Ending Hunger in America, 2014 Hunger Report Full Report | Page 187

CHRISTIAN STUDY GUIDE – 2014 HUNGER REPORT

SESSION 2: FAMILIES AND HOUSEHOLDS AS ECONOMIC UNITS
The Application
1. Read Box i.4 on page 31 (or in the Featured Stories at www.hungerreport.org). Note
the many causal relationships that affect families. On a flip chart page, make three columns. In the first column, list the “causes” (e.g., lack of economic stability) in the article,
and in the second, list the potential “results”
(e.g., people remaining unmarried) that are
mentioned. Then in the third column, list “sug2013 Federal Poverty Guidelines
gestions” for changing some of these cause and
48 contiguous states and DC
effect relationships.
2. Visit http://www.epi.org/resources/budget/ and
enter your location and the sizes of the households that your group members live in. Review
the estimates of what it costs to live in your area.
Then compare those numbers with the U.S.
weighted poverty thresholds as shown here for
households of these sizes. How do these numbers compare with your group’s actual experiences of the cost of living? Based on Figure 1.1
on page 37 make a list of policies that might
help families move themselves out of the bottom
fifth of household incomes.

The e-connect
Share the cost of living and poverty threshold
numbers from this session with your online community on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media
network. Start a conversation about what it means
to live in poverty in your community.

Household Size

100 percent

1

$11,490

2

$15,510

3

$19,530

4

$23,550

5

$27,570

6

$31,590

7

$35,610

8

$39,630

For each additional
person, add

www.bread.org/institute?

$4,020

? 2014 Hunger Report? 177

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