LEARNING RESOURCES

· DiNitto, D. M., & Johnson, D. H. (2016). 
Social welfare: Politics and public policy (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

· Chapter 4, “Ending Poverty: Is It an Issue Anymore?” (pp. 107–152)

· Chapter 5, “Preventing Poverty: Social Insurance and Personal Responsibility” (pp. 153–194)

· Economic Policy Institute. (2016a). 

Basic family budget calculator—Introduction, methodology, and data download.Links to an external site.
 Retrieved from http://www.epi.org/pages/budget_calculator_intro/

· Economic Policy Institute. (2016b). 

Family budget calculator.Links to an external site.
 Retrieved from http://www.epi.org/resources/budget/

For Discussion 1, you will use the EPI Family Budget Calculator. First, read this page.

· Gould, E., Cooke, T., & Kimball, W. (2015). 

What families need to get by: EPI’s 2015 family budget calculator.Links to an external site.

Economic Policy Institute. Retrieved from http://www.epi.org/publication/what-families-need-to-get-by-epis-2015-family-budget-calculator/

Next, you will use the calculator on this page for Discussion 1, following the instructions found in Discussion 1.

· Fisher, G. M. (1997). 

The development and history of the U.S. poverty thresholds—A brief overview.Links to an external site.
 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).Retrieved from https://aspe.hhs.gov/history-poverty-thresholds

This article discusses the history and definition of the U.S. “poverty threshold,” which is sometimes called the “poverty line.” Technically, the poverty threshold is used by the Census Bureau for statistical purposes and the “poverty guideline” is used by the DHHS to determine program eligibility.

· U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.).

Frequently asked questions related to the poverty guidelines and poverty.Links to an external site.
 Retrieved September 12, 2017, from http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/faq.shtml#differences

TO PREPARE

Visit the Economic Policy Institute websites listed in the Learning Resources. The EPI has developed a formula to determine what it takes for a family to “make ends meet,” taking into account family size and place of residence.

Begin by reading about the assumptions on which they base their calculations of a basic family budget.

Next, use their basic family budget calculator to find out what they would estimate it would cost your family size to live in your area.

Post

· Describe two limitations and/or problems with the poverty threshold.

· Explain how these problems affect a person’s ability to escape poverty.

Respond to two colleagues:

· Explain which estimate of poverty better aligns with your colleague’s stated ability to escape poverty: the EPI’s budget or DHHS poverty threshold.

RESPONSE1

Deepening 
poverty is inextricably linked with rising levels of homelessness and food insecurity/hunger for many Americans, and children are particularly affected by these conditions. Extreme poverty is the strongest predictor of household homelessness. These families are often forced to choose between housing and other survival necessities. At least 11 percent of American children living in poverty are homeless. These are the two limitations/problems as follows: 

1.
Hunger. Families often struggle to hide their food insecurity, and some parents may feel ashamed or embarrassed for not being able to adequately feed their children. Children may also feel stigmatized, isolated, ashamed or embarrassed by lack of food. A sample of neighborhoods that classified low-income children ages 6 to 12 as hungry, at risk of hunger, or not hungry found that hungry children were significantly more likely to receive special education services, to have repeated a grade in school and to have received mental health counseling than at-risk-for-hunger or not-hungry children. Among low-income children, children classified as “starving” showed more anxiety, irritability, aggression and oppositional behavior than their peers. In addition, multiple stressors associated with poverty significantly increase the risk of developing mental and functional problems.

2.
Homelessness. Access to permanent and adequate shelter is a basic human need; however, a prolonged economic downturn (including a foreclosure crisis, soaring unemployment, worsening poverty rates and a shortage of affordable housing) may will increase the rate of homelessness. The United States Conference of Mayors (2009) reported that more than 1.6 million children (1 in 45 children) were homeless in the United States in 2010, and approximately 650,000 were under the age of 6. Families with children make up the majority of the homeless population. Families with children make up one-third of the homeless population, usually consisting of a single mother in her twenties and two young children. States in the South and Southwest where poverty is more prevalent have more homeless children than states in the North and Northeast. Homelessness affects children’s health and well-being, and their brain development, causes stress, and prevents them from preparing for school.

Explain how these problems affect a person’s ability to escape poverty.

· Homelessness and hunger go hand in hand. Homeless children are twice as likely to experience hunger as their non-homeless peers. Need has adverse effects on children’s physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development.

· Americans’ developing bodies are not well adapted to the effects of living without clean water, food, or healthcare. As a result, many children living in poverty are malnourished and diseased. If left untreated (which is expected due to limited access to health care), they will not survive. Millions of people live with hunger and malnutrition because they simply can’t afford enough food, nutritious food, or what it takes to grow enough quality food themselves agricultural supplies needed. Hunger can be seen as a dimension of extreme poverty.

· Homelessness and hunger go hand in hand. Homeless children are twice as likely to experience hunger as their non-homeless peers. Hunger has negative effects on children’s physical, social, emotional and cognitive development.

·
Homelessness disproportionately affects children and youth, including hunger, poor physical and mental health, and missed educational opportunities. Homeless children experience a lack of stability, with 97% of children moving at least once a year, which can lead to school disruption and negatively impact academic performance.

References: 

· https://www.apa.org/pi/families/poverty

· https://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/publications/end-homelessness

RESPONSE2

Two limitations/or problems with the poverty threshold that I’ve discovered would be the cost of living throughout various locations. When located in a smaller town you may be able to survive properly if you have a smaller family vs. if you have a bigger family. Another one would be the overall expenses being covered throughout different families. Each family’s budget is different and the income coming into the household varies.

     These problems can affect a person’s ability to escape poverty emotionally as well as physically based on the individual. Some people receive government assistance which may give them a boost to make ends meet then turn out successful as with others they may struggle so much that it may put them in debt.

References: Fischer, G. M. (1997) The development and history of U.S. poverty thresholds

                     http/://aspe.hhs.gov (2017)