families Poverty is unquestionably one of the major social problems that has persisted in the United States for hundreds of years. Poverty does not discriminate against Caucasians, African Americans, Hispanics, Jews, homosexuals, heterosexuals, age, gender, or people with disabilities. Poverty can affect any population, community, ethnic group and family. According to the US Census Bureau, 43.6 million people were in poverty in 2009, an increase from 2008. (Insert citation for website). There are multiple causes why a family or individual may fall into poverty, including, but not limited to, disability, unemployment, age, and recessions, as we saw during the 2008 recession and the Great Depression. In this article I will address poverty as a social problem and its causes. I will also focus on the effects of poverty on children and single-mother-headed households and how Temporary Assistance for Needy Families came into being to help children and families in poverty. Before we can explain the causes of poverty, it is first necessary to define what poverty is. If you were to ask someone their definition of poverty, you would get several definitions. In the United States there has been much conflict over the definition of poverty, but according to Diana DiNitto (2007), poverty can be defined in six different ways. Poverty such as deprivation, inequality, lack of human capital, culture, exploitation and structure are the six different ways. When a family or individual does not have sufficient income to meet all their basic needs, they are described as destitute. Poverty as deprivation explains that a family or individual is deprived when they live below the standard... middle of paper... Account that not all recipients are able to accept this type of work, especially those with young children. I think if a beneficiary has found a job but is unable to take it due to long hours and has reached the two year mark, then he should have a grace period on the five year limit until he is able to find a better job better job. The beneficiary can only be granted the grace period if he/she demonstrates in a documented way that he/she has found work but cannot accept due to the circumstance of not having childcare during the granted working hours. The government has created numerous programs under the Social Security Act to help prevent poverty. While programs similar to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families have done their part in trying to prevent poverty, they need to continue to be overhauled to reduce the U.S. poverty rate..