The Urgency for Solving Poverty

 Solving poverty is no longer just a humanitarian mission. It has become an economic necessity. Businesses struggle to find enough qualified workers to maintain, let alone expand. Communities across the nation must tap into the talents of people right in their own backyards, learning how to integrate those traditionally labeled as “hard to place” into the workforce.  

During the Baby Boomer era, there was an abundance of qualified labor. Solving poverty wasn’t essential to keeping the economy moving forward. Now, however, 10,000 Baby Boomers turn 65 every day- this generation is stepping out of the workforce. Ignoring the population living in poverty while sustaining their basic needs through an outdated safety net is no longer economically viable. 

The federal government spends more than $1.1 trillion annually on a poverty management system with more than 80 programs, each with its own objectives, eligibility rules, and designs. That system has failed. In addition, research suggests that another trillion dollars are lost to crime, healthcare costs, and reduced productivity stemming from children raised in poverty. While the moral urgency to eliminate poverty has always been clear, today those who focus on economic well-being have every reason to be equally concerned. 

Over the past 40 years, I’ve traveled the country to help communities implement programs that truly lift families out of poverty. The biggest obstacle has never been participant motivation. Instead, the most significant barrier has always been the poverty management system itself. Designed for administrative ease and focused on compliance over results, this system has unintentionally created a workforce of individuals who could, should, and want to work but can’t—because the penalty for earning is too high. We reward people who do everything right—get a job, work more hours, receive a raise—by taking away essential subsidies for food, childcare, and healthcare faster than they can replace them with wages. Make a buck, lose four. This “benefit cliff” is a symptom of a system that’s not accountable for helping people out of poverty or for reducing poverty rates. 

Believe me when I say we can eradicate poverty in the U.S. We have the know-how. It’s now a matter of timing and leadership before the poverty management system is replaced with a new poverty alleviation system. The Poverty Solution presents a new framework and includes insights from an exciting pilot program launched in Upper Cumberland, Tennessee. You’ll discover how to align your community around the goal of moving people out of poverty, filling vacant jobs, reducing crime, improving well-being, and boosting the local economy. 

There’s a saying: The first mouse never gets the cheese; it’s the second mouse that does. The poverty management system, born out of the War on Poverty, didn’t get the cheese. But the poverty alleviation system being built today will. By changing the goals and funding—from managing poverty to eliminating it—we can reduce poverty until it’s nothing more than a memory. Only then will the U.S. be an effective global ally in ending poverty worldwide. It’s a matter of time and leadership before life gets better for everyone. Whether or not you live in poverty, it affects your lifestyle, taxes, property values, businesses, safety, and conscience. Be part of the solution. Prepare your community for a system that benefits everyone. Be the second mouse. 

In our next blog we will look at why we can and should end poverty.  

-Scott C. Miller

Founder, The Poverty Solution