Community Psychology
Poverty-
Poverty is the deprivation of food, shelter, money and clothing when
people can’t satisfy their basic needs. Poverty can be understood simply
as a lack of money or more broadly in terms of barriers to everyday
human life.
What does Poverty mean?
● Lack of shelter
● Lack of food
● Lack of education
● Lack of basic transportation
● Lack of good health and medical infrastructure
Main causes of poverty
Primary- Historical-
1. Slavery
1. Corruption 2. Conquest
2. Lack of access to education
3. Mental Illness
4. World Hunger and malnutrition
5. Population
6. Laco of opportunities
Effects of Poverty
● High mortality rate
● Increased health risks
● Inhibits education and social advancement
● Contributes to a cycle of poverty
● Emotional and social changes
● Over utilisation of natural resources
● Child antisocial behaviour
● Reduce average lifetime
● Increase in crime rate
Types of Poverty
Relative Poverty the economic status of a Absolute Poverty involves a scarcity of
family whose income is insufficient to such necessities as shelter, running
meet its society's average standard of water, and food. Families who live in
living. absolute poverty tend to focus on day-to-
day survival.
Situational poverty caused by a sudden
crisis or loss and is often temporary. Generational poverty occurs in families
Events causing situational poverty include where at least two generations have been
environmental disasters, divorce, or born into poverty. Families living in this
severe health problems. type of poverty are not equipped with the
tools to move out of their situations.
Poverty Line-
Vulnerable Group-
It indicates level of purchasing power
required to satisfy the minimum needs of
Poverty and occupation are co-related.
a person. Most of the poor people include
agriculture and casual laborers, SCs,STs
It represents the capacity to satisfy the and physically challenged.
minimum level of human needs.
It divides people in two groups-:
1. Above poverty line
2. Below poverty line
Measures Taken
● Starting welfare state and charities
● Initiative of BPL and ration cards.
● Decrease the cost of living
● Providing free education till 5th grade
● More employment schemes like NREGA.
● Providing more subsidies
● Relaxation of taxes to poor people.
Indian government policies
1. Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana- (1 April 1999)
Aim- development of rural areas and sustain wage employment to
people who fall below poverty line (BPL).
2. National Family Benefit Scheme [NFBS]- (August 1995)
Provides a sum of Rs. 10,000 to a person who is head of the family
after the death of it’s primary breadwinner.
3. Annapurna Scheme- (1999-2000)
Provide food to senior citizens who cannot take care of themselves.
4. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
[MGNREGA]- (2005)
This scheme guarantees 100 days of paid work to people in rural areas.
homelessness
According to Oxford dictionary,homelessness means when a person
“lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, and if they
sleep in a shelter designated for temporary living accommodations or in
places not designated for human habitation.”
Causes of homelessness
1. Structural factors-
These include economic and societal issues that affect opportunities
and social environments for [Link] [Link] of adequate
income, access to affordable housing and health supports and/or
the experience of discrimination.
2. Poverty-
Homelessness and poverty are inextricably linked. People who are
impoverished are frequently unable to pay for necessities such as
housing, food, childcare, health care, and education.
3. Housing-
A critical shortage of housing that is affordable, safe and stable directly
contributes to homelessness.
4. System failures-
Systems failures occur when other systems of care and support fail,
requiring vulnerable people to turn to the homelessness sector.
Examples of systems failures include inadequate discharge planning for
people leaving hospitals, corrections and mental health and addictions
facilities and a lack of support for immigrants and refugees.
5. Personal circumstances and relational problems-
Individual and relational factors apply to the personal circumstances of a
person experiencing homelessness, and may include: traumatic events
(e.g. house fire or job loss), personal crisis (e.g. family break-up or
domestic violence), mental health and addictions challenges.
6. Domestic Violence-
Women who experience violence and/or live in poverty are often forced
to choose between abusive relationships and homelessness. Young
people that are victims of sexual, physical or psychological abuse often
end up experiencing homelessness. As well, seniors that are
experiencing abuse and neglect are increasingly at risk of homelessness.
Ending homelessness
1. Housing first-
“a recovery-oriented approach to ending homelessness that centers
on quickly moving people experiencing homelessness into
independent and permanent housing.”
There are also government interventions that are broadly
encapsulated by the homelessness strategy, which encompasses
the implementation of Housing First along with other efforts.
2. Preventive framework-
Are trying to stop homelessness before it begins. Adapting the public
health prevention model to the issues of homelessness involves
targeting homelessness at the primary level, secondary and tertiary
levels. Primary prevention includes initiatives aimed to create structural
change. Secondary prevention, involves addressing homelessness
immediately when it begins or attempting to stop it if there is a high risk.
Finally, tertiary prevention efforts are directed at preventing those who
have previously experienced homelessness from experiencing it again.
3. Individual-
people can also contribute to ending homelessness or easing the
burden of those who are experiencing homelessness. Some ways to
address homelessness on an individual level include donating money or
resources to local organizations that help those experiencing
homelessness, volunteering with these organizations, or becoming an
advocate.
Thank You
-Pragya Sharma
