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Poverty
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Pray, Learn, Act, and Connect on Domestic Poverty
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1. Pray
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Prayer for Solidarity
Almighty and ever-living God,
Empower your one human family to join hands on our journey of faith. Send us your spirit of hope, so that we may work to alleviate human suffering and foster charity and justice in our world.
Amen.~USCCB
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Daily Devotional
Set aside a few minutes each day to reflect on the relationship between poverty and racism with the Poverty and Racism: 31 Day Devotional, created by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, Catholic Charities-Social Concerns.
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2. Learn - Poverty & Our Faith
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What the US Catholic Bishops Say
Poverty and wealth are intimately tied to economic life. In A Catholic Framework for Economic Life, our bishops remind us that “As followers of Jesus Christ and participants in a powerful economy, Catholics in the United States are called to work for greater economic justice in the face of persistent poverty [and] growing income-gaps... We urge Catholics to use the following ethical framework for economic life as principles for reflection, criteria for judgment and directions for action.”
Here are a few of those 10 principles:
1. The economy exists for the person, not the person for the economy.
3. A fundamental moral measure of any economy is how the poor and vulnerable are faring.
4. All people have a right to life and to secure the basic necessities of life (e.g., food, clothing, shelter, education, health care, safe environment, economic security).
8. Society has a moral obligation, including governmental action where necessary, to assure opportunity, meet basic human needs, and pursue justice in economic life.
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2. Learn - Poverty Factors
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Negative Narratives
Persistent, often negative, narratives about people experiencing poverty have developed and grown through the “War on Poverty” era of the 1960s to today. Often these narratives relate to ideas of deservingness. Such narratives can also amplify other persistent biases related to issues of race, class, and gender.
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Racial Inequality
The average Black and Hispanic or Latino household in the U.S. earns about half as much as the average White household and owns only about 15 to 20 percent as much net wealth. Because of this, people of color have higher rates of living in poverty than white people. Read about wealth inequality or view the data on economic disparities by race and ethnicity in chart form.
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State and Federal Policies
State and federal policies designed to reduce or eliminate poverty divide people into categories—such as children, workers, or senior citizens—to determine eligibility for financial assistance. This patchwork of social welfare and anti-poverty programs varies greatly state-by-state in how well they actually reduce poverty.
Check out PBS Frontline's What Happened to Poverty in America in 2021 for a review of how pandemic challenges and pandemic-related policies affected poverty.
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Learn the Facts
Learn more about poverty through Poverty USA's Poverty Facts page. Explore rates of poverty in the U.S. by county or other demographics, and find out the cost of poverty in the United States.
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3. Act
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Quick Ways to Start Acting to Alleviate Poverty
Donate to a food pantry (such as our very own Micah 6!) to help relieve hunger.
Consider volunteering for or supporting one of St. Austin's ministries that offer support to people experiencing poverty: Outreach to Persons in Need, St. Vincent de Paul, Gabriel Project, Micah 6, or St. Austin's Meals on Wheels team.
Contact organizations that work to address poverty (see the "Connect" section below for ideas!) to get a list of their most wanted items. Invite family and friends to join your effort.
Choose your words wisely. Using derogatory terms and/or making generalizations about people who are living in poverty works against people who are trying to get back on their feet. Instead, talk with people who are struggling and listen to their stories.
Use public transportation whenever possible. Your support helps to ensure that public transportation remains available for us all.
See more ideas from Poverty USA.
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Advocate for Anti-Poverty Measures
Contact your Congressperson and Senators to advocate for a strengthened Child Tax Credit, which drastically cut child poverty rates in 2021.
Sign up for the Texas Catholic Voice (click "Join us") for updates on the Texas Legislature and state-wide advocacy opportunities.
Sign up for action alerts from the USCCB’s Secretariat of Justice and Peace to receive the latest updates on key federal legislation affecting those in need.
Email Kristen for other ideas or if you need help getting started.
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4. Connect
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Local Organizations
St. Austin's ministries of charity --Outreach, St. Vincent de Paul, Gabriel Project, Micah 6, and St. Austin's Meals on Wheels team -- work to provide basic needs to those experiencing poverty or a temporary financial hardship.
Catholic Charities of Central Texas serves anyone in need by strengthening families and promoting respect for human dignity and life. They seek to fight poverty, impact communities, and improve quality of life.
Visit our Housing Plaza for organizations that fight poverty through affordable housing.
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National Organizations
Poverty USA is an initiative of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) and was created as an educational resource to help individuals and communities to address poverty in America by confronting the root causes of economic injustice—and promoting policies that help to break the cycle of poverty.
RESULTS is a movement of passionate, committed everyday people who use their voices to influence political decisions that will bring an end to poverty.
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What about Global Poverty?
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We plan to add a page on global poverty in the future. Meanwhile, check out these pages from the USCCB: Global Poverty & Global Poverty: Debt Relief.
Looking to Act? Every year, Congress decides how to spend the money in the U.S. federal budget. Urge lawmakers to support issues that build the foundation to end poverty – health, education, and economic opportunity - through the Global Poverty Budget & Appropriations.
Looking to connect? Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas, and RESULTS and Bread for the World fight poverty both domestically and internationally.
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