POVERTY IN WASHINGTON Definition Measures Data amp Root Causes Economic success is foundational and entails many of the traditional measures of poverty including income and assets However it is not enough ID: 763126
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POVERTY IN WASHINGTONDefinition, Measures, Data, & Root Causes
“Economic success” is foundational and entails many of the traditional measures of poverty, including income and assets. However, it is not enough. Equally important are power and autonomy , which speak to individual agency, having a sense of control and a say in the trajectory of one’s life and one’s community. And being valued in community speaks to dignity, belonging, social capital, and social inclusion.” Adapted from the U.S. Partnership on Mobility from Poverty http://www.mobilitypartnership.org/blog/poverty-not-just-lack-money Defining Poverty 2
Ways of Measuring Poverty Poverty Measure Description Pros Cons Official Measure 3X the cost of a minimum food diet in 1963 Provides historical picture; used to determine eligibility; adjusts for family size Outdated; no adjustment for geography; does not account for tax and non-cash benefitsSupplemental PovertyMeasureDeveloped in late 1990s to address limitations of official measureAdjusts for the effects of taxes and social benefits, as well as geographyVery recent; meant to enhance official measure not replace itCost-of-Living Measures(e.g., Self-Sufficiency Standard, ALICE, MIT Calc)Developed recently to measure basic needs budgets Defines economic hardship based on what it actually takes to make ends meetDoes not account for effects of social benefit programsIntergenerationalPovertyDeveloped recently to measure poverty across generationsDifferentiates the experience of poverty by severityNo standardized measure; 3
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What story does the data tell us? A great many Washingtonians are not able to make ends meet; many are living paycheck-to-paycheck The majority of people experiencing poverty – under any measure – are workingChildren have the highest poverty rates of any age groupPeople of color, rural families, women with children, and people with disabilities are more likely to experience povertyMany children experiencing poverty today are at elevated risk of experiencing poverty as an adult 10