American Social Policies of the 1960's

Financial assistance has been provided to individuals and families on the local level through a number of avenues, one of which has been placement in shelters. Jonathan Kozol speaks about his conversation with one woman who was placed with her family in one of the notorious New York City shelters, the Martinique. In Rachel and Her Children (1988), Kim gives her account of how she came to live in the shelter and the stereotypes associated with people who live in shelters. Kim owned the building that she was working to renew, but could not afford to replace the heating system by herself. In a few weeks time, she went from a preschool teacher to a welfare recipient. .
             Although written in the 80s, by definition Kim had fallen into the absolute poverty threshold established some twenty years before. The attitude of many government officials and city workers toward poverty had been negative and cynical, with the mayor claiming that some families in the shelters were getting over $20,000 annually. Since policies and laws were still in the early stages of development in the 1960s, mindsets and values had also been in their early stages. Funding, aid, responses, and explanations for poverty were all new and even uncertain. Various groups began to advocate for families and individuals living in poverty: local religious organizations, public assistance, and private organizations to name a few. At the federal level, there was the food stamps program (presently known as SNAP benefits), Medicaid, Social Security Income, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). .
             Along with providing funding and services for people living in poverty, the United States has also created programs for people with disabilities. A disability is defined as having the "inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months" (Barusch, 2012).