The Barriers for People in Poverty (abbreviated)

Officially, one out of every nine people in Central Oregon lives in poverty. However, nearly one in three of us are hovering above the officially poverty line -- lacking the necessary income needed to live decently. Whether living under the official poverty threshold or hovering above it, those of us with low incomes face a number of barriers that keep them from overcoming their situation and becoming economically stable. It is an obstacle course to be traversed daily.

Note: we have chosen to focus this document on barriers people face rather than root causes of poverty. Causes and barriers are often the same. However, we believe that barriers are simply that -- an obstruction that can be moved and overcome.

Living Within an Obstacle Course - Barriers faced while living in poverty - complete and referenced version - pdf

1. Low Education/Job Skills
Changes in our economy have made it increasingly hard for workers with a high school education, or less to earn enough to support a family. A person without a high school education in Oregon is 72 percent more likely to be in poverty than one with a high school degree.¹ A worker with a 4- year college degree earns 125 percent more on average than one with a high school degree.²

2. Low-wage Employment/Unemployment
As the American economy has shifted from manufacturing to service jobs, the number of higher paying jobs for low-skilled workers has diminished. Much of this service work is seasonal or part-time, offering little room for advancement and little, if any, benefits.³ Among genders, women are much more likely to earn poverty-level wages than men.⁴

3. Single Motherhood
Family structure is highly correlated with poverty. Households run by single mothers, whether the consequence of divorce or birth of out-of-wedlock childbirth, are far more likely to be in poverty. Poverty rates in female-headed households are typically 3 to 4 times as high as those for the general population.⁵

4. Lack of Health or Dental Care
Health and life expectancy in the United States are strongly correlated with income. People who live at the bottom of the socio-economic strata are more likely to be sick and hospitalized due to the compounding impacts of poverty.⁶ Approximately half the people living below the federal poverty line work full time or more;⁷ yet they frequently have no health insurance. Rural residents are twice as likely to be uninsured as their urban counterparts.⁸   Poor health and lack of insurance can create significant medical debt, which, as research shows, is at the root of half of all bankruptcies.⁹

5. Unreliable Transportation
Transportation to work is a particular challenge for those living in rural environments, where the population is often distant and scattered from work sources¹⁰ If a person cannot reliably get to employment, that employment will not be retained for any length of time. Studies show that 41 percent of recently hired welfare recipients have absences that are likely attributable to transportation problems.¹¹ This lack of transportation affects not only employability but also access to other services essential to preventing poverty including training programs, medical appointments, agency appointments, and childcare facilities.¹²

Next Page:  Barriers 6-10
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References