Poverty is defined as the state in which a person is deprived, or lacks the standard and socially acceptable amount of material possession or money. While it may be true that there are no set criteria for measuring the wealth or money of an individual to determine their financial state, or the proximity to poverty, the most common method of establishing whether a person is poor or not is their ability to afford the basic needs of life (Kneebone & Berube, 2013) . In other words, if an individual is unable to afford a standard housing and shelter, education and meals, then such a person is considered. Therefore, poverty can be defined simply as the state in which one is unable to afford the basic needs and wants in life. Following this simplified understanding of poverty, the American society uses the poverty threshold as a standard measure of poverty in which any citizen who is unable to afford the goods and services commonly take for granted by members of the general society is considered poor.
Poverty qualifies as a social problem when one considers the effect it has on other members of the society, bearing in mind the recognition of a social problem has any issue whose effects influence the general peace, wellbeing, and security of the society (Korgen & Furst, 2012) . The inability to afford these basic goods and services would to a great extent affect the peace and security of the mainstream society as issues such as theft and generally poor living conditions come up (Hoynes, Page & Stevens, 2006) . In understanding exactly how poverty is a threat to the community as a social problem, it is essential to consider the statistics on poverty which report that most Americans and those people living in America would most likely spend at least one year living below the poverty line at some point in their lives between the ages of 25 and 75 (Desmond & Western, 2018) . It is interesting to observe additionally that poverty rates in the rural and inner-city parts are persistently higher as compared to the suburban areas.
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In 2015 alone, approximately 13.5% of Americans lived in poverty, translating to about 43 million individuals. Recent data shows about half the American population lives below the poverty line, surviving on less than $2 per day, with 1 in every five millennials living in poverty (Shaefer Wu & Edin, 2017) . The pressing question thus is, "what causes poverty?". Considering the recent progress America has made in global trade, and the improved economy, many people would assume that more Americans live comfortably now than they did before and that the poverty levels would reduce substantially. Yet, the levels continue to rise, at some point matching the poverty levels that were witnessed in the 70s, 80s, and 90s (Kneebone & Nadeau, 2015) . One of the common reasons for poverty in America today is the increased immigration into the country. As more foreigners come into the country seeking asylum, protection and other forms of aid, they bring along with them little work experience, hence, are forced to work meager jobs which hardly sustain their meals, let alone enable them to afford housing. The government spends a lot of revenues annually to answer to the needs of the immigrants, whose input into the country's economy is nothing close to the billions of dollars spent on them. The high cost of living is another factor that has been blamed for the increasing levels of poverty (Brady, 2019) . With the level of the economy going up, most Americans find it difficult to afford basic needs on the meager pays that they earn. Hence most of them are forced to seek alternatives, such as living in shelters, taking part-time jobs, and in extreme cases, international students are forced to drop out of school (Korgen & Furst, 2012) .
The government may be doing its best to solve the situation, with such initiatives as free medical care, education grants and investing more in mortgages, but a lot still needs to be done. The Medicaid and Medicare programs, college sponsorship programs and other government initiatives, both at local, state and federal levels are all geared towards helping the individuals living below the poverty access better healthcare and education, but the society can do much more (Blank, 2018) . Personal initiatives, such as offering better jobs to skilled and determined but academically unqualified individuals would be a significant step in the right direction. Most employers emphasize on academic qualifications and work experience instead of giving inexperienced but passionate and determined workers a chance (Kandachar & Halme, 2017) . This explains why immigrants find it difficult getting better-paying jobs which in most cases are reserved for the Ivy League Americans. Other initiatives members of the society can take include sponsoring needy students in the community. Private investors could take up college scholarship programs as part of their CSR programs, thus providing bright but needy students a chance at a better education, and ultimately a chance at better-paying jobs.
It is essential that every American has a role to play when it comes to fighting poverty, but to do so would first mean embracing brotherhood, love, and unity. The primary cause of poverty today is individualism. Almost everyone is concerned with their wellbeing and does not stop to consider those around them — no wonder the widening social gap between the poor and the rich. By learning to be mindful of each other, not only will the rich be able to provide more employment opportunities to the poor, but they will also be able to initiate and support programs, such as housing. These will go a long way in ensuring every member of the community leaves comfortably, and that the society realizes collective success, rather than just personal elevation.
References
Blank, R. M. (2018). It Takes a Nation: A New Agenda for Fighting Poverty-Updated Edition . Princeton University Press.
Brady, D. (2019). Theories of the Causes of Poverty. Annual Review of Sociology , 45 .
Desmond, M., & Western, B. (2018). Poverty in America: New directions and debates. Annual Review of Sociology , 44 , 305-318.
Hoynes, H. W., Page, M. E., & Stevens, A. H. (2006). Poverty in America: Trends and explanations. Journal of Economic Perspectives , 20 (1), 47-68.
Kandachar, P., & Halme, M. (2017). Introduction. Farewell to pyramids: how can business and technology help to eradicate poverty? In Sustainability Challenges and Solutions at the Base of the Pyramid (pp. 13-40). Routledge.
Kneebone, E., & Berube, A. (2013). Confronting suburban poverty in America . Brookings Institution Press.
Kneebone, E., & Nadeau, C. A. (2015). The resurgence of concentrated poverty in America: Metropolitan trends in the 2000s. The new American suburb: Poverty, race, and the economic crisis , 15-38.
Korgen, K. & Furst, G. (2012). Social problems: Causes & responses. Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
Shaefer, H. L., Wu, P., & Edin, K. (2017). Can poverty in America be compared to conditions in the world's poorest countries? American Journal of Medical Research , 4 (1), 84.
