Poverty, Welfare, and Self-Sufficiency: Implications for the Social Work ProfessionJoseph, R. (2019). Poverty, welfare, and self-sufficiency: Implications for the social work profession. Journal of Poverty, 23(6), 505–520. https://doi.org/10.1080/10875549.2019.1616037
This article explores the scope of poverty in the United States; assessed anti-poverty policies in relation to their failure to produce long-term self-sufficiency outcomes for recipients; and discussed two appropriate social work interventions – empowerment practice and social advocacy – for working with marginalized populations, including welfare recipients (Joseph, 2019). It is concluded that, because the American welfare state is fundamentally flawed, people living in poverty may experience difficulties reaching their full potential if stranded for too long on the rolls of means-tested benefits (Joseph, 2019). This paper proposed a self-sufficiency framework for poverty and social welfare stakeholders (Joseph, 2019).