SHORT TERM

LONG TERM

• Most low-income families live significantly below the poverty line.
• The low-income (poverty) gap is the difference between the poverty line threshold and the median after-tax income of all low-income families living below that threshold.

Poverty is a complex issue. It is the result of multiple social systems failing to protect individuals and families from material deprivation. Some of the consequences of poverty include poor nutrition and physical health, social isolation, and limited financial stability.

For many, poverty is the inability to maintain a standard of daily living that will ensure an individual or family’s overall health and well-being. The effects of poverty, however, are not limited to those who are poor—poverty and social inequality decrease the overall health of a society. When a segment of the population faces barriers to economic opportunity, access to health care, and education (among other factors associated with the social determinates of health), a community cannot reach its full potential.

This data has been collected from external sources and should not always be attributed to ESPC. We would be happy to provide you with a specific reference for the data that you have used. Please click on the text to the right to request sourcing information, report an error or omission, or provide your comments