This is what generational poverty looks like in Philadelphia

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.