Poverty and entitlement

[mek42]

How can we help the impoverished without engendering a sense of entitlement?

I overheard a conversation at lunch today about a gentleman having difficulties with his homeless shelter and found myself thinking that his attitude was poor, but then wondered if I was being uncharitable. How can poverty be addressed in a way that preserves dignity?

 

[YoungTradCath]

A major way is for the Church to reclaim charity primarily as her own prerogative, of course while not also discounting the fact that other religious entities may also have charities.

 

[triumphguy]

How can we help the impoverished without engendering a sense of entitlement?

I overheard a conversation at lunch today about a gentleman having difficulties with his homeless shelter and found myself thinking that his attitude was poor, but then wondered if I was being uncharitable. How can poverty be addressed in a way that preserves dignity?

So the homeless should always have a good attitude?

None of us always have a good attitude, so we can’t expect the poor who receive charity to be always grateful and happy about their lot in life.

Part of the difficulty with working with the the poor is that they are often difficult to work with.

If it was easy more people would work in prison, or with the homeless, or with street kids.

 

[bzkoss236]

IMO, charity shouldn’t be an entitlement, but brother helping a brother get back on his feet (or sister as the case may be). It should be less about a give and take, and more a give and heal. It should be targeted to increase the dignity of the poor soul to help reach a state of self-worth and independence. Like the whole, “give a man a fish and he feasts for a day; teach a man to fish and he feasts all the days of his life” type of scenario.

We should give in a way that says to the poor, “You matter, and you have value” to help them become self-entitled.

I don’t know if I made my thoughts clear or not, but that’s my opinion.

I don’t mean you shouldn’t give unless you know all the circumstances, but give in such a way that might help encourage the growth of the individual.

 

[Edward_H]

I think entitlement happens when receiving is detached from direct, face to face, free gift.

Entitlement happens when the Holy Spirit is not part of the “transaction”.

If I receive something though the mail…or directly into my account…or onto my food stamp debit card…there is not giver, freely suffering/going without as part of that transaction.

If the giving is forced through mandatory taxing…there is no “free gift”…no love…no Holy Spirit. (This is why government “giving” leads to so many negative effects…it is entirely without love, with God).

What else SHOULD we expect but unhealthy entitlement (or its companion “resentment” on the part of the tax payer) under those sterile, detached, totally loveless conditions.

Faceless, detached, indirect, forced. Not of the Spirit.

Costly direct love tends to create all the great effects…gratitude, humility, joy, unity.

 

[mek42]

So the homeless should always have a good attitude?

None of us always have a good attitude, so we can’t expect the poor who receive charity to be always grateful and happy about their lot in life.

Part of the difficulty with working with the the poor is that they are often difficult to work with.

If it was easy more people would work in prison, or with the homeless, or with street kids.

I didn’t use enough words.

While overhearing, I thought, Wow, kind of ungracious, why not just move? Then realized he probably couldn’t just move. Then wondered how the situation could be different. Hence this thread.

 

[manualman]

This is one of my soap boxes.

Read the gospels carefully and you will quickly notice that Jesus never advocated for the Romans to help the poor. He demanded that his FOLLOWERS do it. The difference between christian charity and government welfare is enormous. True charity involves three distinct benefits.

1. The giver is changed by meeting Christ in the poor.
2. The poor are changed by meeting Christ in the givers.
3. The physical needs of the poor get met.

Welfare can only achieve effect #3 above, and, IMO, it’s the least in long term importance. This factor is little considered when people debate public policy. It feels charitable to vote for greater benefits for the poor. Especially when voting for politicians that promise to make somebody other than yourself pay for it. But don’t deceive yourself - that’s isn’t charity. Charity is when WE feed the poor, clothe the naked, house the homeless. Using the state to make other people do it doesn’t count.

 

[jmcrae]

I didn’t use enough words.

While overhearing, I thought, Wow, kind of ungracious, why not just move? Then realized he probably couldn’t just move. Then wondered how the situation could be different. Hence this thread.

Homeless shelters aren’t meant to be comfortable - you don’t want people turning them into permanent residences. Complaining may well be a healthy sign that he has gained what he needed to gain from the shelter experience, and is ready to take personal responsibility to improve his life.

 

[triumphguy]

I didn’t use enough words.

While overhearing, I thought, Wow, kind of ungracious, why not just move? Then realized he probably couldn’t just move. Then wondered how the situation could be different. Hence this thread.

Thanks for elaborating - - I wasn’t judging you, just the words.

 

[CradleJourney]

Homeless shelters aren’t meant to be comfortable - you don’t want people turning them into permanent residences. Complaining may well be a healthy sign that he has gained what he needed to gain from the shelter experience, and is ready to take personal responsibility to improve his life.

True - but there also is the matter of Hope. It’s easier to be grateful to the hand up that helps you on a path to a future where you can provide for yourself and eventually help another. But it’s another story when you feel you have no other options, no possibility of ever getting out of the situation you’re in. Most people I know are very big on people taking personal responsibility, very few are good at actively supporting someone in their journey to learn how to take on that responsibility and succeed at it.

Case in point (using real numbers that I know about from my area) - if you qualify for reduced school lunch, then you also qualify for free book rental. Now - let’s say you have 4 children and qualify. Here that would equal $1,440 in free lunch and $845 in book rental. You also get some free school supplies to start the year - another $100 or so of assistance. So far, so good.

Then you find out you can move to a better job - one that pays $1 more an hour that you’d like better - but you’d need day care after school. Increase in take home pay - approx. $1,900. Loss of benefits from that one program - $2,285, plus you’d have additional expenses for child care.

That’s where you need someone to help you figure out beyond the basic math, of how to make the jump from your current job to something that will cover those additional costs. Simply telling someone to make more money when they can do the math and see that more might mean less isn’t going to motivate them. Maybe they need to get more education or experience and that new job would give them that and be the step they need to reach a level where they don’t need the assistance. But they need real help and advice and emotional support to take that leap - and practical steps that would help during the transition. They need hope that there is something better, they can achieve that something, and that the path they’re on to reach it is the right one. Otherwise it’s too scary, too impossible, too frustrating, and the only thing to do is stay stuck where you are.

 

[mek42]

I agree that the current step function used to cut off benefits is contrary to the goal of reintegration with productive society. Some sort of gently sloping curve where people can get raises and actually increase their cash flow would be better.

 

[jmcrae]

True - but there also is the matter of Hope. It’s easier to be grateful to the hand up that helps you on a path to a future where you can provide for yourself and eventually help another. But it’s another story when you feel you have no other options, no possibility of ever getting out of the situation you’re in. Most people I know are very big on people taking personal responsibility, very few are good at actively supporting someone in their journey to learn how to take on that responsibility and succeed at it.

Case in point (using real numbers that I know about from my area) - if you qualify for reduced school lunch, then you also qualify for free book rental. Now - let’s say you have 4 children and qualify. Here that would equal $1,440 in free lunch and $845 in book rental. You also get some free school supplies to start the year - another $100 or so of assistance. So far, so good.

Then you find out you can move to a better job - one that pays $1 more an hour that you’d like better - but you’d need day care after school. Increase in take home pay - approx. $1,900. Loss of benefits from that one program - $2,285, plus you’d have additional expenses for child care.

That’s where you need someone to help you figure out beyond the basic math, of how to make the jump from your current job to something that will cover those additional costs. Simply telling someone to make more money when they can do the math and see that more might mean less isn’t going to motivate them. Maybe they need to get more education or experience and that new job would give them that and be the step they need to reach a level where they don’t need the assistance. But they need real help and advice and emotional support to take that leap - and practical steps that would help during the transition. They need hope that there is something better, they can achieve that something, and that the path they’re on to reach it is the right one. Otherwise it’s too scary, too impossible, too frustrating, and the only thing to do is stay stuck where you are.

I agree completely that the supports need to be there for people to take the necessary steps to improve their situation - job (re)training, financial management skills - not just weekly budgeting, but how to save up for a car, a house, school, and retirement - what are the best vehicles to put your savings into, when you get to that point, and learning where, actually, does your money come from, and how much of it are you actually earning?; home-making skills - and again, not just cooking and cleaning, but making your home an emotionally, spiritually, and physically safe place for everyone who enters through the door; communication skills, and all of what goes into the difference between success and failure, when two people are given the same set of starting opportunities.