Working with People Who are Living in Poverty

1. Working with People Who are Living in Poverty

2. Why do we need to ……. UNDERSTAND POVERTY?

3. Defining Poverty: Generational & Situational“Intergenerational economic inequality” A family living in poverty for two generations or more is considered in generational poverty • In other words, a child who grows up with parents in poverty and lives as an adult in poverty is living in generational poverty • long term poverty necessitates a cultural norms and skills which differ from the norms and skills of middle class. Situational poverty is clearly connected to a major life event such as divorce, death, illness, or a natural disaster that eliminates resources. • Situational poverty is temporary, and individuals in situational poverty probably have more resources to draw on than those in generational poverty. Payne, Ruby (1996). A Framework for Understanding Poverty

4. Poverty in Montana … • 33% of the low income children, 32,305, have at least one parent who works part-time, or part of the year. • 14% (16,530) of the children above low income who live with a single parent. • 47% (46,888) of low income children live with a single parent. National Center for Children in Poverty - nccp.org

5. Poverty in Montana… • Only 11% of children in low income families have unemployed parents or an unemployed parent. • 23% of low income children, 23,689, moved last year as opposed to 9%, or 10,103, of the children in families above low income. • 88%, 8,752, of children with parents who do not have a high school education live in low income families. National Center for Children in Poverty - nccp.org

6. Impacts of Living in Poverty • Children • Average 1.4 years less time in school • 29.7% fewer children living in poverty obtain high school diploma’s (9%) • Young Women • Higher rate of teen births and births without marriage • Higher rate of infant mortality to teen mothers • Young Men • Work approx. 250 hours less per year • Work for approx. $3.63 less per hour Danziger, S., Haveman, R. (2001). Understanding Poverty

7. Impacts of Living in Poverty • Adults • Ongoing stress • Meeting basic needs • Maintaining relationships • Physical Health Challenges • Depression & Anxiety invisibly combined with poverty • Reduced literacy – problems reading/writing • Increased mobility = Decreased stability • Living in poverty may be a norm

8. Not an impact of Poverty(with poverty the only factor) • Children’s cognitive abilities = intelligence “It is not childhood poverty per se but parental disadvantages that are associated with … negative associations between childhood poverty and child outcomes”* Danziger S., Haveman, R. (2001). Understanding Poverty

9. Culture and Cultural Sensitivity… • “the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon man's capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations” • “the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group” Merriam Webster Inc. - www.webster.com

10. What is YOUR culture? • What State or Country are you from? • Regional stereotypes and assumptions • Family Traditions • Spiritual Practices • Household Expectations • Language & Communication • Values • Property ownership; education; community involvement; friends/neighbors …..

11. Does your culture have ….. • A Color • A different language • A different country • A unique history • Power over other cultures How do other people know what is important to you?

12. Different is just different…. • Communication • Problem Solving • Family Relationships & Relative • Owning property & priorities of ownership

13. Working with people who live in poverty with cultural understanding Poverty is generally equated to a lack of financial resources. In reality, there are many other types of resources and increasing any one kind of resource, even a financial increase, does not eliminate poverty. Payne, Ruby (1996). A Framework for Understanding Poverty

14. Resources… • Financial: • Money • It is a middle class cultural value assumption that more money will solve poverty – it is also an assumption that all people who live in poverty want more money. • Emotional: • Resilience, or lack of it, when life is tough • Mental: • Intellectual/cognitive functioning; skills for life Payne, Ruby (1996). A Framework for Understanding Poverty

15. Resources … • Relationships/Role Models: • The people who will support and assist endeavors to get needs met; who care, nurture and support. • Cultural knowledge: • Understanding the communication and behavioral norms of your own group and other types of groups. Payne, Ruby (1996). A Framework for Understanding Poverty

16. Resources… • Spiritual: • A sense of larger purpose/belonging • Physical: • Good health; the ability to get around town • Support Systems: • Friends, family, agencies, community who will respond when needed. Payne, Ruby (1996). A Framework for Understanding Poverty

17. So What? • If you are culturally sensitive, your work will be more effective • You may be frustrated less often when you understand about differences • You will develop better client relationships

18. What to learn about communication… Relationship is the number one priority for people living in poverty – so a lot of decisions are based upon relationship; respect; authenticity • Express appreciation for the story • Ask a lot of clarifying questions Individuals in generational poverty may use the“casual register” of linguistics – 800 words and a lot of facial and body language • Statements may not have a beginning, middle and end Payne, Ruby (1996). A Framework for Understanding Poverty

19. What else to learn…. • Living space for families living in poverty is smaller – • More conflict; more active protection of turf & belongings • Cultural values in poverty may mean – • Unexpected additional financial resources need to be shared with someone in greater need • Unexpected additional need to be spend quickly Payne, Ruby (1996). A Framework for Understanding Poverty

20. Middle Class Assumptions about Problem Solving: The Steps Beginning – Middle - End • The client believes there is a problem • The client has identified the problem • The client is talking about the same problem you are talking about • That the problem has been tended to in detail • That the client is actively planning to deal with the problem in the future Payne, Ruby (1996). A Framework for Understanding Poverty

21. About solving that problem…. Poverty provides daily problem solving practice; there is chaos created by a lack of resources, unplanned, unanticipated problems in poverty due to making due with informal agreements and old used cars; substandard housing etc. Problem Solving Steps: • Step One: Recognition that there is some problem in the environment. • Step Two: A decision about the significance, or meaning of the problem. Who does it impact? What is the impact? How often? What is the importance of making a change to eliminate or address the problem? What are the short/long term implications of the problem? Payne, Ruby (1996). A Framework for Understanding Poverty

22. The final step of problem solving… Step Three: Making a plan, strategy, or an action that will address the problem. CSED cases may require a strategic planning process in response to an identified problem. Payne, Ruby (1996). A Framework for Understanding Poverty

23. What to learn about problem solving… • Poverty requires flexibility, tolerance of factors out of ones control, and daily spontaneity in re-acting to unplanned events. Flexible thinking is the ability to remain constructive and positive even when plans simply don’t work out. Tolerance is the ability to continue to try to plan, even though your individual choices may be limited by environmental or economic factors. Spontaneity is the ability to change a course of action at a moments notice when suddenly, the car won’t start; the neighbor providing day care quits with no notice, you receive an erroneous sanction letter from the office of public assistance; or the food you bought for the week is only going to last for 3 days. Payne, Ruby (1996). A Framework for Understanding Poverty

24. There is a lot of brain function in step 3… • Problem solving requires: • Retrieving data about the problem from memory. • Using the data to predict whether the problem will continue. • Clearly grasping cause and effect, or understanding the consequences of the problem. • Projecting oneself into the future and picturing the results of a planned change. • Weighing pros and cons of a situation internally, to think about it, prior to simply reacting to the problem.

25. These are the big ones ….. • That the client is in control of their daily life • life in poverty in unpredictable, and help is not just a phone call away. • That the client can take the time to grasp abstract concepts and do future planning • Thinking ahead, anticipating what has not happened yet is a complex brain function which requires time, quiet, and concentration. Payne, Ruby (1996) A Framework for Understanding Poverty

26. Understanding those who live in poverty…. • Bibliography • Danziger, Sheldon, Haveman, Robert (2001). Understanding Poverty • National Center for Children in Poverty: website: http://www.nccp.org/ • Payne, Ruby (1996). A Framework for Understanding Poverty

27. Contact Information Dana Toole MSW Montana Legal Services Association 616 Helena Avenue, Suite 100 Helena, MT 59601 dtoole@mtlsa.org 406-442-9830 extension #21