Social Work and Social WelfarePoverty08/15/2016Kerstin RiseSummaryViews on PovertyDefinition of PovertyPoor AmericasPolitical FactorsAvailable ProgramsLegislation and LawEconomic FactorsPoverty is one of the oldest problems facing this country confronted. Many people are affected by poverty. What makes this situation so controversial is that it seems like nothing has changed over time. Regardless of the programs available, we still struggle with poverty and economic downturn, and things to come don't look any better. The definition of poverty is that household income is inadequate, as judged by a particular standard. However, to better understand, we must first consider what a family is. Is it only blood-related family, such as parents and children, or are older family members included as well? What about roommates or foster children who live in the same household? Income should also be defined based on what constitutes household income. Is it only income from work or should we take into account monetary gifts from employers and the government? Can bartering items or services in exchange for food or money also be considered income? These are all questions we need to define. The U.S. government has offered two definitions of what is considered poor and impoverished. The first term used is that of “relative poverty”. The government says that once family size is adjusted, the poorest third, quarter or fifth are poor. The market basket is the second concept used to measure poverty. Molly Olshansky came up with the idea while calculating the cost of a minimum nutritional diet based on household size. She concluded that one third should be spent on food, and the remaining two thirds should... middle of paper ... fortunately even if we are still not able to extinguish the problem after all. Today more than ever, faced with the progression of terrorism and the unrest plaguing the country, we must work to find better solutions and succeed in relaunching the economy to get rid of the inequalities that we face at the moment. . are still struggling with poverty and even though better programs are available, the stigma associated with poverty causes great concern among those affected by the situation. We must work to get our economy back on track and establish working conditions that allow people to provide for their families. We also need to build a better health system to help people with mental illness get the help they need to escape poverty and homelessness. We must also provide better education to our young people so that they have a chance to flourish and free themselves from poverty..