Families Can't Afford Basics

[Shavelly Then]

Nearly 51 million families don't earn enough money to afford a monthly budget. Monthly budget normally includes housing, food, childcare, healthcare, transportation and a cell phone. According to a study released today May 17, 2018, by the United Way ALICE Project, 43% of households in the United States can't afford a monthly budget. Household's living in poverty is nationwide. States like California, New Mexico, and Hawaii have the largest share of struggling families, at 49% each; North Dakota has the lowest share of struggling families at 32%. This article seemed really important because we have discussed liberty and security throughout this course. We have also seen the ideologies of Republicans and Democrats, and even though Democrats believe that the government should get involved with helping the poor, I believe that the nation and Christians must seek for ways to improve the employment market. So many people are struggling to find a job that pays well, even graduates with bachelors and sometimes even masters struggle to find a job. For this reason, I think that this article reflects the employment problems and it is automatically reflected in families not being able to afford a monthly budget. 

[Sydnee Mulherin]

Thank you for sharing this current event Shavelly!

There is a current issue with poverty within the United States and it does effect a wide breadth of our people. While there are differing opinions on how to deal with such issues in our country, these people are still continuing to suffer. I have been working in a school in Grand Prairie for the past semester and the effects of poverty on the students is very clear. Working in a low socioeconomic environment truly opened my eyes to how much of an issue this problem still remains in our country. The students I was working with were hurting for even the most basic of needs. Many students, because they are lacking in such things, start to misbehave and struggle to keep up with their peers in the classroom. It is clear that this is an issue needing to be addressed somehow within the nation. As Christians, it is very clear that the bible calls us to giver generously and to provide for those who are poor. I think supporting advocacy groups that work to raise money and provide services for families struggling with poverty is such an important course of action. I agree with you that we should continue to support those who are working to provided aid for hurting families. The statistics in this article are very informative and provide a great indication of the economic state for families!

[Lily Barnes]

Wow thank you for sharing all this information and all the great data. I have always heard that its hard to afford living especially with minimum wage but I never knew it was this difficult. I absolute agree that we have to do something to help improve the economy. I know that as for me and my family we like to donate a lot of things to shelter that have programs to help people on their feet. One of which is Dallas Life. They have a a 7 step program that starts with people living in their shelters and ends with them helping people find jobs and set up outside housing. As for us and what we can do I think that going and volunteering at places like this can help spread the word. These non profits gain nothing from the government and rely heavily on donations and volunteers and even though we might not be able to put thousands of dollars in, we can put thousands of hours in and help others.