Homelessness and the Impoverished

Abstract

Poverty has been an ever growing problem in the United States for many years. It affects anyone of any age and has devastating effects on civilization. The purpose for this research is to find ways to raise awareness for this issue and possible solutions to help the people in need. With poverty on the rise, many programs have begun to provide assistance to as many of the needy as they can, but it's not enough. Many of the poor are unaware of where they can go to get help which hurts their chances of recuperation ("Poverties"). The interview withheld in this paper shows how an individual was able to find help and their story. The survey gauges the awareness of multiple high school individuals to see how much they know about the issue themselves. The conclusion is that local awareness is not at the level it needs to be to provide adequate assistance to the people in need.

Introduction Florida has a poverty rate of 17%, making it the 18th most impoverished state in the United States ("PovertyUSA"). Poverty affects people of all demographics. The poverty rate for children under the age of 18 is 24.9% while the rate for seniors 65+ is 10%. People affected by poverty have many effects on them in turn. Malnutrition and academic failure can cripple a child's early years and haunt them for a long time. Poverty also has been proven to have a direct link to crime ("Poverties"). Adults that become poor or homeless may end up resorting to drugs or alcohol to cope with their woes, maiming their chances to ever recuperate. Poverty rates have increased by nearly 2% since last year. as more people become impoverished, people began to wonder why. the biggest leading causes of poverty, according to polls, range from lack of jobs, government welfare, to even children. other causes are drug abuse, single-parent families, and immigration ("NPR"). Poverty can cause a wide array of problems. examples are: health problems, stress, depression, evictions, and job loss ("CauseandEffect"). There are multiple programs and groups that help out people that cannot sustain for themselves such as SNAP, Medicaid, CHIP, and TANF. SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program also known as the Food Stamp Program, provides needy families with food stamps so they can get food with the government's money. Medicaid and CHIP provide access to affordable health care and TANF gives assistance to needy families in serious need of money (Sherman). The methods used for the research will be an interview and a survey. The interview will be with someone who was homeless for a few months so the person can share their experience and what help the individual received. A survey will also be conducted to gauge their understanding of poverty and see how educated the modern mind is on the subject.

Interview

This interview was conducted to bring more insight into the life of an impoverished individual. The person in question asked to remain anonymous for the interview. When asked about the conditions in which the individual lived during their time they said that it was very difficult. Nearly penniless, their days consisted of begging on sidewalks and having to hide when police cars drove by. The person went through this for many months until they were able to find some help. With some financial backing from a financial aid program they were able to get enough money to get a cheap place to live which had aided immensely. The person felt that the experience had helped them grow as a person and they felt that there are many others who could also find help if they would just have the drive to look.

Survey

The purpose for the survey of the high school students was to determine their knowledge and understanding of how serious poverty is and how it affects people. The survey consisted of five questions was used to gauge their awareness. The first question on the survey was "What does