find subsidized government housing could end up resorting to sharing blended family homes, moving from home to home of possible friends and family, Shelters, or even worse living on the streets.
DRUG, ALCOHOL, AND SMOKING USAGE:
Usually when someone is on drugs they’ll pour all of their earnings and or money into their habits. Example if you spend $100 for 1 g of cocaine a day that’s going to cost you $700 a week which is a lot more then a lot of Americans make per week. And if you are involved with any other harsher drugs like heroin they could cost you at least $1000 a week or more. Then on the other hand there are more socially accepted and legal habits like smoking marijuana, cigarettes, and alcohol. Smoking and Alcohol alike are much more expensive than just purchasing the product itself because of additional repercussions associated with drinking or smoking it such as missing out on work, losing your job, illnesses, accidents and fees of driving under the influence that happen as a result of smoking and drinking alcohol. These addictions/habits increases the weekly and in some cases even daily expenses. Not only that but it easily leads individuals into incarceration which is another conversation in itself. These factors alone could lead many Americans into poverty..
LACK OF EDUCATION:
Majority of lower classed individuals and families aren’t able to afford to go to college or earn a degree therefore only being able to obtain a low paying job with little to no benefits while relying on their low salary income to support them selves and/or family. The average income for someone who just has a high school diploma was about 28,000 a year in 2016 which has increased to about $35,000 a year in 2019 which is slightly above the poverty line. It is evident to see that someone who lacks an education could easily get stuck in the cycle of poverty.
MEDICAL EXPENSES:
Now, you could be rich or poor and develop a severe illness that requires immediate medical attention and in often times could very easily happen unexpectedly that requires you to stay in the hospital for very long periods of time possibly treated with an array of things you need, medications, and treatments. Most people don’t know that the average cost of staying at the hospital is $350 a night. A little generic pill like a Tylenol or ibuprofen has a ridiculously inflated cost of about $14! And then if you have cancer and need chemotherapy could cost you well over $30k. There are of course minor surgeries that will cost several thousands of dollars and major surgeries that cost way much more than that and so forth. If you are someone in lowering middle class and don’t have the resources to afford medical expenses it can and will lead you into poverty and of course the insurance companies will insure a large portion of it but not all of it, and there’s still an upfront co-pay fee upfront that could be a lot of money. This is how someone could easily fall into a state of poverty.