Chapter 9: Organized Responses to Poverty Flashcards
What causes poverty on the micro scale?
Deficiencies in individuals, families, or other microsystems. The lack of skills, opportunities, support, or other factors.
What causes poverty on the macro scale?
Flaws in social, political, economic, or other macrosystems.
What is structural poverty theory?
The failure of society to meet the social and economic needs of individuals and families. Entities in our culture systemically exclude powerless or under-valued groups.
What is structural poverty associated with today?
Globalization, income inequality, and neoliberal policies.
What is a two-pronged approach to poverty issues?
Aim to support individuals through a wide range of programs and use various systemic interventions to change policies, practices, social attitudes, or other macro systems.
What does the two-ponged approach to poverty do?
Meet the diverse needs to low-income Canadians.
What is social assistance?
The income program is a last resort. It provides some level of financial assistance to help with food, shelter, and other basic needs.
What are some additional benefits with social assistance?
In relation to age, disability, education, employment, and the National Child Benefit (NCB).
What is the welfare wall?
When families become financially worse off employed than they were on welfare.
Why do people hit the welfare wall?
Employment brings work-related expenses and they lose access to benefits.
How have provincial governments reformed their social assistance programs?
Allows families to keep the NCB, keep some earnings and some social assistance, and keep benefits.
What is employment insurance?
An income security program that offers temporary financial support to people who have lost their job or are looking for other work and upgrading their skills. A contributory program.
What types of benefits does employment insurance provide?
Regular benefits and benefits related to maternity, parental duties, sickness, compassionate care, and training.
Why does the Canadian government use employment insurance?
It reinforces the values of work, discipline, and productivity. It also provides confidence in the skills needed to compete and succeed in the workforce.
What does Canada’s employment rate look like?
It hovers around 7 percent.
What does it mean that a segment of the workforce is underemployed?
People are not working as much as they could or want to and are overqualified for their current job.
What is the working poor?
Workers who do not make enough to stay out of poverty. Usually young adults, recent immigrants, people with disabilities, and first nations people.
What are the likely targets for reform in opening up the labour market?
employment standards, employment equity, pay equity, work supports, training, and job creation.
What are asset-based social policies?
Policies that help people build assets and save money. They promote self-sufficiency and encourage habits of saving.
What are individual development accounts (IDA’s)?
They help low-income individuals and families build assets and save money. They save what they can from their earnings, and the government matches that amount.
What are some IDA’s that help Canadians pay for post-secondary education?
The Canada Learning Bond and learn$ave.
What are the four types of government-assisted housing programs in Canada?
public or social housing, nonprofit housing, co-op housing, and rent-supplement units.
What does the homelessness partnering strategy do?
Supports the majority of homeless shelters. There are often a lack of beds at these shelters.
What has created the affordable housing and homelessness crisis in Canada?
Funding cuts, lifting rent regulations, and the general deterioration of social housing policies.
