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Poverty
Poverty continues to plague a country rich in material, cultural
and educational resources. About 11.3% of Americans lived in poverty
in 2000, while recent newspaper and magazine articles highlight the
growing disparity between the rich and poor.
Social work has an extensive history of addressing poverty at the
individual, community and national levels. In fact, one of the six
ethical principles guiding social workers—working for social
justice—cites poverty as a primary problem.
A close examination of poverty reveals that it is about much more
than money alone. Poverty results from a number of factors that include
political, social, and economic dynamics. For instance, as the country
shifts from a manufacturing to a service economy, wages have been
dramatically lowered for the average "nonprofessional" worker.
In addition, the feminization of poverty has been exacerbated by
persistent disparities in salaries for men and women, as well as
the disproportionate economic burden that single mothers face in
raising children alone.
Social workers' training in systems theory gives them a firm grounding
in understanding the nature of poverty and its roots. Clearly, there
is no single solution that can "cure" poverty—poverty
must be combated on a number of levels. People living in poverty
often need increased access to affordable childcare, low-income housing
options, mental health treatment, and educational and employment
opportunities.
Take the example of a social worker's intervention with a young
woman living in a poor urban community. When she first appeared for
social services, the young woman was pregnant, depressed and unable
to pay her rent. However, she was determined to improve her life
circumstances and those for her unborn child. She couldn't save money
because she had another child to support. Although he was emotionally
supportive, her
partner was unable to financially contribute to her support.
During their work together, the social worker was able to develop
a plan of action with her client. By following up on leads, the young
woman was connected with several sources of tangible help in her
community. Over the next few months, she was able to identify subsidized
housing, obtain prenatal care, receive treatment for her depression
and to enroll in a part-time job training program. Her partner was
also able to find employment through a community job bank. By the
time her baby was born, the young woman's outlook on life was brighter.
On a broader scale, social workers are tackling the complex issue
of poverty through community organizing in poor neighborhoods. Community
organizing utilizes the community's assets and combines them with
additional resources to build up the local systems that support health,
education and financial viability. It emphasizes a poor community's
strengths as opposed to its weaknesses. Social workers empower community
residents to be active in leading these efforts by lending their
professional skills to facilitate and support local initiatives.
Besides addressing poverty on the individual and community levels, social workers
strive to fight poverty on a national scale. They have joined forces urging
Congress to increase the minimum wage and have advocated for the importance
of ending poverty rather than simply reducing the number of welfare recipients.
In all of these efforts, social workers use their training to look
beyond the symptoms and get to the root causes of poverty. Always,
their primary goal is to empower people to become vital, healthy
members of society.
http://www.socialworkers.org/research/naswresearch/0105poverty/default.asp
http://www.helpstartshere.org/health_and_wellness/healthy_lifestyles/default.html
References:
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- Coulton, C.J., Chow, J. (1995). Poverty. In R.L. Edwards (Ed.-in-Chief),
Encyclopedia of social work (19th ed., Vol. 1, pp. 1867-1878).
Washington, D.C.: NASW Press.
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- Espiritu, M. A social worker addresses psychosocial problems in an impoverished community. (2002, January). Currents.
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- Harrison, C.D. (1995). Community Development. In R.L. Edwards
(Ed.-in-Chief), Encyclopedia of social work
(19th ed., Vol. 1, pp. 555-562). Washington, D.C.: NASW Press.
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- Naparstek, A., Dooley, D. (1997). Community Building. In R.L. Edwards
(Ed.-in-Chief), Encyclopedia of social work (19th ed.,
1997 Supplement. pp. 77-89). Washington, D.C.: NASW Press.
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- Weil, M.O., Gamble, D. (1995). Community Practice Models.
In R.L. Edwards (Ed.-in-Chief), Encyclopedia of social work
(19th ed., Vol. 1, pp. 577-593). Washington, D.C.: NASW Press.
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