In the United States, the official poverty rate was 15 percent in 2012, which is "46.5 million people living on or under the poverty line" ("Poverty in the United States"). ... Many Americans have begun to ignore the fact that there are so many people living under the poverty line, but ignoring poverty will not help the problem go away. ... Poverty by definition is "the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support" ("poverty"). ... Many try to blame the government for being in poverty, but the government is not the only cau...

• Word Count: 2054
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

This makes it almost impossible to stay above the poverty line when a medical illness strikes the family. ... Thus, for many Americans, work provides no escape from poverty ("Homeless"). ... In 1967, a year-round worker earning minimum wage was paid enough to raise a family of three above the poverty line ("Homeless"). ... Today, full-time, year-round, minimum-wage earnings currently equal eighty-four percent of the estimated poverty line for a family of three ("Homeless"). ... Only a small fraction of welfare recipients' new jobs pay above-poverty wages. ...

• Word Count: 1306
• Approx Pages: 5

The first category, episodic homelessness, refers to people who are temporarily homeless because of extreme poverty. ... For example, under the current minimum wage, income earned by a full time worker is 85% of the estimated poverty line for a family of three. In contrast, as recently as 1967 a person working full time at minimum wage earned enough to raise a family of three well above the poverty line. ... (Klug 59-62) Domestic violence and explosive family conflict is also a main cause of homelessness, which may directly result in poverty. ... However, poverty also traps families ...

• Word Count: 1475
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

The homeless all suffer from absolute poverty. ... According to the 1997 census report 2.3 million people worked full time but were still below the poverty line. ... The most recent cause of homelessness in the United States is the feminization of poverty. ... They make poverty a crime when it is often not the fault of the homeless people themselves. ... In our current booming economy there is truly no excuse for the degree of poverty in the United States. ...

• Word Count: 1367
• Approx Pages: 5

The homeless all suffer from absolute poverty. ... According to the 1997 census report 2.3 million people worked full time but were still below the poverty line. ... The most recent cause of homelessness in the United States is the feminization of poverty. ... They make poverty a crime when it is often not the fault of the homeless people themselves. ... In our current booming economy there is truly no excuse for the degree of poverty in the United States. ...

• Word Count: 1735
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

The homeless all suffer from absolute poverty. ... According to the 1997 census report 2.3 million people worked full time but were still below the poverty line. ... The most recent cause of homelessness in the United States is the feminization of poverty. ... They make poverty a crime when it is often not the fault of the homeless people themselves. ... In our current booming economy there is truly no excuse for the degree of poverty in the United States. ...

• Word Count: 1735
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School