Running head: POVERTY IMPACT ANALYSIS

POVERTY IMPACT ANALYSIS Students Name University Affiliation

POVERTY IMPACT ANALYSIS Poverty Impact Analysis Introduction Poverty impact analysis refers to the process involved in the analysis of the impact of reforms on policy on the welfare or wellbeing of the various groups of stakeholders which focuses on the vulnerable and the poor. The process seeks to identify and analyze the actual as well as the anticipated results of poverty in the daily lives of the people of the people involved.

The purpose of carrying out such an analysis is in order to enable the policy makers to be able to comprehend the unintended and the intended consequences of their intervening roles. It helps governments to create policies that project the development and economic progress of its population. This is because the social burden imposed on the government as a result of poverty is overbearing. Consequently the government has had to carry out such analyses that would serve as a yardstick to inform on the policies that need to be implemented to alleviate the situation. Currently, there are no bills that oblige the state governments to implement the recommendations from such reports but some states such as California have began implementing recommendations from the poverty impact projection reports. Problem Statement This paper will examine my family in which I am the sole breadwinner. I have a wife and two children both under ten years old. I work two jobs simultaneously; one part time and the other full time. Both jobs pay $7.25 per hour. I am forced to work a total of sixty hours every week. I do not receive any benefits from the companies I work for, including a paid leave or health insurance. My wife has no job as she was laid off and currently spends time taking care of the children.

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Due to the fact that my family is still intact, we are eligible for the food stamps provided by the government worth $300 per month. The children also benefit from the Childrens Health Insurance Program. This paper will evaluate the impact of poverty on my life basing in the poverty guidelines as stipulated by the federal government for a family of four. The poverty guidelines are annual or monthly income of the family that is used to assist in the determination of the eligibility of the families for the federal governments food assistance. In order to further deal with the food problem, my family has also had to depend on food boxes. Life under the Financial Constraints Impact on my family relationship Poverty affects various aspects of the family differently. To begin with, family relationships within my family have been heavily affected. There is constant wrangling within the family due to the lack of basic amenities. The children feel that my wife and I as parents are letting them down. This is mainly due to the fact that we cannot provide them with their basic needs and other supplement materials like other children they meet in school. Due to the long hours that I have to put in work, I rarely have time for my family. This has made them to feel neglected and lack the paternal figure in their lives. Furthermore, the children are always incensed that they often miss meals. The situation has become so dire so that at times my children refuse to talk to me. The relationship between my wife and I has also deteriorated. She feels that I am not doing enough to alleviate the situation. She has even threatened to file for a divorce is the situation does not change soon. I, being the sole breadwinner and my wife constantly at home feel that all the responsibility fall on my shoulders. Despite my wifes effort to find a job, she has not been

POVERTY IMPACT ANALYSIS successful after she was fired from her last job. The extra burden of having to maintain her as well is overbearing on me. The friendship and social networks of my family have also been impacted. Impact on friends and social networks There are fewer friends who want to be associated with my family. My children are rarely invited to their peers parties as they are constantly mocked and called derogatory names.

This is because it seems like we are heavily reliant on the support of others and we have become a burden. Consequently, the family has rarely been engaged in social events and gathering (Neubert, 2000). Impact on Physical Health Our physical health has also been affected. Due to the lack of a health insurance, it has been difficult for my wife and I to secure proper healthcare for ourselves. Despite the fact that the children have been covered by the Childrens health Insurance Program, it does not suffice for major health procedures. Consequently, there is always the threat of facing a major health catastrophe within the family. Impact on Psychological State and Quality of Childrens Education The state in which my family lives frustrates all the members and we constantly live in a state of psychological turmoil. My wife and I have been summoned to our childrens principles office severally to discuss the psychological state of the children who always seem disturbed while in class. With all these challenges, there has been a compromise on the childrens education, lowering the quality of their education as well as their capacity while at school.

POVERTY IMPACT ANALYSIS Quality of neighbourhood Moreover, we have had to contend with living in a room-in-apartment at the DC Metro. The location has minimal security and there have been several reported incidences of homicide in the area in the past year. This is because I am not able to pay for rent in other neighborhoods.

The area in which we live is infested with criminals and high crime rate. This has always posed a danger to my family and me. Several factors could be pegged as the causes of the state of poverty that my family lives in. to begin with, the lack of college education played a main role. To begin with, I have only attained tenth grade education as my highest level of education. Consequently it is impossible for me to land a reasonable job that is well paying that can sustain my family. Furthermore, the employees take advantage of this fact to offer the minimum pay possible of $7.25. This forces me to work two jobs to sustain the family. Due to the many demands of the family, it is literally impossible to make any reasonable savings that would help the family in case of an emergency. Furthermore, we have no goods to sell that can help alleviate the financial problem. These problems have been compounded further by the fact that my wife has no job and the whole family has to depend on me for its survival (Coudouel, Dani, Paternostro and Bank, 2006). Tentative Solution to the Problem I have thought of a measure that I could implement to mitigate my familys dire situation. Firstly, joining a network that accommodates low income earners. These groups use the economy of numbers to come up with a viable business which in time would start yielding financial rewards. The advantage of such groups is that they require very minimal capital yet they are rewarding in the long run.

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I have also decided to save some part of my salary every month for any emergencies that may occur (Robb, 2003). The network is still growing and we are expected to start earning dividends after a period of three years. I am channeling some of the money towards the retirement benefits scheme that I anticipate will be able to sustain me and my family in the future after I can no longer work. Furthermore, my wife has decided to take up menial jobs at the neighbors such as doing laundry and other house chores. At least this will keep her occupied for the moment as well as chip into the family coffers. Over the public holidays when I dont go to work, I will be spending part of the day mowing lawns and trimming the neighbors hedges at a small fee. I hope that these actions will enable me to alleviate my familys current situation. Conclusion To recap the whole situation, my family lives under tight conditions that need remedial measures if the family is to stick together. These problems weigh my family down and there is little family love among us. The jobs I do are not satisfactory and providing for my family has become a nightmare. Our only hope is that with time, the network program will bear fruit and my family will be saved from all this ignominy.

POVERTY IMPACT ANALYSIS References Coudouel, A., Dani, A. A., Paternostro, S., & Bank, W. (2006). Poverty and Social Impact Analysis of Reforms: Lessons and Examples from Implementation: World Bank. Neubert, S. (2000). Social Impact Analysis of Poverty Alleviation Programmes and Projects: A Contribution to the Debate on the Methodology of Evaluation in Development Cooperation: Taylor & Francis. Robb, C. M. (2003). Poverty and Social Impact Analysis - Linking Macroeconomic Policies to Poverty Outcomes: Summary of Early Experiences: INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND. Budget Items 1. Grocery store items (minus food stamps ) Mainly food boxes $250 $650 Monthly Amount

2. Housing + utilities I live under the New York Section 8 program 3. Transportation to work (I have an old used car) -fuel car -car maintenance 4. Clothing

$350 $175

5. Health care + medicine ( I am not able to purchase health insurance therefore we will depend on OTC drugs) 6. Childrens school expenses -back to school supplies 7. Other (specify) retirement savings 8. Total monthly expenses $182 $75 $1860 $178

POVERTY IMPACT ANALYSIS 9. Monthly income 1885

Extra amount for saving (this will be put into the self-help network) (1885-1860) = $25

Table Sources

Official USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food at Home at Four Levels, U.S. Average, January 2012. Retrieved on 9/10/2012. Retrieved from: http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/2012/CostofFoodJan2012.pdf Johnson D.S, Rogers J.M and Tan L. (2001).A Century Of Family Budgets In The United States. Retrieved on: 9/10/2012. Retrieved from: http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2001/05/art3full.pdf Washington DC Dc Metro Rental Housing. Retrieved on: 9/10/2012. Retrieved from; http://www.sublet.com/spider/leareacommonsearch.asp?store_criteria=standard&state=w ashingtondc.&city=dc%20metro&areaname=adams%20morgan&apt_share=&bedrooms =&l_term=lt&pricemin=0&pricemax=600&pets=&furnished=&summer=&holiday=