'Self-Sufficiency Standard' Reveals Distressing Levels of Poverty

Jilly Stephens explains the difficulty in quantifying poverty in the United States, which makes it difficult to create policies and programs to combat the causes and effects of poverty.

For instance:

The federal poverty threshold, which was developed over five decades ago and is based on what the estimated food costs were for a family at that time, has been widely criticized as being outdated and flawed. Meanwhile, the New York City poverty number, which is calculated by the City’s Center for Economic Opportunity, takes into account all of a family’s expenses, including housing and resources such as government benefits. While the New York poverty number is a closer reflection of how people live, it’s still not the most accurate measurement.

As an antidote to "cookie-cutter standards, Stewart introduces the Self-Sufficiency Standard, as developed by the Center for Women’s Welfare. According to Stewart's explanation, "[developed] by the Center for Women’s Welfare, the standard examines the income necessary for families to afford basic needs—such as food, shelter, clothing and transportation—in various cities and states without public assistance. It identifies what it takes for a family to simply survive, not thrive."

Stewart goes on to provide insight into the 2014 Self-Sufficiency Standard for New York—a shocking 42 percent of households do not meet the standard.