
Over 200,000 people are living in deep poverty in Philadelphia.
(Photo by Flickr user Tony Fischer Follow, used under a Creative Commons license)
It shouldn’t need to be said, but here we go: Nobody chooses to be poor.
And in a city with a 26 percent poverty rate that’s surely trying but hasn’t yet figured out a way to quell it, it’s important to look at all the factors that impact a person’s economic situation — perhaps most importantly, how well-off their parents were.
In October’s issue of Philadelphia magazine, reporter Steve Volk takes a hard look at that longstanding myth of the American Dream — that no matter what circumstances a person is born into, they can achieve prosperity through hard work. It’s simply not that simple.
Volk also examines a program producing encouraging results for children in poor households: Diversified Community Services’ HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters), which takes a two-generational approach to breaking the cycle of poverty. Here’s to more solutions-oriented efforts.
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