Poverty in Philadelphia: The Elephant in the City?
I recently talked about the causes of poverty with a family member. Both of us live in the Philadelphia area, we both fall into the same generational cohort — millennial, but our views were, as the cliché goes, “like day and night.” I argued that poverty is a mental trap just as much as it is physical. It starts in the thoughts and behaviors of the family unit — attitudes that have been passed down for generations. The family member argued that poverty is entirely the fault of the person in poverty, they questioned why the person could not just “move on” especially when there are so many social benefit programs that provide a helping hand.
In the article “Philadelphians have strong opinions about poverty,” Sandra Shea shares the results of a citywide survey commissioned by The Philadelphia Inquirer. As she explains, more than 70 percent of survey respondents rated the issues of crime, poverty, and public schools as “very important” for Philadelphia.
When asked about what they believed was the solution to poverty in Philadelphia, about 70 percent of respondents answered, “increase the minimum wage.” About two-thirds of the respondents answered that increasing the number of government-sponsored job-training programs was a viable solution. Respondents had the choice of more than one solution when answering the survey.
The responses to what the causes of poverty were varied. Over half of the respondents strongly agreed that “failure of society to provide schools for many Americans,” was a cause. At the same time, 47 percent believed that “excessive use of drugs and alcohol by many of those who live below the poverty line,” was a cause.
The Inquirer survey demonstrates that Philadelphians see several causes of poverty, including a lack of schooling or overuse of drugs by those living below the poverty line. In addition, Philadelphians also have mixed feelings about possible solutions to poverty: increase the minimum wage, which would require businesses to comply, or more government-sponsored job-training programs, which would require increases in taxes and taxpayer compliance.
When approaching how to write a solutions journalism piece about poverty in Philadelphia, my mind immediately wants to ask my audience the overarching questions: What is poverty? What causes poverty? How can we solve poverty? I believe these questions can cause division because as evident in the survey, people may believe poverty exists but the ideas behind what causes it and how to solve it differ.
In their study of poverty in Philadelphia, Pew Charitable Trusts found that Philadelphia is among the top ten poorest largest cities in the United States. Poverty in Philadelphia cannot be a “them” problem. It is an “us” issue.
“High poverty rates diminish tax revenue, place added demand on public services, and undercut economic growth,” the study found.
The best way to write a solutions journalism piece about poverty in Philadelphia is to first frame the question of poverty in Philadelphia in a manner that is not polarizing. I can ask an individual about a time they faced financial challenges and what caused those problems. I would find an individual or groups that are addressing the various causes of poverty, whether it is a group that opens a student pantry to confront the issue of student poverty, or an organization that is providing afterschool tutoring services for low-income children.
My family member and I walked away from our discussion holding on to our general ideas about the cause of poverty. We both made strong arguments and I believe we were both wrong and right in certain circumstances. As a result, we conceded parts of our arguments that had holes and could not hold water. But who is right and who is wrong when there can be sensible examples for both arguments?
