<P> According to Edin: "No one avoided the unnecessary expenditures, such as the occasional trip to the Dairy Queen, or a pair of stylish new sneakers for the son who might otherwise sell drugs to get them some money or something, or the Cable TV subscription for the kids home alone and you are afraid they will be out on the street if they are not watching TV ." However many mothers skipped meals or did odd jobs to cover those expenses . According to Edin, for "most welfare - reliant mothers food and shelter alone cost almost as much as these mothers received from the government . For more than one - third, food and housing costs exceeded their cash benefits, leaving no extra money for uncovered medical care, clothing, and other household expenses ." </P> <P> In the age of inequality, such anti-poverty policies are more important than ever, as higher inequality creates both more poverty along with steeper barriers to getting ahead, whether through the lack of early education, nutrition, adequate housing, and a host of other poverty - related conditions that dampen ones chances in life . </P> <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>

What is considered living in poverty in the us