Imagine not being able to pay for the rent, electric bill, or food for your family. This thought is a reality to over forty-six million Americans living in poverty today. With a ratio of 1:6 people in the United States living at or below the poverty line the government has started to step in and help the needy with programs such as Medicaid, W.I.C., and Food Stamps. Life below the poverty line can leave a hard toll on an individual and their family. One way to understand poverty in America is by identifying the causes of it. America’s economy has had a major influence in defining the poverty line in recent years. Despite the fact that the United States is one of the most developed countries in the world with a relatively stable economy, there is a substantial amount of unemployment among its citizens. Between 2004 and 2007 32% percent of Americans fell below the poverty line for two or three months at least once. At the same time only 2.2 percent of Americans lived in poverty for the whole period. These figures have told economists that the poor are not a …show more content…
This steep rise in costs has caused many families to downsize or resort to lower income housing and apartments. Today’s average monthly rent cost ranges from $600 to $1,900 for a one bedroom apartment; it is nearly double that price for a three bedroom apartment. The gap between wage earnings and the cost of housing is surprisingly large. On July 24, 2009 minimum wage went up from $6.55 to 7.25 an hour, because that is what congress declared a livable wage at the time. Seven years later the minimum wage is at the same rate, despite the current cost of living for Americans. For the average person to afford a two-bedroom apartment, he/she would need to earn an hourly wage of $15.37. People without a formal education residing in West Virginia, the least expensive rental state in the country, would have to make at least $8.78 just to live in a rental