How to Address the Problem of Poverty in the New York City

Thesis: Urban Problems will Take Longer to Solve

An urban area is usually characterized by high human population and human constructed skyscrapers. The high human population in the urban areas and sheer negligence by those in the authority create and increase the level of problems the urban residents face on a daily basis (Abramsky 4). The interdisciplinary program that is a combination of both academia and real experiences in life that helps understand the cities is what is referred to as Urban Studies.

Correcting the situations in the urban areas require massive resources, administrative commitment and time. The solutions do not just lie within the cities, but spread far beyond into the upcountry and even sometimes out of the country. It, therefore, will take long to solve the problems. This paper serves to explain the problem of poverty, its causes; effects and even probable solution.

Poverty in New York

Poverty is the general dearth scarcity or lack of material possession. Absolute poverty results when people do not have access to the human basic needs. Poverty is also a leading factor in the development of other urban problems because a poor man would do anything even it hurts others just as long as he gets to live through the day.

The Causes of Poverty in New York City

The biggest cause of poverty, and also the most common, is joblessness and low paying jobs. New York has a high population that makes the job market very competitive. The high level of unemployment is also fueled by social and political factors. Social factors may include racism and discrimination. Political reasons stem out from the desire by politicians on getting people to rule, not lead (Abramsky 29). They hence do not anything possible to improve the living standards of the masses. It’s also from these people’s problems that they get to make promises to win elections back to their positions. Unemployment is also fueled by the low level of education among the ghetto residents. With no papers at all or insufficient papers, all they can get are manual work that pays little (Abramsky 49). Whence housing, food, education and health are all escalating in prices in the New York; the jobs fail to provide anything substantial.

Oppression and racism also drive and keep scours in poverty. Discrimination makes opportunities limited to most, deprived of any chance to get jobs, good health care, education and even good food. When one race gets the feeling that others are not entitled to the same kind of education they do, the education fails to produce expertise that can help solve problems. The level of semi-literacy also sours, and people fail to qualify for jobs that can help elevate them from poverty (DaCosta and Sribnick 18). When a race feels like serving another race is impossible, for example, in health facilities, it makes the others vulnerable and subjective. It keeps the victimized race in poverty.

Born and bred in poverty, some individuals develop a cocoon in which they convince themselves that poverty is all they can achieve. Such individuals make little or no attempt to improve their living standards. Destroying this cocoon is always difficult for the process of unlearning a belief is harder than its conception. Someone contented with the situation of suffering, always looks for intermediate solutions. The easiest way of doing that is to engage in crime or use tranquilizers to forget the present state. To eliminate this vice, education among residents to instill awareness and self-belief is imperative. Residents should be made to believe in innovation and self-employment and not just formal or maybe subjective employment. Racism requires intervention of central governments and human rights organizations (Abramsky 96). When the poor steal from themselves, they can achieve very little for development. So security should be beefed up to protect both man and his businesses alike.

Effects of Poverty in New York City

Poverty has been a setback to the development of New York City. It reduces the level of circulation of currency. It in many ways affects single businesses both directly and indirectly. Poverty weakens and limits the labor in New York. It’s a culture to vices that stall the economic development of the city and creates a feeling of nothingness and vulnerability among residents of New York City (Abramsky 163-165). Some of the effects of poverty are discussed below.

Insecurity

Crime and extortion as a result of insecurity that targets the middle class also ends up driving them into poverty. When an individual gets mugged after collecting his dues, he’s forced into survival. He might get tempted to participate in the vice that might just keep the circle going. Or a situation in which one is not just mugged, but also gets a beat down that keeps him hospitalized for more than a month (DaCosta and Sribnick 290). This individual loses that period’s wages and suffers a setback that only serves to keep him in poverty. Insecurity also makes it hard to engage in poverty elevating activities like businesses. Businesses started in the ghetto where the level of insecurity is quite on a key note can barely survive (Abramsky 261-264). They oft fall victim to theft and robbery. In fact, they sometimes end up leaving the operators with more debt as theft only brings loss. The cycle continues; a poor man in debt is a very dangerous man.