We live in the most prosperous nation in the world, but sadly homelessness and poverty are a daily reality for millions.
I can relate to the topic of poverty since I grew up poor. My father suddenly left when I was 3 months old, we had no child support, no government help, and no handouts. My mother went to work and received average wages. Although we lived in a city where wealth abounded in many areas, we had a simple living style with used furniture and no décor. We didn’t own a car so we all walked, or rode our bikes or the bus to get somewhere. There were times our phone and/or electricity were cut off, due to my mother’s inability to pay the bills. I recall times I sat under the streetlamp on the corner to do my homework or headed down to the local library where there was light. It was embarrassing, I never told my friends. Sometimes there was little to no food in the house but fortunately neighborhood friends provided an occasional meal, if I happened to be there at the right time. I know something about going hungry. When I was old enough, I worked part-time while going to school and made most of my own clothes; fabric was cheaper back then. We didn’t own clothes dryer; we hung our clothes out back on a line to dry. But at least we had a small home and I am truly thankful for our Mexican landlord who gave us a break on rent, otherwise we too may have experienced homelessness. There was lots of emotions of inequality and unfairness, but the three of us survived and perhaps that made me stronger.
The US. Poverty is real in the US. According to the US Census bureau on poverty, in 2019 the poverty rate was 10.9% which equates to 34 million people living in poverty (thankfully was a 4.2 million decrease over 2018). In the US, if a family of four makes $26,246 annually, they are considered living in poverty.
Causes. What are the causes of poverty in the US? On one end of the spectrum are people who cannot work because they are mentally or physically challenged. On the other end, there are those who can work but choose not to and would rather receive a government check. In between these extremes, we see the disintegration of the family, single/divorced women who have several children where fathers avoid paying any child support (as in my case). We also see people with limited education, those who can’t afford to attend college or a trade school (or simply don’t want to attend), others where their jobs have disappeared and they are forced to learn a new skill set, making bad decisions, and the list goes on. A couple I know have worked with the homeless in Jackson, MS for a year. Sadly, all are addicted to drugs and alcohol; they simply refuse to change their lifestyle. Ultimately, many that are raised in poverty continue the viscous cycle.
Should government help?
Jesus said the poor will always be with us; the question remains who should help them?
“For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me.” Mark 14:17
I just want to pose some questions. Is it the government’s responsibility (via our tax money) to help the poor? In one sense, the government’s approximately 100 different welfare programs (including Social Security) do an excellent job, lifting millions of people out of poverty; however, it also creates an incentive to remain on welfare forever instead of integrating motivation to get job training that fit what employers are needing so people become self-sufficient. My motto has always been, “If you give a man fish, he will eat for a day. If you teach a man to fish, he will eat for a lifetime”. I’ve spent a lifetime teaching because I know people can learn, if they want to.
Can raising the federal minimum wage help? The government always looks at solving this problem by increasing the federal minimum wage to help people earn more money. The question is, what is a fair wage? What is the right federal minimum wage? Let’s look at the pros and cons on this issue. Increasing the minimum wage will give people more income, but it will also increase prices on food and all consumer items (to offset the high wages employers are paying). For example, no fast food joint will pay say, $25.00/hour to flip burgers, they won’t make a profit unless they drastically increase prices. Washington state’s minimum wage is currently at $13.69/hour. While walking the streets of Seattle recently, I saw several small businesses were closed, no doubt due to the required minimum wage. Businesses that are forced to pay workers a high minimum wage will end up either letting some workers go or they will automate (i.e. look at Walmart); in either case, workers will be unemployed. Certainly, companies can pay workers a wage higher. Amazon recently hiked their own minimum wage to $15/hour, but that is their choice.
Who Gives The Most?
Individuals can freely give to the poor. According to philanthropyroundtable.org, the biggest givers in the US are found to be concentrated in “Bible Belt” states in the South or where Mormons make up a large portion of the population. Note the irony here, as the poorest states are giving a larger percentage. On the other hand, scant-giving households are heavily concentrated in relatively wealthy and secular New England.
The group that gives more money to charity are the Evangelical Christians, according to a new study by the Barna Group. The study finds that 79 percent of evangelical Christians gave money to a church or charity last year, while 65 percent donated items and 60 percent volunteered their time.
What does God say?
The bottom line is … what does the Bible have to say about giving. The Bible teaches that it is the family who need to step in to help. Oftentimes I wonder why people are not helping their own family.
“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” 1 Timothy 5:8
In addition, Christians are told to help a brother in need.
“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. “ 1 John 3:17-18
One cannot read the Bible without seeing verse after verse about helping the needy.
Proverbs 14:31 “Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.”
Proverbs 31:20 “She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.”
Galatians 2:10 “Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.”
Next Steps
If you feel led to help the poor, your local church has many opportunities for you to give and/or serve in this ministry and of course, tithing also helps pour money into worthy programs. There are food banks and soup kitchens in your area. Also, there is a plethora of non-profit organizations out there. This website helps you find a charity by type and state.
Although this post focused primarily on the US, poverty throughout the world is much worse. If you’d like to give to international causes, I recommend Compassion, Food for the Hungry, World Help, World Vision, and Children’s International.
I have personally been blessed in a variety of ways by giving of my time, money and possessions to those who are in need, as I’ve had the opportunity.
“Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38
In Summary
Poverty is a complicated issue with no simple quick answers, but we have just seen that it is the “family” and “Christians” who should be on the front-line in helping out.
The ultimate giving is when the Father gave his Son; He gave what we could never repay. He gave His son that far outweighs money or possessions. Giving is often a sacrifice. In Christ’s sacrifice, we see unconditional love and immeasurable generosity. God did not have to save us; He chose to save us through his own sacrifice, a father’s loss and a son’s life. Generosity flows down to us and likewise our generosity and sacrifice should flow to those in need.