Poverty & Families

Tori Foreman, MSW

Outreach Coordinator

Court Improvement Program

Poverty Defined

Poverty  is the state or condition of having little or no

money, goods, or means of support; condition of being poor.

Absolute poverty  or destitution refers to the deprivation of

basic human needs, which commonly includes food, water, sanitation, clothing, shelter, health care and education.

Information on the Poverty Line

2014 Federal Poverty Line for a family of 4 is $23,850.

Median household income was $51,017 in 2012 (Annual Social and Economic Supplement 2012)

$40,591 in Arkansas

Poverty in the U.S.

Poverty rates in 2012 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2013):

Child Poverty Rate= 22.3% (23% according to Kids Count, 2013)

Poverty Rates in Arkansas

Families in poverty = 14.8% (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010)

Children under 18 in poverty = 29% (Kids Count, 2013)

Where is Child Poverty?

The percentage of all children under 18 years old in low-income families surpasses that of adults.

What percentage of kids in the south do you believe live in poverty? 48% of children in the South – 13.2

million – live in low-income families

Activity #1 What we need:

1 Volunteer – Not me, I’m not good at math!

1 Writing Board Advocates ready to ponder!

2 Types:

Generational Poverty – having been in poverty for at least

two generations

Situational Poverty – a lack of resources due to an event

Factors Associated with Generational Poverty

Hopelessness

Surviving vs. Planning

Generational Poverty Belief System

Being in poverty is rarely lack of intelligence or ability

Education is key to getting out of poverty

Many become complacent

Situational Poverty

Most common causes include job loss, divorce, illness and loss of a loved one

It is not only the poor that must learn the rules of upper class, but the upper class must learn the rules of the lower class in these situations In most cases, this is very difficult

for people who are used to having what they want and not just what they need

Myths About the Impoverished

1. Poor people are unmotivated and have weak work ethics.

2. Poor parents are uninvolved in their children's learning, largely because they do not value education.

3. Poor people are linguistically deficient.

4. Poor people tend to abuse drugs and alcohol.

Resources Protect Against Poverty

Financial Emotional Mental Spiritual Physical Support Systems Relationships Knowledge of Hidden Rules

Family Stress Model

3 Major Impacts

1.Hardship and Stress

2.Isolation and Exclusion

3.Longer-term impacts as adults

Family Stress Model on Romantic Relationships

Predicts that economic problems will lead to deterioration in marital relationships and increase risk for marital instability

Markers of hardship include low income, high debts relative to assets, and negative financial events (e.g., increasing economic demands, recent income loss, and work instability)

These hardship conditions are expected to affect couples primarily through the economic pressures they generate including: (a) unmet material needs involving necessities such as adequate food and clothing, (b) the inability to pay bills or make ends meet, and (c) having to cut back on even necessary expenses (e.g., health insurance and medical care)

The model predicts that when economic pressure is high, romantic partners are at increased risk for emotional distress (e.g., depression, anxiety, anger, and alienation) and for behavioral problems (e.g., substance use and antisocial behavior)

Family Stress Model on Child Development

This model predicts that economic hardship primarily influences the development of children through the lives of parents

Predicts problems in parenting such as harsh, uninvolved and inconsistent childrearing practices

Disrupted parenting explains the influence of parental distress and inter-parental conflicts on child development, including both diminishment in competent functioning (e.g., cognitive ability, social competence, school success, and attachment to parents) and increases in internalizing (e.g., symptoms of depression and anxiety) and externalizing (e.g., aggressive and antisocial behavior) problems

There are Hidden Rules Among Classes

Generational Poverty

Middle Class Wealthy

Driving forces for decision making are survival, relationships, and entertainment

Driving forces for decision making are work and achievement

Driving forces for decision making are social, financial, and political connections

Money is to be used, spent.

Money is to be managed.

Money is to be conserved, invested.

Food= quantity is what matters

Food= quality important Food= presentation & quality

Physical fighting is how conflict is resolved

Fighting is done verbally.Physical fighting is viewed with distaste

Fighting is done through social inclusion or exclusion and through lawyers

Impact on Decision Making

Recent research suggests that being poor may keep some people from concentrating on ways that would lead them out of poverty.

Pressing financial concerns have an immediate impact on the ability of low-income individuals to perform on common cognitive and logic tests

On average, a person preoccupied with money problems exhibited a drop in cognitive function similar to a 13-point dip in IQ, or the loss of an entire night’s sleep

Cognitive function is diminished by the constant and all-consuming effort of coping with the immediate effects of having little money, such as scrounging to pay bills and cut costs

Impact on Decision Making People at the low end of the socioeconomic spectrum may be

particularly vulnerable to a breakdown of their willpower resources.

It’s not that the poor have less willpower than the rich, rather, for people living in poverty, every decision — even whether to buy soap — requires self-control and dips into their limited willpower pool.

For instance, the amount of worry and distress that people living in poverty go through uses up a majority of their mental energy – they have little room to think about anything other than surviving today

A person in poverty might be at the high part of the performance curve when it comes to a specific task and, in fact, studies show that they do well on the problem at hand. But they don’t have leftover bandwidth to devote to other tasks.

The poor are often highly effective at focusing on and dealing with pressing problems. It’s the other tasks where they perform poorly.

“Why I make terrible decisions, or, poverty thoughts”

“I make a lot of poor financial decisions. None of them matter, in the long term. I will never not be poor, so what does it matter if I don't pay a thing and a half this week instead of just one thing? It's not like the sacrifice will result in improved circumstances…There's a certain pull to live what bits of life you can while there's money in your pocket, because no matter how responsible you are you will be broke in three days anyway. When you never have enough money it ceases to have meaning. I imagine having a lot of it is the same thing…Poverty is bleak and cuts off your long-term brain. It's why you see people with four different baby daddies instead of one. You grab a bit of connection wherever you can to survive. You have no idea how strong the pull to feel worthwhile is…. We don't plan long-term because if we do we'll just get our hearts broken. It's best not to hope. You just take what you can get as you spot it.”

Impact on Parenting

Low-income parents are less likely to be nurturing or to supervise their children adequately, and more likely to use inconsistent, erratic and harsh discipline May have to work more than one job,

suffer from mental health issues, etc… An interdependence is created Styles may shift with the constant stress

levels

Impact of Poverty on Children Academics

Low-SES children have fewer cognitive-enrichment opportunities. They have fewer books at home, visit the library less often, and spend considerably more time watching TV than their middle-income counterparts do

Psychosocial

Poor children often feel isolated and unloved, feelings that kick off a downward spiral of unhappy life events, including poor academic performance, behavioral problems, dropping out of school, and drug abuse

Often, poor children live in chaotic, unstable households. They are more likely to come from single-guardian homes, and their parents or caregivers tend to be less emotionally responsive

Physical Health

Low-SES can lead to premature births, poor language development; preterm infants show delays in general cognition

Activity #2

What we need: 3 Decks of Cards 3 Volunteers Flipchart

What Can You Do?

Deepen staff understanding

Understand that it is not always the fault of the individuals or family. Things happen that cannot be controlled or they do not understand or have the resources to rise above.

Change culture from pity to empathy

Don’t be afraid to make a difference

Improve access to physical, mental, and behavioral health care for low-income families by eliminating barriers

Assist family in obtaining resources such as early childhood education, welfare benefits, etc…

Work with the schools to connect with families and youth through variety of entry points

Tips from the ABA Center for Pro Bono

Build trust over time Be alert for roadblocks Listen carefully; Communicate clearly Help empower your client Promote time & task management Coach for courtroom success Forestall future problems Become culturally attuned- See the world

through your client’s eyes