Anti Poverty Programs

Before we begin talking about anti-poverty programs, let's discuss what poverty means. Poverty is when someone is poor and does not have the funds/resources to afford basic needs. An example of this would be someone who is homeless and living on the streets. But what programs are in place to help those who are suffering from poverty? We'll discuss anti-poverty programs and their histories, issues with these programs, the benefits of these programs, and the importance of having them. Interested? Let's dive in!

Anti poverty programs definition and importance

An anti-poverty program is a program that is designed to keep people from falling into or living in poverty, and/or to help lessen the amount of hardship they are in. These programs are important because they help in the fight against poverty by recognizing and addressing the various parts that make up poverty. There are many different sections that anti-poverty programs focus on, such as those that focus on:

• Ending child poverty
• Improving child education
• Unemployment benefits
• Paid medical leave
• Helping avoid food insecurity
• Rental assistance

History of U.S. Antipoverty Programs

Let's discuss the history of anti-poverty programs, starting from the New Deal in the 1930s to the present day.

Anti Poverty Programs: The New Deal

In March of 1933 in the first acts of his presidency, Franklin D. Roosevelt launched the New Deal which was created to get Americans out of The Great Depression. He passed several relief programs such as emergency and work relief programs, agricultural relief for farmers, and laws that forced bank reform. The first New Deal lasted about a year from 1933 to 1934. Then the second New Deal (which included Social Security) launched in 1935 and lasted until 1939. This not only helped better the lives of those who were greatly affected by The Great Depression but also established a precedent for the involvement of the government regarding the economic and social conditions of the United States.

Anti Poverty Programs: War on Poverty

Due to a jump in poverty in the 1960s, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a "war on poverty" in 1964 and signed a poverty bill known as the Economic Opportunity Act (EOA).

Fig. 2 - President Lyndon B. Johnson

This was designed to allow federal finances to be used in programs to fight poverty. He believed that the government had to take a larger role in health care and education specifically as a way to improve the lives of low-income families. Many of the programs created and used during this time (such as the Food Stamps program) are the same ones we see used today. The only differences tend to be name changes, different eligibility requirements, or durations of the benefits.

Anti Poverty Programs: PRWORA

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act (PRWORA) was created by President Bill Clinton in 1996. With this, his hope was to change the way welfare was being used. After this law came into effect, there were new eligibility requirements for certain programs, and each state was given more power in managing the programs. There were also new limits on benefits, with many having a 5-year limit for the person's lifetime.

Antipoverty programs in the U.S: Issues

There are a few issues when it comes to the effectiveness of anti-poverty programs in the U.S.

Anti Poverty Programs: They're focusing on the wrong goal

Instead of focusing on helping people and their families succeed, the main goal that is focused on is eliminating poverty. If the focus is not on the development of the people and is instead on simply eliminating poverty, then we have learned nothing from past mistakes and those who are in poverty will remain in poverty.

Anti Poverty Programs: The programs are not sustainable

Charity organizations tend to carry out projects in poor communities to assist them and help them have food, water, and/or education. The issue comes when after the work is done, there is no way for the people there to do the upkeep. For example, if a nonprofit build a school in a poor community, how is the community supposed to pay for the electric bill? Pay the teachers? Pay for any repairs that need to be done to the school? The community barely has enough money for themselves let alone for repairs and upkeep of a school.

Anti Poverty Programs: The issues are too specific

For the most part, charities tend to pick one thing to help change in poor communities. This thing might be helping the community get access to water or to food. But the issue is that when these nonprofits focus solely on one issue, they seem to put every other issue on the back burner. They focus on a small detail and by doing so they miss the big picture. Poverty is not just hunger, thirst, or lack of education. It's a combination of all of these issues and more. By focusing on only one issue, those in poverty don't get helped enough to make a long-term difference. While it definitely is still nice and valuable to help feed and educate those in poverty, by doing everything separately the nonprofit is actually not doing as much of a service to the community as they believe.

Antipoverty programs in the U.S: Strategies

There are generally two strategies that are used to help those who are in poverty. These strategies are:

• Giving those who are in poverty money directly¹

• Providing those who are in poverty with services¹

Anti Poverty Programs: Giving money directly

This is usually done in the form of tax credits, benefits, or by raising the minimum wage. The purpose is to put more income in the hands of those who are in poverty and who need it most.

Those defending this strategy hold the belief that one of the best ways to increase the incomes of those who are in poverty is to physically give them more income. One of the issues with this approach is that to make a big enough difference in the amount of poverty, a significant amount of money would have to be distributed. This could be problematic as it might mean higher taxes for all to help the poor and not everyone in society might be willing to pay the higher taxes to assist.

Anti Poverty Programs: Providing services

This strategy focuses less on giving money to those who are low-income and instead focuses on providing essential services. While not making those who are low-income any poorer or richer necessarily, this strategy has a goal of reducing poverty by getting rid of the parallels between low-income families and issues such as health, education, and housing.

So what would this look like? Well, some examples would be moving children from unsafe neighborhoods to safer ones with access to better schooling, providing more college aid, and universal health care.

2. Columbia School of Social Work, Anti-Poverty Policies and Programs, 2021