During this past election, the issue of a social safety net was discussed more than I can remember in recent history - largely because healthcare is now also being wrapped up in this category. For many of us, this is something we never directly encounter - never needing assistance to feed ourselves and our families or for housing or to make electricity payments or even to assist with healthcare. While I have never utilized any of the government sponsored social safety net programs, I feel like I have truly utilized my own private safety net this year - it kept me from splatting on the ground like a bug on a car's windshield.
For me, this has better helped me to understand the importance of these programs. For those who were not born as lucky as I, to have family and friends who are able and willing to step up when I am in need, these programs are crucial - to keep one from sliding further into the poverty they are struggling to overcome.
According to the federal poverty threshold, I fall below the poverty line. That is less than $11,170 for a single person or $23,050 for a family of four for 2012. To give some context, to qualify for SNAP (food stamps), a household must fall under 130% of the poverty threshold.
Another concept I have recently encountered is Asset Poverty. Basically, this means not having enough wealth to cover three months of expenses (if all income were to stop).
So, using my life as an example, for all technical purposes, I am living on the edge. I spend more than 30% of my income on rent - meaning I do not have affordable housing - (one indicator people use) and my income places me as poor. One of the top reasons people fall into poverty is health related - illness or injuries often lead to huge unplanned costs that can push a person barely making ends meet over the edge. There are a few things that I can say have kept me from falling off that edge that I dance along.
1) I am not asset poor. I was raised by a parents that value and emphasize the importance of saving. When I am making money, I do my best to put some away for a rainy day. And, except for plane tickets, I don't spend huge amounts of money - not a lot goes to going out, food, drink, clothing, gadgets, etc. These are things for which I can personally take responsibility, but, there are also many factors contributing to asset poverty not directly within one's control.
I have been lucky enough to have been supported by my parents until I was 22ish. This meant I could save. Many people living on the edge, or entrenched in generational poverty do not share this luxury. Their incomes, from a young age, went to support the family or meeting basic needs or still have to provide for extended family members. If someone has ever had a run-in with the law, (s)he may also be paying off fines - cutting into his/her savings. Others are paying off school debt. If someone has children, that is a huge expense that prevents a building of wealth. These are just a few of the challenges.
2) Most important in my safety net, I have had health insurance. I will spend approximately $900 on health related expenses this year. This includes co-pays for preventative check-ups, dentist, vision, etc. and the many expenses related to my broken foot (hospital, x-rays, five orthopedic appointments, five weeks of P.T.). Had I not still been covered by my father's insurance, I would have had to pay at least $7,000 for all of these services. Whether you agree with the Affordable Care Act or not, I can tell you it saved me from spending a huge part of my savings on unexpected and preventative health services. I would have quickly become asset poor or had to sacrifice some piece of this potentially jeopardizing long-term healing. This, again, is something I lucked into. I have a parent with amazing health insurance - a privilege many folks do not possess. I was young enough to stay on that insurance, with the changes to the laws. And, thankfully, my broken foot came before I aged off. Many, many college friends of mine have struggled to find employment with the economy as it is and this one change has kept droves of us for falling off financial cliffs. For those without health insurance, it is fairly clear the kind of challenges these expenses could trigger.
3) I had parents that would take me in while I recovered from my recent injury and provide me with housing, food, and transportation (I also had amazing friends that provided me with transportation in DC area). In terms of housing and food, making up approximately 50% of my expenses on any given month, having these covered while I was not working made a huge difference to plug the drain. For those stuck in low income jobs or struggling to rise out of poverty, the many support programs that supplement/off-set these costs can truly make a huge difference.
4) Transportation, though not really within the social safety net, this was huge for my private safety net and can have a devastating impact on people's ability to maintain employment and meet challenges. It is something I never would have considered in such detail pre-injury. I commute on a bike or a combination of walking/public transportation - this is a fairly typical way to get around for low-income city dwellers. That walk is .5 miles to the bus or 1.2 miles to the metro. After breaking my foot, I have never felt more trapped. That was a trek on crutches. I had to rely on others to drive me to/from my doctors' appointments - without my private safety net, I would have incurred huge taxi fares. As I was in the process of applying to and trying to find a new job, my short-term contract was ending, my prospects were suddenly severely limited because of transportation.
Now imagine you are disabled or injured or working 12+ hour, physically demanding days and then having to make the public transportation + walking commute. This challenge limits where you can work, when you can work, etc. Or, hypothetically, imagine a super storm hits and knocks out those means of transportation - low income jobs are the least likely to shut down when storms hit because these are your restaurants, stores, gas stations, 24-7 factories, etc. but those workers are the most likely to rely on public transportation, see the problem here?
5) Mental support is the last piece a social safety net really can provide. Offering counseling or other emotional supports are key to everyone of us. I would in no way have weathered my injury (or any challenge in my life) without the extensive support of my parents, roommates, family and friends - both literal support and emails/messages/cheers. For those taking the first steps out of poverty or living on the edge support is key. This is a challenging and exhausting path. Often times those living in poverty are surrounded by others in the same situation and at times simply try to accept their situation because they do not see an alternative. When struggling to feed yourself or keep a roof over your head, it is hard to notice a friend who needs to talk or who could use a helping hand. Especially, in our individualistic society where we tend to have the 'I'll do it myself' mentality, asking for that hand is a smack to our pride and self-esteem. But, if delivered correctly those social safety net supports can provide dignified support that allows us to not slide off that edge and to see there is a bridge just a few feet down.
My hope is, with all you have already read over the past few days, and my personal experiences you can see how the social safety net is crucial to support those in our community who were not lucky enough to be born with a private safety net or whose private net has been mangled and torn and no longer is able to catch them when they fall. Truly, had my cards been drawn in a slightly different order, I may have been in a drastically different place in this very moment.
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