Poverty is a serious problem in America that effects the well-being of adults and children. Without the means to pay for basic necessities and to provide a stable lifestyle, these Americans live a marginal life. Poverty also tends to happen in circles. If the parents are poor, more than likely the children will be poor, so breaking that cycle by helping the parents can potentially affect generations to follow. The problem of poverty is complex and requires several different methods to fight back.

Aid programs are one way to help reduce poverty, but they are not a long term solution. They are like a band aid that helps the people get through and provide, but don’t help in the long run. People often might become dependent on these types of programs. The federal government and state governments have several aid programs to help poor citizens. The food stamp programs provides money for applicants to spend on food. Section 8 housing helps pay for housing while other programs help with energy assistance. These programs are vital to the well-being of many Americans.

A better long-term solution is to empower poor resident through education. Education can either be directed toward teaching  a new skill like loan and grants given to students that couldn’t otherwise afford to go to school. Or, education programs can be aimed at teaching people about the right way to budget money and how to make the most of money. This type of education is a more feasible way to break the poverty cycle and is a much better long term solution to reducing poverty in this country.

Poverty is a complex problem in America with more than one solution. Two ways to reduce poverty in this country are by providing aid programs to help citizens with immediate needs and by providing educational programs to break the poverty cycle.

Poverty is a huge problem in America and across the glove. Millions of people are too poor to pay for food and proper shelter. People even starve to death because they cannot afford to buy food. Reducing poverty requires a multi-level approach, including education, aid and providing loans.

In the United States, several aid programs are set up to help poor people pay for food, housing and utilities. These programs are almost always federally funded but run the state. The food stamp program gives citizens that qualify based on income money to spend each month at the grocery store, ensuring access to food. Section 8 housing provides a roof over the heads of people at risk for being homeless. Other temporary aid programs usually run by private charities help with immediate needs in this country. Food pantries and food banks give food to people who live in the area. Homeless shelters give homeless people a place to sleep out of harsh weather conditions. This type of aid is necessary to keep Americans from extreme poverty.

While these aid programs keep Americans afloat, they don’t break the cycle of poverty or help someone get out of poverty. It’s important to have educational programs as well that teach citizens a new trade or skill to increase job prospects and that also teach about money managing and budgeting, and running a household on a small budget.

In third world countries, the aid programs are often run by other countries because the home country is too poor to provide these programs. The U.N. has several such programs that provide these countries and citizens with food and refuge camps that give them a place to live, but in tents which isn’t ideal.

Poverty must be addressed by both aid and educational programs. That’s the only way poverty will be reduced and maybe one day no one will go hungry or homeless.