<P> There have been many governmental and nongovernmental efforts to reduce poverty and its effects . These range in scope from neighborhood efforts to campaigns with a national focus . They target specific groups affected by poverty such as children, people who are autistic, immigrants, or people who are homeless . Efforts to alleviate poverty use a disparate set of methods, such as advocacy, education, social work, legislation, direct service or charity, and community organizing . </P> <P> Recent debates have centered on the need for policies that focus on both "income poverty" and "asset poverty ." Advocates for the approach argue that traditional governmental poverty policies focus solely on supplementing the income of the poor through programs such as Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and Food Stamps . According to the CFED 2012 Assets & Opportunity Scorecard, 27 percent of households--nearly double the percentage that are income poor--are living in "asset poverty ." These families do not have the savings or other assets to cover basic expenses (equivalent to what could be purchased with a poverty level income) for three months if a layoff or other emergency leads to loss of income . Since 2009, the number of asset poor families has increased by 21 percent from about one in five families to one in four families . In order to provide assistance to such asset poor families, Congress appropriated $24 million to administer the Assets for Independence Program under the supervision of the US Department for Health and Human Services . The program enables community - based nonprofits and government agencies to implement Individual Development Account or IDA programs, which are an asset - based development initiative . Every dollar accumulated in IDA savings is matched by federal and non-federal funds to enable households to add to their assets portfolio by buying their first home, acquiring a post-secondary education, or starting or expanding a small business . </P> <P> Additionally, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC or EIC) is a credit for people who earn low - to - moderate incomes . This credit allows them to get money from the government if their total tax outlay is less than the total credit earned, meaning it is not just a reduction in total tax paid but can also bring new income to the household . The Earned Income Tax Credit is viewed as the largest poverty reduction program in the United States . There is an ongoing debate in the U.S. about what the most effective way to fight poverty is, through the tax code with the EITC, or through the minimum wage laws . </P> <P> Government safety net programs put in place since the War on Poverty have helped reduce the poverty rate from 26% in 1967 to 16% in 2012, according to a Supplemental Poverty Model (SPM) created by Columbia University, while the official U.S. Poverty Rate has not changed, as the economy by itself has done little to reduce poverty . According to the 2013 Columbia University study which created the (SPM) method of measuring poverty, without such programs the poverty rate would be 29% today . An analysis of the study by Kevin Drum suggests the American welfare state effectively reduces poverty among the elderly but provides relatively little assistance to the working - age poor . A 2014 study by Pew Charitable Trusts shows that without social programs like food stamps, social security and the federal EITC, the poverty rate in the U.S. would be much higher . Nevertheless, the U.S. has the weakest social safety net of all developed nations . Sociologist Monica Prasad of Northwestern University argues that this developed because of government intervention rather than lack of it, which pushed consumer credit for meeting citizens' needs rather than applying social welfare policies as in Europe . </P>

The official measure of poverty of the us government is