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ENGL101-1403A-13

Brooklyn is a place in New York East with a mixed industrial and residential neighborhood. East New York is estimated to have a population of 183,000 as a 2010. These population has been growing rapidly over the years. Over forty percent of the population in New York, live below the poverty line. Concentrated poverty rate can be described as the proportion of people in a particular geographical area who live in extreme poverty neighborhoods. Concentrated poverty levels in Brooklyn for example rose from 38 percent in 2000 to 43 percent in 2006.

Major causes of poverty among the people living in these neighborhood are: Low unemployment levels. The number of people without jobs is on the rise. Most people live with minimum income and hence do not afford the basic needs such as food and shelter. Low income earners are many yet the economy of the state is high. High population in the area leads to scarcity of resources. The available resources are also limited and unevenly distributed. Apathy is another cause. This is when the people affected do not care or feel so powerless and do not see the need to change an existing wrong in the society. People are therefore careless and do not want to take charge of their lives.

Poverty has negative effects on the population among them being; increased stress levels on families living under poverty. Provision of basic needs becomes hard for most families and they live in anxiety and uncertainty (Heltberg, Hossain, & Reva, 2012).

Increased crime levels. Brooklyn is an area where crime is on the high side. Poverty is directly linked to crime as most poor people result to crime for livelihood

Children born under poverty are usually born underweight and a huge percent of them die before the age of five years. High child mortality rates are therefore experienced. These children have their school programs disrupted as they miss school due to diseases that come along with poverty.

Poverty may not be totally eliminated but can be reduced to acceptable levels (Steers, Sanchez-Runde, & Nardon, 2010). This can be done by; creating good jobs for the jobless and low income earners, raising wages, training to ensure that people have the necessary skills required for independence, strengthening the affected families, emphasis on basic education for acquisition of skills and hence reduced crime levels, ensuring equitable distribution of resources by the government to give all citizens equal opportunities, encouraging entrepreneurship, improvement of health and infrastructure and ensuring food security. These and many more are among the measures the government can take to ensure that poverty levels are reduced and that its citizens have good living standards.

References Heltberg, R., Hossain, N., & Reva, A. (2012). Living through Crises: How the Food, Fuel, and Financial Shocks Affect the Poor. World Bank Publications, 2012. Steers, R. M., Sanchez-Runde, C. J., & Nardon, L. (2010). Management Across Cultures: Challenges and Strategies. Cambridge University Press, 2010.