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Fact Sheet    March 2003

Understanding Poverty: An Overview

by Robert S. Turner for the Reaching Underserved Team

At first glance, it would seem ridiculous and redundant to suggest that those engaged in efforts to serve persons living in poverty should develop an understanding of poverty, but unfortunately many have no such adequate understanding and operate instead with false assumptions. As a result, they end up wasting time and resources and experiencing frustration when their well-intentioned efforts have little effect or go unappreciated. For this reason, the Reaching Underserved Team of the West Virginia University Extension Service (WVUES) offers this fact sheet to help Extension personnel, community agencies and volunteers, educators and others who work with underserved and poor populations to understand the characteristics and special needs of persons living in poverty in order to serve them more effectively. The information provided here is a cursory overview of the material presented in Ruby Payne's A Framework for Understanding Poverty (1998). For a more detailed look at the Payne framework, visit the aha! Process, Inc. web site.

Key Points to Remember (adapted from Payne, 1998, 10-11)

1. Poverty is relative. There is no absolute standard that defines poverty. One can identify poverty only by comparison. One may be poor in comparison to a resident of the gated community down the road but enviably wealthy to a citizen of a developing country in sub-Saharan Africa.

   

   "In our hearts we are wandering gypsies;
   in our minds we are heirs to the jewels.
   To the poor we are swaddled in riches;
   To the rich we ain't nothing but poor."
                                                   -- Mark Heard

   

2. Poverty occurs in all races and all countries. Since poverty is relative, it can be found anywhere. As Payne (1998) noted, "The percentage of the population that is poor is subject to definition and circumstance."
   
3. Economic class is a continuous line, not a clear-cut distinction. Persons may move into or out of poverty as a result of changing trends in the national economy or changing personal circumstances. No distinct lines exist to separate the poor from the middle class and the middle class from the rich. All such judgments are subjective and relative.
   
4. Generational and situational poverty are different. Persons may become poor due to changing circumstances, such as the loss of a job, a divorce or the death of a spouse. Such situational poverty is in most cases temporary. Generational poverty, on the other hand, is defined as being in poverty for two or more generations. A future WVUES fact sheet will explore this distinction further.
   
5. Persons tend to follow the hidden rules of the class in which they were raised. Each socioeconomic class has unspoken rules governing behavior, and a change of economic status (e.g., a new job with good pay that takes one from poverty to middle class) does not automatically help the person experiencing the change function appropriately in the new situation. The hidden rules must be learned; they do not come by default. This subject will likewise be addressed in a future WVUES fact sheet.
   
6. Schools and businesses operate from middle class norms and use the hidden rules of the middle class. These norms and rules are tacit; they are generally not taught, but one must learn them if one is to "fit in" and function appropriately and without embarrassment in middle class.
   
7. For clients or students from underserved populations to be successful, someone must teach them the hidden rules of the middle class. Since the hidden rules are tacit, those working with persons in poverty need to make those rules explicit to help them develop the knowledge and skills that will help them to thrive in the world in which middle class rules predominate.

"We can neither excuse students nor scold them
for not knowing [the hidden rules]; as educators
we must teach them and provide support, insistence,
and expectations."
-- Ruby Payne

A working definition of poverty from Payne (1998) is "the extent to which an individual does without resources." Contrary to popular belief, money is not the only resource persons need to move out of poverty. Payne (1998) identified eight vital resources:

1. Financial -- having the money to purchase goods and services. While not the only resource involved, it is obviously one of the most crucial for helping persons out of poverty.
   
2. Emotional -- being able to choose and control emotional responses, particularly to negative situations, without engaging in self-destructive behavior. Emotional resources are especially important in helping persons develop the stamina and perseverance necessary to learn and adapt to the new hidden rules and to keep them from slipping into old habit patterns.
   
3. Mental -- having the mental abilities and acquired skills (reading, writing, computing) to deal with daily life. Literacy and other mental and cognitive capabilities enable persons to be more self-sufficient.
   
4. Spiritual -- believing in divine purpose and guidance. Regardless of one's particular faith tradition (or lack thereof), spiritual resources help one discover a purpose to living and see oneself as capable and having worth and value.
   
5. Physical -- having physical health and mobility. This again contributes to self-sufficiency.
   
6. Support systems -- having friends, family and backup resources available in times of need. This resource may include emotional, financial, academic, informational or other practical supports, such as babysitting.
   
7. Relationships/role models -- for children especially, having frequent access to adults who are appropriate, who are nurturing to the child and who do not engage in self-destructive behavior. Young people especially need positive role models, and relationships have been found to contribute significantly to learning.

   

   "No significant learning occurs without
   a significant relationship."
   -- James Comer

   

8. Knowledge of hidden rules -- knowing the unspoken cues and habits of a group. As indicated above, remaining unaware of the tacit rules of the middle class may severely hamper one's ability to achieve success in school or the marketplace.

Poverty in West Virginia

The Reaching Underserved Team of WVUES is committed to serving at-risk citizens of West Virginia. Recent economic news indicates that the challenge is increasing. A variety of sources, including a Census Bureau report released last fall, provide the following data about the situation in the Mountain State:

These data indicate that poverty is alive and well in West Virginia. Fortunately, resources exist for combating poverty and for advocating for persons living in poverty. The Reaching Underserved Team endorses one of those resources in particular, the Self-Sufficiency Standard for West Virginia, which indicates how much income working families in the state need to make ends meet. The Standard provides a county-by-county breakdown and can be downloaded FREE at the Community Voices web site. Paper copies are available for a nominal charge (to cover the costs of printing, shipping and handling) by calling Mountainside Media at (304) 523-6162.

References

Fleisher, R. and McCormick, K. (2002). Reaching people in poverty: Overcoming barriers to success. Workshop presented by WV Healthy Start/HAPI Project. December 4, 2002.

Gorczyca, B. (2002). Exodus of young adults getting worse. Huntington Herald-Dispatch. April 28, 2002.

Miller, D. (2002). Poverty rate rises in West Virginia, nation. The Charleston Gazette. September 25, 2002.

Payne, R. K. (1998). A Framework for Understanding Poverty (Revised Edition). Baytown, TX: RFT Publishing Company.

SSSWV. (2002). The self-sufficiency standard for West Virginia. West Virginia Community Voices Partnership. On the World Wide Web: http://www.wvvoices.org/init_self.php.

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