What I'm starting to think it's going to take is outside intervention.  Intervention to get across the point that such longstanding failure to address the problems you mentioned and closely related ones (like health care) are what they really are in all too many cases - HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES.  I'd love to see this addressed internally but as you've noted yourself, it's as if cries fall on deaf ears - of if the ears can hear, the responses are snotty (like get your own damn job, then get your own damn food and your own damn housing - as if it were that simple and as if the typically available jobs really did pay what's necessary and/or everyone really CAN work).  And yes, this is one of those times where I'm sitting at home rolling my eyes.

All that's needed, all we'd have to do to AVOID outside intervention is a handful of things - but they're things that, quite frankly are both low on list of political importance and generally also on lists of political expedience.  The first would be to flat out tank the Federal Poverty Line we have now;  admit that Mollie Orshansky's report was very, horribly, badly flawed and that as a result for over 40 years we've beyond inadequately funded our "assistance" programs, written inappropriate guidelines for them and inappropriately funded them all because we had a hideously mistaken idea of what poverty was that grossly underestimated it.  The next would be to figure out what poverty IS in this country since it's NOT correctly estimated by the FPL as based in Mollie Orshansky's report - which is almost certainly going to have to include some regional indexing since things like food and housing costs vary from one area to another and sometimes by quite a bit.  The third would be to develop guidelines for some assistance programs that really DO assist people - and without forcing them into absolute abject poverty just to get something that pretends to be help (like some states' current versions of MNP Medicaid, where they even have that any more or have it in a way you can actually GET it).  Fourth, from food to housing to medical assistance we have to fund all programs adequately so that they can help all who need help - which means that we can't continue playing word games to pretend people don't need help (like that a person isn't homeless if they sleep in a car) and we can't legalize discrimination in the aid programs (like pretending adults don't need toilet paper and dish soap so that we can deny them cash aid even when the only adult or all adults in the household are elderly and/or disabled).  Finally, we need to make these things exempt from budget cuts so things like what the Governator just did by line item veto and by his budet bullying in CA can't be done to take an ax to the assistance programs' budgets and cut aid for the needy - budgets shouldn't be "solved" or "balanced" on the backs of the neediest and the helpless...even if it means raising fees and taxes...there's got to be a guaranteed minimum level of services and funding absolutely, positively no matter what and that must be indexed to things like inflation and cost of living (which also needs to be fixed so it reflects all costs like food - since some important things are left out of its figures).

You're right about one thing, it's a lot harder to live it than to watch poverty and talk about it.  I swore growing up I'd never come back to this and every day I remember why.  There's nothing as miserable as having to worry daily about whether or not you can keep your bills paid, if you'll have enough food (even crap food), if your health can hold out with or without docs, if you can keep housing, praying that the rent won't go up again, that the car won't need repairs, etc.  After a while that sucks your soul out or at least tries its damnedest to do so.  You've got to be quite a fighter to survive poverty and quite the optimist too if you want to survive it without becoming overtly bitter. 

Have you read Upton Sinclair's The Jungle?  While we've upgraded a few labor, meat processing and food laws, how people in poverty are treated - ultimately - isn't all that different even now.  At least not that I can see from here.  Might be different groups and ethnicities, but the societal attitudes are frighteningly similar.

The Magazine called the progressive put out an 100the anniversity issue which high lighted a few stories from past years. The nouns has changed but not the actions Instead of fighting the wobbleys, with clubs, Labor Unions are being knuckled under to accept less pay.

I am glad to hear people talking about our human rights. As the right to make a livable wage.

I would love to hear authors understand that the FPL is a Joke it only includes food costs. There are more than 120 million people that do not make enough to pay for life's basics. They are told $12.00 an hour for a coffee manager is a good wage.  Yet even by the think tanks own low numbers they fall short  $5.50 each hour.  

Leigh you are doing a good job. We need people to call for the end of all poverty TODAY.

Why aren't others posting there thought on this topic, we should call a friend and give this site. I think I will email a friend who for the past decade lives in So, Korera She gives a dam.

I have also posted at the site talking about HUD  I learned these facts at a poverty conference in Louisville Kentucky this month.  It went like this

I am delighted that your are giving some of the real facts about vouchers.  As someone unpaid but immersed in the homeless field I hear about people unable to pay the deposit, now required to utilize a voucher.  And even Bad credit checks making people ineligible for the program. Walk 5 miles in our sures WE ARE UNDERPAID, that is why we have no, or bad credit!   These are unneeded "Barriers".

Other unneeded BARRIERS are the number of vouchers dropping. The count of available vouchers relay upon whether the government spends 84 Billion on housing,  or under 30 Billion.

In 2000, the HUD  funding dipped to 25 billion. it then rose and leveled off under 30 billion a year under Bush.  Between 1976 and 1980 HUD rose from 58 billion, to about 84 billion. with steep drops after that. From Chart 3: HUD Budget Authority and McKinney Homeless Assistance funding.

Around 2006 the Mc Kinney funding nearly reached 1 billion

 In 2005 only 1.5% of America's outlays were spent on HUD.

from The Executive Office of the President,Office of Management and Budget 2006 & 2007.

Most Americans are not aware of HUD Funding rates. As far as I can tell this figures and charts, were composed by HUD themselves.