“In my opinion, many of this country’s current social policies do little to alleviate poverty,” writes Bernardine Watson, a researcher and writer living in Washington, D.C. The current system “does not encourage higher education, but is more focused on services intended to lead to immediate employment” in low-wage, dead-end jobs. “Also, the steep cuts proposed in the food-stamp program don’t bode well for any needy family.” Watson benefited from many of the Great Society and War on Poverty programs in the 1970s, when she was a single mother with no means of support and no marketable skills. A college counselor helped her apply for welfare, Food Stamps and financial aid. She earned her bachelor’s degree in 1975 and later a master’s degree. These days, Pell grants cover only a third of a four-year college degree’s costs, Congress restricted Pell grant eligibility in 2011, and some in Congress want even deeper cuts. Watson feels the path she took out of poverty in the 1970s is not available for young women today.
Source: Washington Post, 6/27/13, Climb Out of Poverty
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