Article on Food Insecurity in Chicago

The name of the article on food insecurity in Chicago is "Reporting From FamilyFarmed: Community Food Insecurity" written by Martha Bayne on March 12, 2010 on the chicagoreader.com website. This article talks about the approximately 600 Bhutanese refugees that have resettled in Chicago. The Bhutanese are dealing with issues of community food security- the access to affordable, nutritious and culturally appropriate food. A woman named Sarah Eichberger is one of the only dieticians in the U.S. who works specifically with refugee communities- she assesses the nutritional needs and risk factors of refugees. As stated in the article, "After 17 years in a refugee camp, living on fixed rations of beans, lentils, oil, salt and grain, new arrivals to the U.S. are often anemic, with depressed immune systems and compound health problems. When they arrive stateside they can quickly develop hypertension and diabetes from an unfamiliar Western diet, and gain weight from a suddenly sedentary lifestyle." It is discussed that refugees are at greater risk at being food insecure because, 1) The language barrier makes it hard to get a job and many refugees are also unaware of additional food benefits they may be eligible for, 2) They may have no idea how to budget, 3) Due to years of harassment in Bhutan, refugees are likely to be mistrustful of government, and 4) They fear that if they ask for help, that they will be arrested. Also said, there is a lack of familiarity with common Western industrial food. Eichberger discovered that a refugee client was using the cans she received from a food pantry to decorate her apartment- she didn't realize the cans actually contained food. To address all their needs and foster connections between the Bhutanese community and their neighbors, Eichberger started two community gardens. The author of the article stated that hearing the gardeners talk about the joy they have gotten from being able to grow fresh fruits and vegetables as they did before they fled Bhutan, was heartwarming. It was stated that the Bhutanese felt that it was so nice that they had food grown by their own hands. They learned that everything they have, they need to share with the family and the community, so they end up sharing everything they grow in the garden. One of the Bhutan refugees stated that the only drawback so far has been adjusting to the restrictions of urban living. It was stated by the same refugee that "In Bhutan, whatever we needed for food in our daily life we would grow ourselves. We only went to the market to buy clothes." At the end of the article it is stated that when she (the same refugee just previously discussed) came to Chicago and went to examine the Heartland Alliance garden, she said, "I saw this very small area and thought, how can we grow anything in this tiny space?"

In "So You Think I Drive a Cadillac?" by Karen Seccombe, food insecurity was discussed on page 122. There is food insecurity and then food insecurity with hunger. Seccombe explains that food insecurity is "defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as households that were uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, enough food for all their members because they had insufficient money or other resources." Food insecurity with hunger is "defined as households that were food insecure to the extent that one or more household members were hungry."

Reflection on "Streetwise"

"Streetwise" did a fabulous job at portraying the lives of teens who are living on the streets of Seattle and their struggle to survive. Many of the teens discussed in the film had either no families around or were runaways, and the film showed how these people tried to survive on their own without any resources. The film dealt with issues such as begging for food and/or money, prostitution, theft, drugs and suicide. The teens discussed in the movie wanted the same kind of things out of life that we all do: a nice house, a T.V, a car, etc; however, they had to deal with the very little that they had. Out of all the characters in the movie, Dewayne's situation had the largest effect on me. Dewayne's father was in prison and his mother abandoned him, which left him a victim of the streets which was beyond his control considering he was only sixteen years old. He slept in abandoned homes if it was possible, otherwise he had to resort to sleeping on the streets. The film showed Dewayne visiting his father in prison. He seemed to be soft spoken with his father and the father did most of the talking. His dad told him to stay out of trouble otherwise he was going to live a life like himself. He was telling him he was going to be out soon and was trying to talk sense into him to be good so he won't have to experience jail and follow in his footsteps. Overall, Dewayne dealt with false promises, trust issues (because his mother abandoned him), family issues (because his mom was gone and his dad was in prison), and insecurity (he didn't know each day how and/or if he was going to eat nor where he was going to sleep). Dewayne ended up committing suicide in a juvenile detention center by hanging himself the day before his 17th birthday and just before he was going to be released. He couldn't take being back on the streets. It was really sad to see that only a handful of people attended his funeral with two people being his dad's guards from prison. The father was distraught because of his failure to properly raise his son. His father sat by his coffin and apologized to him for not being able to take a part in his life.

Although this film was sad and difficult to watch at certain moments, it did a great job at showing the viewer the harsh realities that occur while living on the streets. These people were not even adults, they were teens who were out there trying to cope and survive taking one day at a time. For people who have no idea what it's really like to be a homeless youth, "Streetwise" would be the perfect film to watch as it was so real. My heart goes out to each and every one of the characters in the film, as what they go through on a daily basis are things that the vast majority of us can not even conceive of happening to us. The truth, however, is that this is a reality that occurs on many of the streets of big cities throughout our country and we all need to be more aware of this.

Ehrenreich Text

I am going to discuss Ehrenreich's experience in Key West, FL working as a waitress. Her first waitressing job was at a place called "The Hearthside" where she worked for two weeks from 2:00-10:00 pm for $2.43 an hour plus tips. She goes into much detail about what it was like for her working in this kind of industry. She mentions on page 17 that that a third of a server's job is "side work" which includes sweeping, scrubbing, slicing, refilling, and restocking. "Managers can sit- for hours at a time if they want- but it's their job to see that no one else ever does, even when there's nothing to do, and this is why, for servers, slow times can be as exhausting as rushes. You start dragging out each little chore because if the manager on duty catches you in an idle moment he will give you something far nastier to do" (pg. 22). Ehrenreich explains that the restaurant has something called the "break room." This is where the employees put their bags and clothes and take half-hour breaks. She continues to explain that taking a half-hour break in the break room is not a right and it can be taken away. Also, the lockers in the room can be searched at any time which can make any person hesitant to leave their belongings in there. Ehrenreich states that she hasn't been treated the way she has been at The Hearthside- she has to line up in the corrider, is threated with locker searches, and is peppered with carelessly aimed accusations. She states that the other problem in addition to the management, is that the job shows no sign of being financially viable. She adds that housing is the major disruption in everyone's life at her job. The Hearthside's health insurance plan kicks in only after three months and until then, you have to go without routine care or prescription drugs and end up paying the price. She then discusses that she sometimes leaves work with only $20 in tips. Servers share 15% of their tips with the busboys and bartendenders, and therefore, with wages included, they make about the minimum wage of $5.15 an hour.

Ehrenrich then explains taking on a second job at another restaurant called "Jerry's." At Jerry's there is no break room because there are no breaks. She states that for six to eight hours in a row, you never sit unless you have to go to the bathroom. "I start out with the beautiful, heroic idea of handling two jobs at once, and for two days I almost do it: working the breakfast/lunch shift at Jerry's from 8:00 till 2:00, arriving at The Hearthside a few minutes late, at 2:10, and attempting to hold out until 10:00. In the few minutes I have between jobs, I pick up a spicy chicken sandwich at the Wendy's drive-through window, gobble it down in the car, and change from khaki slacks to black, from Hawaiian to rust-colored polo" (pg. 32). She talks about one time she was left $1 on a $92 bill and that some leave no tip at all if one little thing goes wrong that is not even her fault. The tips average only 10 percent at Jerry's with the base pay of $2.15 an hour. With the obligation to share tips with the busboys dishwashers, she says they average about $7.50 an hour.

At The Hearthside Ehrenreich made about $5.15 an hour and at Jerry's made about $7.50an hour. According to the Poverty in America website, the Living Wage calculator calculated that for one adult living in Key West, FL the living wage is $9.70. The poverty wage is $5.04 and the minimum wage is $7.25. So while Ehrenrich was working at the Hearthside she was making well below minimum wage and close to the povery wage, while at Jerry's she was making just above the minimum wage.

Action Project

I am in group number one for my Action Project with Franca, Miguel and Clarence. The agency in which we volunteered through was called the Grace House and was done on March 19, 2010. What the Grace House and our group did was complete a fundraiser in which we first all distributed brochures to families, friends, peers, etc. to provide them with the option to purchase lunch and/or dinner with different food items at different prices. This was done before the actual date of the fundraiser (March 19th) so once the day came, we knew who ordered what, where they were located, and how much of the different foods needed to be prepared.

On the morning of March 19th, Miguel and I met eachother at 8:00 am at Northeastern to drive downtown together, which is where the Grace House is located. We stopped at Jewel on the way to purchase plastic containers, sodas, plastic silverware, plates and napkins to help with the preperation of the fundraiser. Once we got there we were all given different orders we had to organize and drop off. The order sheets informed us of how many lunches in total were ordered and which specific items we needed to box up. We were responsible for making sure each order had the exact meals specified on the sheet and organizing everything into large boxes (as some orders had 12-15 meals that needed to be delivered). After getting together all the orders, we then drove to the different locations to drop them off with each of us having one of the women who live in the Grace House to ride with us to help with directions. Once we got to the specific places, we asked for the person who called in the orders and collected the money they owed for their food. After this was all done, we returned back to the Grace House. At this point I personally had no more orders to box up and drop off, so I helped others with preparing theirs. Along with this, I helped the women who were in charge of making the food to clean everything up for the start of dinner. This process lasted until 5:30 pm.

All the money that was made from this fundraiser was given to support the SOS Children Village of Haiti. In the end we ended up raising about $2,500 which I feel will greatly help the people of Haiti. This was an extremely fulfilling experience and I can't describe the joy I had knowing that I was going to make a difference in these people's lives.

Amber's Blog Critique

I read Amber's blog titled "Homelessness and Poverty" on April 8, 2010. First, I loved the colors used in this blog: there were different shades of pink on a white background. Again, the use of these colors made the information on her blog really stand out. She used a video bar which portrayed four different pictures of poverty, a few other pictures relating to the topic throughout the blog, as well as a calander at the top of the page. I thought the calender idea was original, however, i'm not sure as to how it relates to poverty and homelessness. For me, it still did add to the blog's creativeness. The first picture when you look at her blog was of an emaciated (to say the least) African American child. Under this picture Amber wrote some words of her own to get the reader to think about how many of us take food for granted in this country. Along with this, she discusses an article titled "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" which states that we waste 96 billion pounds of edible food on a yearly basis. This shows how much food is really wasted in today's society if this information is correct. I always wonder, for example, what restaurants do when the day is over and they have a large quantity of food left over. Do they save it for the next day? Do they donate it? Or do they throw it out? I'm sure each place does something different, however, it should be a much more common practice to donate all this extra food as opposed to throwing it out when we have people who are literally starving on our streets. Overall, I really liked the layout of Amber's blog, as I feel it was different from many of the others I have seen.

Franca's Blog Critique

I read Franca's blog which is titled "Hunger and Homelessness" on April 7,2010. The first thing I noticed about her blog was the picture with the hungry child looking for food in a refrigerator that didn't have much. The picture made it obvious that this was in a run-down home. I think this picture portrays hunger really creatively. Anyone, at least myself, who sees a young child looking for food when there's nothing to choose from, as in this picture, will realize how prevelent hunger and homelessness really is and how it even affects our country's children. It's sad that innocent children are victims to this social problem considering they have no control over their lives at a young age. I also feel Franca did a great job at describing the Action Project we all took part in. Reading her experience reminded me of mine, as we were both there together. It was nice to be able to take part in something as rewarding as our fundraiser was, as I know the work we did will greatly help the orphans of Haiti. I liked her white background with the green writing as it made everything stand out as opposed to blend in. It was easy to find and read each of her blog posts. Lastly, I loved that she posted different pictures throughout her blog that portrayed different ideas of hunger and homelessness. It helped me, and i'm sure it will help others, to get a real feel of how drastic this issue really is.

Seccombe Ch. 5- "Day-to-Day Living and Decision Making"

Seccombe claims that living and surviving on welfare touches all aspects of a person's life, not just the economic realm. After reading the chapter, I absolutely agree with this statement as Seccombe does a great job at providing the reader with numerous examples to support her point. This chapter started out by explaining to the reader that a group of Florida legislators and state policymakers voluntarily signed up to be paired with a welfare recipient for one month to see what it's like to walk in their shoes. Although Seccombe gave these legislators and policymakers credit for attempting to understand the daily experience of welfare recipients, she still said that their experience should not be confused with the actual realities of welfare assistance, because these legislatures and policymakers knew there was an end point to where they would be able to go home. There was a light at the end of a tunnel for them, which is not quite the case for actual welfare recipients. The rest of the chapter discusses the many impacts that welfare has on a person's life.

Seccombe states that the recipients clothes come from thrift shops and garage sales, that their cars are old and in disrepair, and dinners out are likely to be monthly excursions to a fast-food restaurant. Right here one can see that being on welfare affects the way one dresses, their method of transportation and the types of food they eat that they consider to be a "treat." Also discussed was a woman named Jana who takes no vacations, no shopping trips to the mall, and rarely goes to a movie or out to dinner. Due to her lack of money, Jana can't hire a babysitter for her children so she therefore has to stay home day after day to care for them all on her own with no breaks since she's a single parent. In this example, welfare greatly affects Jana's personal life or lack therof. "It is not easy to pay bills on time, to put food on the table, to pay for childcare, to nurse sick children, to find a job, and to locate donations and charities to help benefits stretch throughout the month" (pg. 112). Many poor people on welfare live in substandard housing which according to Seccombe, poses a potential threat to their health and safety as they must live in damp, dirty, crowded, dangerous, and disease-ridden conditions that may lack proper cooking or sanitation facilities (pg. 113). There is also a stigma attached to welfare that the recipients have to deal with on a daily basis which can have an effect on their self-esteem and self-worth. Seccombe discusses on page 117 that data from the 2003 Cobsumer Expenditure Survey found that poor households spend approximately three-quarters of their income on three items: housing, food, and transportation. It is also stated that women on welfare are most commonly without cars, telephones, washing machines, and clothing dryers which are things most Americans see as routine household appliances. There are also the issues that surround the holiday's such as Christmas or birthdays that Seccombe explains. "Poor children are not isolated from the consumerism that surrounds holidays. They are bombarded with commercials on television for expensive toys; they see their peers wearing expensive clothing and shoes at school; and they are frusterated by opportunities that are seemingly unavailable to them" (pg. 119). Additionally discussed was the issue that poor households do not have sufficient funds to buy nutritious foods. Healthy foods cost more money, therefore, welfare recipients buy food that is not nearly as healthy because it is cheaper and they can buy more of it. This can obviously affect one's health. Seccombe explains that the many concerns that face those on welfare causes recipients to be more depressed, and to suffer from more psychological distress than do others. Adolescent mothers were said to be particularly at risk for stress, depression, and psychological distress because the teenage years are difficult as it is, without the added responsibility of motherhood (pg. 125). "The poor experience a cultural dissonance. They are painfully aware of the American dream, which is laden with heavy consumerism, and fueled by cash or credit. However, they are disconnected from it" (pg. 127). Also, low-income areas are less likely to offer after-school programs for children and teens and according to Seccombe, poor families are less able to afford the costs associated with extracurricular activities, such as uniforms, or dues (pg. 129). This can also have an affect on one's personal life and socialization process. Seccombe ends the chapter by stating "Like other studies, I found that poor women and welfare recipients often share conventional, mainstream aspirations, yet harsh economic realities impinge upon their abilities to meet these conventional goals" (pg. 131).

Seccombe Ch. 4: The Welfare System Breeds Dependence on Itself

In chapter 4 Seccombe discusses the issue that the welfare system breeds "dependence" on the system. She argued that most of the women who expressed concerns with the welfare system did not say that it made recipients lazy, but that the system had "built-in incentives or penalties for work" (pg. 95). Being on welfare provides these women with some critically needed benefits that they would lose if they started to work. The issue is that these women on welfare, when looking for work, have limited options and would have to settle for working minimum-wage jobs that lack the benefits they receive through the welfare system. According to Seccombe, choosing to work a minimum-wage job with no benefits instead of being on the welfare system would jeapordize the health and well-being of the recipients and their children. From Seccombe's interviews, she states that without continued assistance with health insurance, childcare, transportation, food stamps and subsidized housing, working becomes prohibitive and sometimes dangerous (pg. 96). "They expressed frusteration that the welfare system, as currently structured, actually discourages them from working by raising their rent, eliminating Medicaid, and cutting them off from needed social services before they had a chance to establish themselves" (pg. 96). Seccombe also points out that both white and African American women talked about wanting to work, but felt if they did so it would reduce their already tight standard of living. They also felt that if they got a job they would be placing their children at risk because it would eliminate and/or reduce their eligibility for critical medical and social services. These women want more than anything for the welfare system to change so they won't be cut off from critically needed services, at least temporarily, while they start to get their life together by working.

I agree with Seccombe on the issue that the welfare system breeds dependence on the system. I don't know how we expect people to survive if they are cut off from critically needed services that the welfare system provides once they find a job, which for the most part are minimum-wage jobs. As we all know, minimum-wage jobs offer little to no benefits while the welfare system provides recipients with the basic critical services they need. People sit there and call those who are on welfare lazy individuals who don't work; however, there is a reason why many recipients do not work. It is not because they are lazy or that they simply don't feel like working, it's that they need to continue to receive Medicaid, subsidized housing, food stamps, etc. that they would stop receiving once they got a job. The jobs they find, however, are minimum-wage one's that do not offer the services that the welfare system provides. If a person had a choice to either live on welfare and receive the little money and services/benefits they do, or to live off a minimum-wage job offering no benefits at all, I strongly feel that there would not be a single person who would choose the option to work a minimum-wage job with no benefits or services. Our society needs to understand that many welfare recipients are unemployed because they need to continue to receive welfare to get as much help as possible. It is not right to call these people lazy or unmotivated because that is not the case. The case is that they have no choice or option to do otherwise. With this being said, I agree with Seccombe that the welfare system breeds dependence on itself.

Emilio's Blog Critique

The second blog I chose to critique was titled "Hunger and Homelessness" by Emilio B on March 18, 2010. The first thing I noticed was the black background which made everything on the page stick out. Also, I loved the quote he had put on the top of the page by Mother Theresa as it greatly relates to the topic of homelessness. His YouTube video titled "A Day in the Life of the Homeless" seemed to portray what homelessness and poverty is really like. It felt so real. There was a part in the video where a homeless man who lives under a bridge was saying he was scared of the guy who was taping the video. This was interesting because one would think it would have been the man taping the video who would be scared considering he was not in his own territory and that the homeless man would have felt more comfortable because he was in his familiar surroundings. The video showed men, women and children with real people telling their difficult stories as to how they got to where they are. It was an emotional video and at the end it was said that one of the homeless men who told their story was arrested for salvaging scrap metal that was found on the street. This shows reality which in this case is that the homeless are treated extremely unfair. There are many more pressing issues in which the police should be arresting people for instead of for collecting scrap metal. Additionally, Emilio had pictures of homeless people on his blog which really adds to the topic of homelessness. His page is not just filled with posts but also with pictures and videos which made it more interesting.

Lastly, Emilio's post on Seccombe ch.2 on Individualism is what I also chose to discuss on my blog. I had a different opinion on the discussion of Individualism in the text. I feel I more agreed with Seccombe than he did. He said motivation is extremely important when trying to get out of poverty and that the individual should be the first to act in finding means of improving their situation. He also said that unfortunately many lack this motivation and become accepting of their living conditions no matter how poor they are. I disagree with this. It's not about how motivated they are or aren't nor do I feel they become accepting of their situation. They are stuck in between a rock and a hard place because many times there is nothing they can do to get themselves out of poverty. It is because of the way our society is socially and economically structured which is why the poor become more poor and the rich become more rich. We treat the homeless as a burden when they should be a priority. Given their situation, I feel motivation has little to do with improving their problem.

Claudia's Blog Critique

The first blog I chose to Critique was titled "Hunger and Homelessness in America 2010" by Claudia C on March 18, 2010. The first thing that caught my eye when viewing Claudia's blog was her color combination. The title's of the posts are in a pastel green on top of a dark blue background with the posts being in white. Everything sticks out and is easy to read. The next thing that caught my attention is that she writes really well and gives thorough detail to each post she writes. I had no questions after reading what she wrote, as I feel she covered all the important points in regards to her topics. When she critiqued two of her classmate's blogs, she was honest and it was apparent she entirely read each one. She gave good advice and offered opinions in which I would agree with. For example, when she critiqued Clarence's blog she stated, "The minority population often lack quality education which leads to becoming socially and economically disadvantaged resulting in poverty." I could not agree with this comment more as I feel a quality education is one of the most vital necessities in life.
Claudia and her city group also had a great idea for their action project which is to observe and volunteer at the San Jose Obrero Mission Shelter which is a place that provides shelter to the homeless. Claudia seems to be very dedicated to volunteering for this shelter as she said she was going to visit homes in her neighborhood and ask for clothing donations. This is very thoughtful and shows she's willing to take that extra step to help out the homeless which is above and beyond what the action project asks for. Lastly, when explaining the poverty issues in St. Paul, Minnesota she states that there are 9,200 people without a home and that there is an 18.90% of unmet needs. This caught my attention because for the city of Boston (my city) I found that there were about 6,000 people without a home and that the percentage of unmet needs was about 20%. Although Boston had a higher percentage of unmet needs, it has a much lower number of people who are homeless. It was interesting to see how prevalent homelessness is in other cities, besides Boston. I thought 6,000 homeless people was a high number; however, I now see that poverty affects each city in its own way and some are worse off than others. It is of importance, in my opinion, to understand that homelessness occurs in all cities throughout our country.

Seccombe Ch.3- My Position on the Issue of Denial

I agree that all the forms of denial that Seccombe discusses exists upon welfare recipients. Not all recipients manage the stigma in the same way when using the denial strategy. Some women deny encounters of negative attidues towards them, some women suggest that people had been especially nice to them, some women seemed unaware of the stigma attached to welfare recipients, and other women avoided the stigma by avoiding people or places where stigma is likely to be encountered. Each woman manages the stigma in their own way which works best for them. They don't want to make themselves appear to be a victim of poverty to others. They just want to be treated in the same manner everyone else is treated. They don't want people staring and talking about them as they see them paying for groceries with food stamps. Due to all of this, they figure out the ways, which was already discussed, to prevent the stigma from further affecting their lives. The denial strategy entails that the women avoid and/or ignore the truth, which is the stigma attached to welfare. If this strategy helps them to feel more at ease with their given situation, then so be it. Although denial has to do with not facing reality, most of these women know the truth and reality about the stigma attached to welfare. Being in denial is a strategy that helps them cope with the problem.

Seccombe Ch. 3- One of Her Contentions

In Chapter 3 there is a section titled 'Managing Stigma' where Seccombe explains that many welfare recipients try to hide from others that they are receiving welfare because of the stigma that is attached to it. It is said that it is easy to hide it in some contexts, such as with friends or family; however, it's difficult in other contexts, such as in grocery stores when using food stamps. Seccombe states that there are four primary strategies for coping with the stigma attached to using welfare: denial, distancing themselves from other women who used welfare, blaming external forces and denying that using welfare was their fault, and extolling the importance of motherhood. This post is going to discuss more thoroughly the first strategy of denial.
It is stated that some women who receive welfare denied that they had encountered negative attitudes against them. Seccombe explains that denying that negative attitudes have occured prevents these women from feeling bad, guilty or embarassed. Seccombe also states that several women suggested that people had been especially kind to them when they revealed they were on welfare; however, this is not the case for everyone. In another important form of denial a few women seemed genuinely unaware of the stigma attached to welfare recipients. This is because they rarely interacted with people who weren't receiveing welfare (pg. 65). "These women likely lived in one of the several large housing projects, they associated primarily with other women who recieve welfare, and they shopped at the neighborhood store which is considered "user friendly" to welfare recipients...." (pg. 65). Also discussed was that a few women successfully avoided the stigma associated with welfare by avoiding people and/or places where they would be likely to encounter the stigma. Seccombe explains that welfare use may be viewed as something that is common to a small number of women. This is said to give the "general public the exaggerated and false notion, a racialized one, that the majority of welfare recipients live within a seperate subculture, with values that are at odds with those of hardworking Americans" (pg.65).

Seccombe Ch.2- My position on the issue of Individualism

I agree with Seccombe in everything she was saying on Individualism as it relates to gender, poverty and welfare. The concept of Individualism, as Seccombe mentioned, is an excuse for our country as to why the poor stay poor. It is claimed that we all have equal opportunity but that is far from the truth. The way our society is structured advantages some people at the expense of disadvantaging the rest. I agree that gender plays an important part in the whole notion of Individualism. It is not fair/right to say that a woman who is on welfare with two children is in that position because they are lazy and unmotivated, because the truth has nothing to do with laziness and motivation, it has to do with the fact that the woman's first priority is to care for her children which is in itself a full-time job. I say this because it is known and Seccombe mentions it as well, that woman with dependent children make up the vast majority of those who are on welfare. These women do not have the time to work a paying full-time job or the ability to go to school full-time because taking care of the children is of the upmost importance. Anyone who would say that taking care of a child does not require that much time or that taking care of a child should take back seat to attend school and/or work, does not understand what it is like to be a single parent trying to take care of their children as successfully as possible. Childrearing is a full-time job and that needs to be understood by more people.

Seccombe Ch.2- One of Her Contentions

Seccombe's section on 'Explanations of Poverty and Welfare Use" as it relates to the notion of Individualism, is what this post is going to focus on. Four explanations were discussed in this section: Individualism, Social Structuralism, Culture of Poverty and Fatalism. Seccombe's contention in this section is to provide a "fresh perspective by acknowledging the ways in which gender interacts with our explanations of social inequality, poverty, and welfare use" (pg.44). Although gender plays a role in each of the four explanations, I am going to thoroughly discuss the explanation of Individualism. Seccombe explains that Individualism suggests that individuals are responsible for their economic position in society and that opportunities are available to all of us who are willing to work hard and are motivated (pg. 45). It is thought from this perspective that all individuals have an equal opportunity to acquire the necessary skills and traits to move up the economic ladder, and that for the people who are in poverty or on welfare, it is their fault because they are too lazy and unmotivated. As Seccombe states, this perspective is reflected in our country's response to the poor. It's their scapegoat and their excuse as to why the poor stay poor. At the end of this section Seccombe explains how Individualism and gender are inter-related. She says that we are ignoring the critical social fact that the vast majority of welfare recipients are unmarried women with dependent children. "Given their daily parental responsibilities, tasks, and time constraints, they do not have the same opportunities to pull themselves up by their bootstraps as do other adults who are without children" (pg. 46). Seccombe says that to ignore the emotional and time commitment involved in taking care of dependent children, and to fail to recognize the ways in which caretaking can inhibit women's ability for social mobility, is to ignore the reality of many women's existence (pg. 46). In short, gender interacts with the idea of Individualism because many people fail to recognize that many people who are on welfare are women with children who need to be taken care of.

Action Project Details

I am in group #1 with Miguel, Franca and Clarence. For our action project we are going to be volunteering with Grace House which is a program that provides housing, emotional/spiritual support and professional counseling to women who are exiting the Illinois correction system. The women of Grace House have chosen to support the SOS Children's Village of Haiti by putting together a fundraiser which will take place on March 19, 2010 and will offer the public the option to order meals for lunch, dinner or both. The money the people spend on the food is what is going to be donated to the children's village. The SOS Children's Village is an independent non-governmental social development organization in which people work in countries and communities to help contribute to their development. This organization is active in 132 countries and territories worldwide. We are going to distribute a brochure to people explaining this fundraiser in great detail, which will hopefully encourage them to want to participate so Grace House can raise as much money as possible to help the children in Haiti.

Boston's Comprehensive Services- Poverty in the City Presentation- Part II

Because Boston did not provide enough/better/more comprehensive services in the city to help homelessness, the number of people experiencing homelessness increased four percent over the last year. Also, many families have lost their owned or rented housing through foreclosure. It seems as if the city allowed the homelessness problem to get as bad as it did before action started to take place. If action to prevent homelessness was in place from the beginning, Boston's homelessness problem may have not been as bad as it has been in recent times.
In response to Boston's increasing homelessness problem, the city launched a ten year plan to end homelessness, called 'Leading the Way Home', in early 2009. According to the Mayor's report, to reduce homelessness, city officials cite the need for more permanent supportive housing for persons with disabilities, more mainstream subsidized housing, and an increase in the number of high paying employment opportunities. It is also stated that city officials continue to seek new means for preventing homelessness; however, it is important to note that it still exists in high numbers and there are still many people who are living on the streets with nowhere to go.

BOSTON- Poverty in the city presentation- Part 1

The Mayor's Report for Boston, MA reported that the 2001 census counted 6,000 homeless people, including about 2,000 families. The report additionally explained that the number of people experiencing homelessness in Boston increased four percent over the last year, but with a decrease in street homelessness resulting from targeting housing efforts.
According to the www.mahomeless.org website, there are thirteen different individual shelters in the Boston, MA area. Some of the shelters cater only to men, some cater only to women and some to both men and women. Out of the thirteen shelters reported, there are 323 beds available for either men or women, 258 beds available for women only and 1,209 beds available for men only.
The Mayor's Report noted that 20.40% of people live below the poverty line meaning that their income does not cover their necessities.

YouTube Video- Drug Addicts "Poverty in Chicago"

"Child Poverty Over 30% in Chicago, As Recession Cripples Families" from the Huffington Post on February 16, 2010

This article on the Huffington Post discusses the problematic statistics on child poverty. It was said that nearly a third of Chicago’s children live below the poverty line. Knowing that this many children are living in poverty is tragic, as it is obvious these children are not able to live their life as a “typical child.” They may not be able to get the same toys as their friends; they may not be able to wear their choice of clothing; they may not be able to choose what kind of food they want to eat; they may be being raised in a poverty-struck neighborhood surrounded by other’s who are living in the same conditions as themselves, and so on. All of these issues can greatly affect a child’s well-being.

As stated in the article, over 500,000 children in Illinois were living in poverty and almost 250,000 were living in deep poverty. It is said that this adds up to 1 in 5 Illinois children who live in poverty. Rockford, has a 34% child poverty rate compared to 31% in Chicago. All of these poor innocent children are living day-to-day hoping to just get fed. .”

The article discussed a term called ‘asset poverty’ which is when a person or family doesn’t have enough assets to survive for 12 weeks without income. More than half of single mothers with children at home live in asset poverty in Illinois and jobs are still disappearing.

This is all made worse by Illinois’ budget crisis. The article explains that the state’s deficit is equal to more than half its operating budget. Due to this, Governor Pat Quinn proposed an income tax increase of roughly 50%. It was said that if the state does not do this tax increase then they are going to have to cut vital state services and programs which will create even more harsh experiences for those people and children living in poverty in Illinois.

My Opinion on Succombe Ch.1- "Critical and Feminist Frameworks"

I agree with Succombe's point of view on pretty much everything she discussed in this section of the chapter. All the issues that feminism brings to light, can not go ignored and there needs to be more of a worldwide understanding of what feminism and the feminist movement really stands for. Gender plays a big part in one's life experiences which should not be the case; however, our society continues to play into and reproduce the social structure in which males are the advantaged population. Many people do not realize this due to a lack of education on this issue, and I feel it is of great importance for all the people who do understand this problem to start spreading their knowledge. The more people who understand the underlying issues associated with gender, the more they will be able to be conscious of it in their own lives, which will hopefully increase their awareness on just how controversial this issue really is.

I also now understand and agree with Succombe when she says welfare is a women's issue. There are obviously also men who are on welfare, but the majority are women, and the reasons she gave makes complete sense. The first reason supporting this is that the vast majority of people who are on welfare live in a single parent household. The mothers are the one's who primarily have custody and raise their children; therefore, women are the one's who make up the vast majority of single parent households. The next reason was that many women are simply one man away or one crisis away from welfare. Many women who are on welfare were at one point in their lives well-off, or at least comfortable; however, for example, if a marriage ends up in a divorce, and the woman did not work during the time she was married, she would now be in a very tough financial situation leaving no other option but to go on welfare to support herself.

The bottom line is that we live in a patriarchal society where male dominance is supported by the way our society is structured. The lives of men compared to the lives of women are two completely different experiences that work to advantage males while disadvantaging females. The truth is that gender really does shape our life experiences which it shouldn't. Succombe's contentions in this section of the chapter discussed these extremely unfortunate situations, which should not exist. But it is books and information like this that needs to be spread-out to others in order for any change in regards to the life experiences of women compared to that of men, to change.

Seccombe Ch.1- "Critical and Feminist Frameworks"- What Her Contentions Are and How She Supports This

In the section titled "Critical and Feminist Frameworks" in chapter one, Seccombe makes it clear that her goal is to help us better understand the lives of poor women who are on welfare by providing critical and feminist frameworks to understand their experiences. She continues by explaining that in order to achieve this goal, we need to examine the assumptions, values, and ideologies that are used to justify our attitudes toward these women.

Seccombe brings up an important truth in regards to our society that more people need to be aware of. The way our society is structured makes it seem "normal," to people who are not aware, that social and political arrangements mostly favor the dominant or elite group in society. For people who are not educated on topics such as this, see existing arrangements as reflecting the best interests of all members in society- both rich and poor. Seccombe explains that members in our society internalize these arrangements, which reproduces the status quo, and makes the ideologies become common sense and have shared meanings.

Seccombe states that her ultimate purpose is to reconstuct knowledge designed to empower women and challenge the status quo, which is what feminist research focuses on achieving. She additionally states that she wants to sensitize people to the reality of women's lives. Seccombe explains that research for women emphasizes the importance of context, social processes, and subjective experience.

Also of importance, Seccombe suggests that welfare is a women's issue for two reasons: 1) Only a small percentage of households that recieve cash assistance contain two parents, and most single parent households consist of women; And 2)women are simply one man away or one crisis away from welfare themselves.

Seccombe argues that women face challenges in the gendered workplace. Examples include lower wages for work of comparable worth, occupational segregation, and unequal returns on education. She says that these are the ties that bind women together whether they recognize it or not. Seccombe emphasizes the fact that women's status' are shaped by social, historical, and cultural surroundings that influence the ways in which women experience, interpret, and construct their reality. The bottom line of her argument is that we live in a patriarchal society where male dominance is maintained and supported through law, religion, culture, and societal norms.

Reflection on Chicago Coalition Presentation

The speakers of the Chicago Coalition discussed an issue in regards to the homeless that can have a negative impact on their ability to move themselves out of extreme poverty. The issue was that important projects, geared toward helping the homeless, have been cut due to the city's budget crisis. I feel there is something really wrong with our economy when projects are being cut for the most vulnerable population in America.

The two speakers, Stephanie and Jose, who at one point were both homeless, were two examples of many who had a story to tell. To work your way up from being homeless, I can only imagine, is an extremely difficult process for many, as they are not likely to have the proper knowledge, guidance and resources to do otherwise. It is this homeless population that is in the most need. Instead of helping, our city made budget cuts due to the budget crisis, on programs that were used to successfully help this population in one way or another. Why our most vulnerable population? These are the people who have been to hell and back and it was decided to cut programs which had the potential to assist these individuals in a positive direction. The only thing that makes sense to me is that the programs for the homeless were seen as unimportant to give money to when we are in a budget crisis, as the homeless people are viewed by many to be a "burden to society."

The three programs discussed that were cut were: Homeless education, homeless youth programs and homeless prevention. I really feel that by getting rid of these programs is like throwing the homeless down into the tubes. They would get no education, there would be no youth programs which could possibly help to prevent one from living a life of crime, and there would be no homeless prevention. Cutting these significant programs is only going to cause this population to reproduce and increase in numbers. These are the people we need to focus on helping out, not the one's who refer to this severe problem as being of unimportance.

What the Legal Definition of Poverty Should Be

The legal definition of poverty should be that it is a state of living in which a person or people are not able to afford the necessary, needed and vital resources in order to survive, succeed and advance in their lives. Education, health care, food and shelter are a few of the most important needed necessities in which everyone needs to have in order to live a comfortable and healthy lifestyle.

My Personal Definition of Poverty

My personal definition of poverty is difficult to sum up into one sentence. I think poverty means that an individual(s)lives below the given poverty level for their specific state. Additionally, in my opinion, to live in poverty means the person is living without the basic means to survive under normal conditions, such as, education, a home, food, health care and so on. If one does not have the income to be able to obtain the necessary resources for survival, for themselves and their family, is what the definition of poverty means to me.

Poverty Level in Illinois

The poverty level in Illinois is different depending on the number of people living in a single household. As reported on the illinoislegalaid.org website, For one person, the poverty level is an annual income of $10,830.00 or less. For two people, the level is a combined annual income of $14,570. For three people, it is $18,310.00 and for four people it is $22,050.00, and so on. The website gives you the poverty level for households consisting of up to 10 people.

As reported on city-data.com, residents in chicago living below the poverty level was 20.5% in 2007 and 11.9% for the state as a whole. It is stated that residents in Chicago with incomes below 50% of the poverty level in 2007, was at 9.1%. As for the whole state it was at 5.3%. Poor male residents in Chicago consisted mostly of those under the age of 5 up until 18 years of age. This shows that at this time, poor males were mostly children and adolescents. As for female residents, the percentages were more scattered; however, like the poor males, the poor females also consisted of those under 5 years of age up until 18 years of age. The highest percentage for males were between the ages of 12-14 years old, and for females, 6-11 years old.

Poverty and Homelessness in Boston, MA

For the City presentation, my group was assigned to the city Boston. I focused on the Affordable Housing aspect of the Homelessness issues that are present in Boston, which is what I will discuss during the presentation. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the information I found in regards to this topic. Boston's Mayor, Thomas M. Menino, and his administration has focused on housing as a top priority since January 1999. The mission of the Department of Neighborhood Development (DND)is to make Boston the most livable city in the nation by working with communities to build strong neighborhoods through the strategic investment of public resources. DND uses these resources to support a homeless housing strategy that starts with homelessness prevention, continues to emergency shelter, then transitional housing and ends with permanent and supportive housing.

Boston has many programs aimed to help the homeless. Some important ones include, but are not limited to: 1) “Homeless Set-Aside”- in which part of the housing in Boston is set aside for the homeless. 2) “Housing Development for the Homeless”- with this, DND creates or rehabs entire buildings for the homeless. 3) “Leading the Way III”- which makes providing for the homeless an integral part of the city’s housing strategy. “Leading the Way” and “Leading the Way II” has led to the “Leading the Way III” campaign which is still in the works today. - All three of the “Leading the Way” campaigns were/are the most important forces which helped prevent and decrease homelessness in the city. During my presentation, I will give a more in-depth explanation as to how the three "Leading the Way" campaigns have been and still are successful in an attempt to end homelessness in Boston.

"Chicago homeless crisis worsens with budget cuts, mass forclosures" by Kristina Betinis from the World Socialist Web Site on December 21, 2009

This article states that the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) estimates that 21,000 people are on the streets on a given night. The Chicago Tribune recently reported that less than a quarter spend the night in a shelter and that nearly half of the homeless population is under the age of 22. The author explains that the city shelters are overcrowded and dangerous and that in a weeks time, hundreds of people can be turned away for lack of beds in Chicago. Many homeless people seeking services approach emergency shelters only as a last resort. Since the 2010 Illinois state budget for homeless services has been reduced by $12.7 million, next year is expected to be a big problem. Illinois' social services are under pressure to continue to operate even though they have not been paid by the state of Illinois since the 2010 fiscal year which was reported on Chicago Public Radio. Lack of affordable housing was the most pressing issue in regards to this problem. The lack of homeless shelters has become so extreme that the Public Action to Deliver Shelter (PADS) are resorting to nightly lotteries for beds. Those who are not selected are given a bus ticket to the city and a list of other shelters. Also, the number of people in 'deep poverty,' with incomes below half of the poverty line, will rise by an estimated 4.5-6.3 million if unemployment reaches 9 percent. Foreclosures are one of the primary reasons that there is a substantial increase in homelessness

"Homeless in Chicago" by Lawrence Conley from The Examiner Chicago website on December 15, 2009

This article discusses how homeless people in Chicago are everywhere and that one can not go too far without seeing one of these people. Many people have their own views as to why and how homeless people became homeless. Some people feel that these people ask others for money to support their drinking habits and that they are not necessarily hungary. Others feel that drugs got the best of them, or that they are people who are just lazy and do not want to work. The author states that "within the critical eyes, the homeless are viewed as homeless beings and not human beings." The article provided information about the many institutions within Chicago that offer shelter and warmth, food, clothing, medical care, and housing. The author then explained that offering information such as these human necessities costs nothing.