By Luke Jeung

Poverty. Most of us haven’t ever experienced this sensation, but it’s happening everywhere – 39.7 million Americans are struggling to live in poverty. Poverty doesn’t just mean homelessness, poverty is defined as the state of being extremely poor. This can be taken in many different ways, but it all comes down to money in the end. How do you get the money? A job, which is why millions of those in poverty are there. They can’t get a job! That can and should be changed. In order to aid poverty-stricken citizens back into the workforce, employers should grant starting jobs to poverty-stricken people to decrease the homelessness rates, regardless of location, status, or education level.
Richard J. Berry, former mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico, noticed the problem of homelessness and poverty in his city and wanted to make a change. He devised a plan called “There’s a better way.” He helps those in poverty by giving them a day job and a place to sleep.
The plan that the mayor is using is working, it’s helping the city and the people. Those selected (in poverty or homeless) will help by collecting trash from roadsides and get paid!
“And we did connect them with food and shelter and services. But yet he’s still standing under my sign with a sign that says he wants a job. It’s simple: he wants a job.”
The mayor’s previous attempts had failed as there was no initiative for the homeless to take on. Sure, they could help make connections, and sure it’s great if you can help someone out like that. As the famous saying goes, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Or you can give someone real experience and help them learn how to work and give them the gift of experience and possibly a future job.
Furthermore, according to Ambar Aleman of the Homeless Hub, a study conducted in 2016 showed, “Participants in a research study reported the shame and embarrassment they felt when providing a shelter’s address to a potential employer or having to explain why they didn’t have an ID or a bank account.”
The employees who were working on a resume were embarrassed when they were asked for a home address. More and more workers are facing challenges like this every day when they shouldn’t have to. The only way to help someone (permanently) out of poverty is to give them a way to survive, or a job. It’s embarrassing being in poverty! No one wants to be there, and why are people in poverty again? Lack of education, experience, responsibility? Or is it just money? All I know for certain is that we can help these people by giving them a secure starting job.
Some will say that it’s not the employer’s fault. They can say that all the blame goes to those in poverty. Lots of people think that those in poverty can get a job, but they are too lazy for it. That is simply not true. “Well, there are many reasons rich people think that poor people are lazy, one reason for this is that because of all the success they have had they think that everyone’s life is the same as theirs. Because of all the success in their life, they believe every person’s life is the same.”
According to an article in the LA Times, “If employers saw the address of a [homeless] shelter, they would say I am on drugs or have a mental illness,” he said. “A lot of people look down at people like myself. So I gave up hope.”
Employers need to help with this increasingly growing problem. In order to help poverty-stricken citizens back into the workforce, employers need to give starting jobs to poverty-stricken citizens to lower the homelessness rates, regardless of location, status, or education level. The homeless/ poverty-stricken need help, their future is in employers’ hands.
Luke Jeung, whose Honors 8 ELA class at Clarkston Junior High School is doing an activism project, chose to focus on poverty because he has seen a lot of it in travels with his family