This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
On Jan. 8, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared an "unconditional war on poverty." The legislation in response to Johnson's charge created Head Start, Medicaid, Medicare, the modern food stamp program (now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP), an expansion of Social Security and the Community Action Program, among others. As a result, in the first 10 years of the War on Poverty, the U.S. poverty rate fell by more than 40 percent. In the decades that followed, the War on Poverty inspired new anti-poverty programs such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit, Early Head Start and the Child Care Development Block Grant.
But the work is not done yet. While the poverty rate has not risen to pre-War on Poverty levels, it is still a problem. Currently, about 50 million people in the United States live below the poverty line. In Utah, 1 in 8 people, and 1 in 7 children, live in poverty. The op-ed of Nov. 1, "Utah can lead nation in ending the poverty cycle," by Natalie Gochnour and Jon S. Pierpont, very accurately outlined what is necessary for Utah to advance against poverty. Salt Lake Community Action Program is committed to breaking the cycle of poverty, and we join Gochnour and Pierpont in their exhortation that, "We need elected officials, religious leaders, business owners, academic experts and nonprofit organizations to focus on successful outcomes."
In July, Salt Lake Community Action Program began an innovative partnership with the Utah Department of Workforce Services called "Next Generation Kids." This program identifies and works with families that are part of intergenerational poverty cohorts in specific Utah communities. To qualify for these cohorts, an adult family member must have received assistance as a child. Next Generation Kids focuses on the entire family by assisting parents with employment and intensive services that benefit everyone. The project targets families with children 12 years and younger who have received financial assistance anytime during the past 12 months. Services are delivered to parents and children to eliminate barriers to work and health care, and also to address other facets of self-sufficiency.
Salt Lake Community Action Program will continue to fight poverty, and especially intergenerational poverty, by providing infant-to-adult programs, which include Early Head Start, Head Start, Real Food Rising, Nutrition Assistance, Adult Education Services, HEAT and Weatherization Services and Housing Case Management. Each of these programs are tailored to community need and focus on ultimate goal of helping those in poverty to achieve self-sufficiency.
Poverty is not simply a matter of living with less luxury; it's an all-encompassing trap that destroys pride, optimism and self-esteem. It locks people in vicious cycles in which every ounce of energy is focused on getting by, with none left over for getting ahead. Poverty obscures the routes to self-sufficiency by infecting and isolating entire communities so children grow up never knowing what success looks like or being able to realistically imagine themselves as achievers.
It will take collaboration from all community stake-holders to stop the advancement of poverty. If we work together, we can make a tremendous impact on the lives of Utah's most needy and deserving citizens. Let us continue to build on our successes and implement new and innovative ideas that will help us end poverty once and for all in our lifetime.
Erin Trenbeath-Murray is the chief executive officer of Salt Lake Community Action Program and director of Head Start.