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Helping Kids Break The Cycle Of Poverty
This is what I learned about generational poverty as a respite foster caregiver .
By Susan Theder
IN EARLY 2020 , MY DAUGHTER APPROACHED me about fostering two brothers she met through her work with Peace4Kids , a nonprofit organization dedicated to building a sense of community for youth in foster care in the Compton area of Los Angeles . These two boys had come from a broken family in which both parents had struggled with homelessness , and one also suffered from drug addiction . The kids were placed into foster care with their older brother , but the caregiver decided that she no longer wanted the younger boys and “ 7-day ’ d ” them , meaning that social services had seven days to find them a “ new home .” They couldn ’ t find a home willing to take both boys so we were asked if we could provide a temporary respite home while they looked for a longer-term solution in which they could remain together .
As we welcomed the boys into our world , we became intimately acquainted with their lives as we took on new responsibilities , from driving them to school over an hour away so they didn ’ t have to switch schools , coordinating family visits with social workers , learning how to navigate Medicaid for doctors and dentists , and scheduling and participating in many different types of in-home therapy .
Two weeks after we took them in , Covid happened and everything went remote . My husband and I , our two high school daughters , and the two boys were all home trying to adjust to school and work on a computer and living in close quarters 24 / 7 . Despite the challenges , the bond we formed made us feel like a family as we navigated this transitional period . During that extended period , we learned a lot about what it really means to set children up for success , especially when so many factors are against them .
Research shows children from poor backgrounds are more likely to experience poverty in adulthood . They are disproportionately affected by institutional and systemic inequities — less access to a quality education or opportunity and a racial wealth gap , all of which are key problems in the cycle of poverty . Understanding these factors is crucial in addressing generational poverty effectively .
Limited access to quality education is a persistent obstacle in underserved communities , as many of these children are more likely to attend underfunded schools with inadequate resources . They find themselves caught in a cycle where their educational prospects are limited from the start , making it difficult to break free from the grip of poverty . In adulthood , that translates to lower-paying jobs that make it challenging to provide a stable home environment that fosters their own children ’ s physical , emotional and educational well-being .
And at no fault of their own , many of these young people also lack exposure to mentors who have achieved success and made good financial decisions , and that affects the children ’ s aspirations
28 | FINANCIAL ADVISOR MAGAZINE | MARCH 2024 WWW . FA-MAG . COM