From the year 2000 to 2014, the rate of poverty among Americans increased from 11% to 14% with the highest being recorded because of the prolonged economic recession of 2008. The estimated numbers of Americans living below the poverty line are estimated to have reached a record high of 46.7 million (Zile 2). The financials stress is one of the factors that are affecting the ability of the poor population to make ends meet or even make a difference in their lives. Most of them living in the suburban regions are some of the victims of the increase in the housing bubble burst that forced many of the urban dwellers into poverty. The highest population, however, are the minority communities that are finding it hard to secure work or even attain a standard paying job.
In addition to the huge impact of the financials strain in these communities, their inability to access government funded programs that are aimed at helping fight poverty even worsens the condition. Zile mentions that among the programs that the government has implemented to help fight poverty include the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and Medicaid (6). The biggest issue is that most of these communities and population are located far from the metropolitan areas, which makes it even harder for some to benefit from these programs.
The government is also part of the issue as it focuses most of these programs in the urban centers ignoring the continued disparity in the suburban regions. Most of the programs that are aimed at establishing development are urban-based, which are a concern as pertaining to evaluating the change in poverty rates among the current generation.
Work Cited
Zile, Max Van. “The New Faces of U.S. Poverty.” 6 July 2016. US News. 30 March 2018 <https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-07-06/the-new-faces-of-us-poverty>.