Methinks "it's caused by irresponsible parenting/families" is not proven and quite likely merely a mantra.
Friday I had a business appt with the landlord of a public housing complex. She is trying to coordinate with local businesses to provide training programs for her tenents on getting out of the poverty cycle. Since I am a banker, we decided to sit down together and come up with a workshop on basic banking skills and concepts.
I'm excited about doing the workshop, because at one time I was in the same shoes as many of these people - and I managed to escape that poverty, an abusive relationship, and the need for public assistance - and I truly enjoy empowering others to do the same.
It became apparent in our conversations that though the workshop will be under the guise of learning basics of money management - what it will really be is a workshop on attitudes and avoiding self destructive choices.
See, the basic problem isn't a lack of money. Some of these people (most of them are single moms with several kids) are receiving $2000 a month or more in social security benefits, child support, and THEN food stamps for a family of four or more - in addition to either free or greatly reduced housing costs. Their kids get free meals at school (2 a day).
They are, frankly, working the system.
I have some sources who offer free computer training skills and job placement programs. I teach a class on job interviewing and resume skills. When I asked her how many of her tenents are truly interested in breaking out of this poverty loop and bettering their lives - which ones may be interested in the training - she told me probably one in ten - but that one in ten is who keeps her at her job. The rest of the tenents are constant problems - constantly breaking the rules of the complex (and the law), neglecting their children (why, when they don't even work and could be home all day with their kids???), and generally making poor choices, on a daily basis. She told me that the general attitude of most of these young women is that the state "owes them." They are second and third generation public assistance families and they have absolutely no intention of living any other way.
The problem is so severe that they have to divide the complex into two sections - one for the elderly and handicapped tenents, who are neat, quiet, peaceful, and cooperative tenents - and the single moms, who have family situations involving unsupervised kids, criminal boyfriends, 35 year old grandmothers on drugs, etc, etc. The two groups of people are so disparate that they cannot live side by side.
I know this is a true assessment because at one time in my life I was in the same shoes as these other single moms - but I was determined not to make more choices that kept me in that cycle.
Difference was - I didn't want to be there. I didn't want to be a ward of the state. For the most part, they have every intention of working that system and staying right where they are.
Even if they wanted to be law abiding, responsible citizens, if you are surrounded by women and kids who are NOT headed in that direction, it's very difficult to insulate yourself from that atmosphere of irresponsibility.
