THE ONE LESS FOUNDATION

This is often the perspective we examine when we look at the root causes of poverty and the reinforcement of poverty.

"But what if the focus on the disadvantaged is misplaced? What if the persistence of poverty has less to do with the misfortunes of the needy than with the advantages the affluent presume they are entitled to? In Poverty, by America, Matthew Desmond, a sociologist at Princeton, argues that we need to examine the behavior and priorities not of the poor but of “those of us living lives of privilege and plenty.”

"To the contrary, poverty is a social reality that Americans create and sustain—and from which many of the nonpoor benefit materially in more direct ways than they care to acknowledge. Desmond’s mission is to disabuse the better-off among us of the illusion that they are mere bystanders with their hands tied. Many wealthy people assume that the built-in advantages that come with affluence are their due, and take for granted their freedom to choose among many life options. What they fail to recognize is that their choices contribute to foreclosing options for people of lesser means, whose lives are already far more constrained."

The One Cause of Poverty That’s Never Considered In a new book, Matthew Desmond argues that to understand what keeps people poor, we need to take a good look at the rich.

Philly Renters! Join us Monday, July 19th at 5:30pm. We’ll be covering everything you need to know about Phase 4 of Philadelphia’s Rental Assistance program.

There will be a live Q&A at the end of the presentation. You can also pre-submit questions by emailing [email protected].