What Is Meant By “Poverty”?
Official measure
The U.S. Census Bureau establishes annual income thresholds
to measure poverty and estimate the number of poor people.
People in families with income below the federal poverty
thresholds are considered poor. The U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services uses these thresholds to set income
guidelines, which vary by family size and are referred to as the
.federal poverty level. (FPL). Federal poverty guidelines are
used to determine eligibility for many government programs.
Private organizations also use these guidelines to determine
eligibility for their services to low-income families
22,000 children die each day due to
poverty
 870 million world wide do not have
enough to eat
 About ¼ of all people live without
electricity
 80% of the world’s population lives on
less than $10 a day
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63% of Texas children living in poverty are
headed by someone who is working
 This decreases some of their access to
public services
 Is not what many think of when hear the
word poverty or poor
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yL
8oJJAEDs
Victims of conflict
 Migrant workers and their families
 Marginal populations
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› School drop outs
› Homeless people
› Street children
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Dependent people
› Elderly
› Disabled or ill

http://www.symphonyoflove.net/blog/24
24/change-for-a-dollar-by-sharonwright.html
Texas has the third-highest rate of food
insecurity and the fifth-highest rate of
hunger
 Hunger is a symptom of poverty,
and Texas is a poor state
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2nd in Income Inequality
between Rich & Poor
11th in % Living below Federal
Poverty Level 1 in 6 live under
the poverty line
3rd in % of Population with Food
Insecurity
5th in % of Kids Living in Poverty
15th in Unemployment Rates
(only 14 states have less
unemployment) many jobs are
lower paying non-degreed jobs –
“blue collar”
48th in Net worth of Household
Assets
2nd in Public School Enrollment
4th in % of Population Under 18
47th in SAT Scores
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43 out of 50 in number of
students who graduate
49th in Parks and Recreation
Spending
45th in Environ. Protection 7th
in Sales Tax Per Capita
49th in Current Expenditure Per
Student
46th in State Aid per Pupil $8,998 national average is
11,674
49th in Women’s Voter Turnout
Diploma
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https://www.youtub
e.com/watch?v=b09
Ujn9LFek
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Why is having health insurance
important?
› Texas has more uninsured children than the
national average
› Quality of life is less for those uninsured
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Texas Department of Health and Human
Services
› WIC (women infant and children
 Provides formula, milk, cheese, cereal, peanut
butter, fruits/veggies
 Children under age of 5
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http://ogs.sfglobe.com/2015/01/06/social-experiment-illustrates-whathappens-when-a-businessman-asks-for-money/?src=share_fb_new_31249
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TANF
› Parents can receive TANF for 12-36 months
› No time limit for children
› Parents will receive employment assistance
› One time TANF of $1000 in case of crisis such
as job loss or medical emergency
› Example of TANF payment 2 children in
household receive TANF will receive $128
month maximum
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9tJ
W9MDs2M
10% are elderly
 40% are white
 36% black
 18.5% Hispanic
 25% have a disabled person
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In 1993 U.S. citizens spent about the same
on cruise ships and theme parks that the
federal government did on AFDC.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhT
Xd1LN-7w
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January 2013
› 13,564 cases with 33,247 recipitents
› Under 5 6,421
› 5-17 12,919
› 65+ 1,953
› Average payment $270
Insurance for those who meet eligibility
guidelines
 CHIP children only –higher income
guidelines than Medicaid
 Must be here legally to apply
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http://www.netflix.com/WiPlayer?moviei
d=70235239&trkid=13473831&tctx=0,121,
018fad75-6749-4e04-ab48-d27fc7f28030121711719
15.9 million children lived in food insecure
households in 2012
 In 2012, 16.1 million or approximately 22
percent of children in the U.S. lived in
poverty
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The Texas Department of Health also
offers low cost and free screenings and
required immunizations
 Many churches and non profit
organizations offer food pantries and
assistance with rent or utilities. The United
Way is a good place to search for
assistance
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dK_RnxYdrqU
Prisoner rehabilitation
 Drug and alcohol rehabilitation
 Elderly Services
 Clothing
 Food Pantry
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Job training
 Clothing assistance
 Resume writing
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykM5K6h8YM
Every 43 seconds a child in the US is born
into poverty
 12 million adults have been homeless at
least once in their lives.
 46% of the people using emergency
food pantries are employed (many food
pantries in the Denton area are run by
churches)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0F
2Kl4tyA0
The wealthiest 5% of the households
receive 21% of the US national income
 The poorest 20% receive 3.7% of the
national income.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU
BTAdI7zuY
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People are in poverty because they are
too poor to work
› Many people are working, going to school or
seeking work but just do not make enough
money to feed their family
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Most people on assistance are homeless
› The majority of families are working and
trying to make ends meet.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2n
O86ZTs8I
31 million people are at risk of hunger
 11.2 million live in hungry households
where they do not have enough money
for all family members
 46% using emergency assistance are
employed
 US could cut domestic hunger in ½ in
two years for just 6 billion a year of just
.06 per citizen per day
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roD
XSHSEuoo
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rU
pe-bjtl4
In 2012, 46.5 million people (15.0
percent) were in poverty.
 In 2012, 26.5 million (13.7 percent) of
people ages 18-64 were in poverty.
 In 2012, 16.1 million (21.8 percent)
children under the age of 18 were in
poverty.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB
clROgNGRw
13 kids die on the streets each day
 1.3 homeless youth living on the streets
 1 in every 7 youth run away before their
18th birthday
 51.4% of all Americans will live in poverty
before they turn 65. The majority
experiencing it for the first time as a child
 1 in 4 children are at risk for hunger
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14.6% or 49 million American live in
Households that struggle to put food on
the table
 ½ of all children born in the US enroll in
WIC
 1 in 8 people in the US live below the
poverty line
 Children under 18 are 33% of those in
poverty
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86 percent of children with parents who have less
than a high school degree – 6.8 million – live in lowincome families
67 percent of children with parents who have a
high school degree but no college education – 9.4
million – live in low-income families
31 percent of children with at least one parent who
has some college or additional education – 15.6
million – live in low-income families
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32 pe31 percent of children with at least one
parent who works full time, year round – 15.9 million
– live in low-income families
rcent of all children residing with married parents –
15.2 million – live in low-income families
12 percent of all children residing with married
parents – 5.7 million – live in poor families
69 percent of all children residing with a single
parent – 16.7 million – live in low-income families
42 percent of all children residing with a single
parent – 10 million – live in poor families
37 percent of children in the Northeast –
4.4 million – live in low-income families
 42 percent of children in the Midwest –
6.4 million – live in low-income families
 48 percent of children in the South – 13.2
million – live in low-income families
 45 percent of children in the West – 7.9
million – live in low-income families
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syU
wFmYeSVw
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC
5O8YNX1hQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhGSCC3LlI

http://www.netflix.com/WiPlayer?moviei
d=80026944&trkid=497045