PORTLAND, Maine - The authors of a new report hope it will be a call to action to change the public conversation about how to help the poor. The report shows that people at different levels of income tend to agree about the causes of, and solutions, to poverty.
The study found that most members of the general public - and most low-income Mainers - believe that the primary cause of poverty is the economy. The study also found that most people agree on measures to reduce poverty - including raising the minimum wage, and creating more access to health care and higher education.
Former TANF recipient Rochelle Riordan agrees. "I think people should have a way out," she says. "It shouldnt be a cyclical thing. I don't think generation after generation should be on welfare. But I think there should be a pathway to success."
The report was a joint project between the Maine Equal Justice Partners and the Every Child Matters education fund.
