Community must build pathway out of poverty
Irecently heard U. S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson speak in Columbus at the Starting At Home Conference sponsored by the Ohio Housing Finance Agency and Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing and fully agree with him that we need “ladders of opportunity” for people who need it. He said that it is compassionate to provide housing for people in our society who we simply have to take care of, such as the elderly and disabled, but that it is not compassionate to help people who don’t need it. Instead, they need ladders of opportunity. He also said that we need to work across silos for families to have a chance of not living in poverty.
To reach the top of a ladder of opportunity, strong and steady rungs are crucial. Before a person can successfully climb the ladder, however, the benefits cliff must first be addressed.
The benefits cliff is the loss of medical, food, child care, and other benefits which equals more money than a raise from a job. This is a major problem that holds people back. People without a family to rely on rightfully make financial decisions to not lose their safety net. When they do, it’s hard to get back on the ladder of opportunity.
To address the benefitscliff issue and align housing, education, transportation, health care and employment, a U.S. Interagency Council on the Benefits Cliff is required. This is similar to the impactful U. S. Interagency Council on Homelessness created in 1987 during Ronald Reagan’s presidency. Benefits can be designed to reward employment.
As this new council begins, the rungs of the ladder can be addressed to ensure families, like this 10- year- old boy’s family, succeed:
Housing is the first rung of the opportunity ladder. Everyone needs a safe, decent, healthy home. A woman, like this boy’s mom, who works a full-time job, may earn $12 per hour. On an annual income of $25,000, she cannot afford a decent home. Only 25 percent of those eligible receive Section 8 or other housing assistance.
All of the houses in this boy’s neighborhood are old, and many have water leaks, mold, and problematic appliances. His sister has lead poisoning. They risk being evicted if the landlord is notified. Rents are increasing and the family uses half its income for housing costs. His mom cannot afford a healthy home in a safe neighborhood.
High-quality education is the next rung. His mom enrolled him and his sister in the neighborhood lowperforming elementary school. The charter and private schools in the area are also low- performing. After school, he takes care of his sister as there are no free or low-cost programs available. Some kids are able to succeed in public schools that are in high poverty neighborhoods; however, most children in these neighborhoods are not at grade level.
The next rung on the opportunity ladder is access to healthy food. Many families live in food deserts with little access to fresh fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods. This working mother cannot afford to put healthy food on the table, even with food assistance.
The next rung is access to quality health care. The boy’s family is currently enrolled in Medicaid. They have to be really sick to go to the doctor because his mom doesn’t have paid time off. They use emergency rooms as not all doctors accept Medicaid. His sister has lead poisoning as the landlord wasn’t required to test the building for lead. This will have a lasting impact on her life. The boy has asthma and the landlord has not removed the mold or fixed the leaks. If these were fixed, maybe he wouldn’t need medication. His mom knows that it would improve her health and reduce her weight if she went out for walks, but it is not safe.
The next rung on the opportunity ladder is a career path for this family. arson suggested having neighborhood opportunity centers to introduce kids to jobs. This is a good idea but who will pay for it? The boy would like to get a summer job when he’s 16 to begin learning the skills necessary for employment. There are no job opportunities in their neighborhood. Also, many jobs for his mom pay less than $ 15 per hour, or $31,000 per year, which is below the poverty level for a family.
We need to be innovative together and ensure that all families have opportunities and access to quality education, healthy, decent homes in a safe neighborhood, healthy food, and physical and mental health care, so that there truly is a pathway out of poverty. Let’s work together to create the human capital we need for everyone to participate and succeed in our economy.