Breaking the Cycle of Poverty

Posted August 21, 2024

More than ten percent of people in the United States live below the poverty threshold defined by the US Census Bureau. Of those, more than one quarter (28 percent) are under the age of eighteen. That amounts to almost eleven million children living in poverty. This does not count the many more who live in households with incomes above the threshold but not high enough to meet everyone’s needs.

Poverty Traps People in a Cycle

Poor people often become trapped in a cycle of poverty, in which the lack of basic resources creates barriers that prevent people from obtaining those resources. Without a car, for instance, job opportunities are limited; and without a job, it is difficult to get a car.

In the cycle of poverty, interrelated problems cause and reinforce one another: homelessness and hunger lead to an inadequate education. Inadequate education leads in turn to reduced job opportunities—and so the cycle continues and can lead to generational poverty.

People who lack the necessities of life can have difficulty seeing how to break the cycle of poverty. Often they lack what they need to develop their full potential.

For example, shelter—someplace to eat, sleep, bathe, and be protected from the elements—is a requirement of human dignity. But to be truly life-giving, homes must provide more than shelter. True homes are safe, stable places where human dignity is respected, and each person is free to develop their potential. True homes also provide a place for people to participate in a community by building healthy relationships with others who live nearby.

The Preferential Option for the Poor

Because poverty can prevent people from fully living out their God-given human dignity, Catholic social teaching calls society to make the needs of its poorest and most vulnerable members a top concern. The choice to do so is called the preferential option for the poor and vulnerable.

Pope Francis, speaking on poverty in 2023, cautioned against a focus on statistics and numbers. He quoted this verse from the Old Testament: “Do not turn your face away from anyone who is poor” (Tobit 4:7). The pope emphasized that poor people “have faces, stories, hearts and souls. They are our brothers and sisters, with good points and bad, like all of us, and it is important to enter into a personal relation with each of them.”

Every Action Can Make a Difference

Invite the young people in your life to join you in considering ways to answer the call to make the needs of those who are poor a top concern. Here are some suggestions:

Recognize the dignity of those who suffer from poverty. This is the first step toward expressing compassion toward those who are poor. Is compassion enough? It could be. The world contains enough resources to offer everyone a good life. If enough people respond with genuine compassion, poverty could be greatly reduced.
Challenge assumptions that harm poor people. One misconception is that adults experiencing homelessness choose not to work. This misconception causes harm because it negates the role of uncontrollable and systemic conditions, including lack of affordable housing, inequitable access to training and tools, and mental illness.
Recognize that poverty exists in every community. Find out about organizations assisting those who are living in poverty in your community. Consider what resources are available and how you and others can help to secure or distribute resources to those in need.
Pay attention to the individuals from your school, parish, or community who live in poverty. Is Pope Francis’s call to foster personal relationships with them being heeded? If not, what steps could you encourage young people and others to take to address that?
Get informed! Follow a nonpartisan website, such as the nonprofit Ballotpedia, that allows you to see who is running for elected office in your area and their track record with issues related to poverty: foreign aid, climate change, housing, hunger, gender equality, and education. Encourage young people not yet old enough to vote to do this, too, by pointing out that taking steps to keep informed is good preparation for becoming a voter.