Social Issue: Poverty Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Date

 Poverty can be considered as a condition of low income.  Individuals living in the poverty are unable to have a quality life in terms of health, basic needs, and other social needs. They find themselves excluded and also marginalized from the participation on the societal activities. Social workers have a special role in helping alleviate the conditions.  Poor persons are mostly exposed to the environmental health risks and also personal risks for reasons such as inability to access the information and healthcare services (Gorin, Gehlert, & Washington, 2010). Therefore, within the current society, it is clear that the lower position an individual is, the worse his/her health tends to be.

 A number of factors contribute to emergence of poverty. There is always uneven distribution of the economic resources, for example the employment opportunities, infrastructures and wealth (Brooks-Gunn, & Duncan, 1997).  Also, the social resources such as the health, education, the transport and housing are not fairly distributed such that only a few areas have such resources. This shows that all people do not have the same opportunities leaving others in poor conditions (Hunt, 1996).  Besides, unhealthy population contributes to poverty. Individuals having terminal illness or disabled are at higher risks of leading poor lives due to their inability to work.

Brooks-Gunn, J., & Duncan, G. J. (1997). The effects of poverty on children. The future of children, Gorin, S. H., Gehlert, S. J., & Washington, T. A.(2010). Health care reform and health disparities:Implications for social workers. Health & Social Work.35(4), 243– 247. Hunt, M. O. (1996). The individual, society, or both? A comparison of Black, Latino, and White beliefs about the causes of poverty. Social Forces, 75(1),