Poverty is a growing problem in America, and it is likely that it will never stop being a problem. A person identified as living in poverty lives below the poverty line determined by the federal government. In 2015, the poverty line for a family of four was $24,250. These are the people who are truly considered poor. Poverty is not just a problem in the United States; in fact, other countries are struggling just as much, if not more, than the United States. Many people struggle to stay above the government-set poverty line, as evidenced by the fact that the percentage of poor people in America has not changed dramatically over the years. However, it is possible to escape poverty, and ultimately stay there. People always talk about how they are so poor, but do they really know what it means to be poor? People who live below the poverty line are considered poor by the government. Many people suffer from poverty. The Census Bureau articles state: “In 2014, the official poverty rate was 14.8 percent. There were 46.7 million people living in poverty” (“2014 Highlights”). The percentage may seem small, but it's only those below the poverty line. There are a lot of people suffering just above the line or going back and forth. An additional 1.9 billion people live just above and struggle to make ends meet. (Coveted) Some even live in extreme poverty. Extreme poverty concerns those who cannot even have water, food, shelter and clothing. (Coveted) As for anyone living in poverty, this shortens their lifespan because these people do not have the money to care for and feed themselves properly. For a person in the 48 states excluding Hawaii and Alaska, the poverty line is set at $11,770. As more people are added to the family, the newspaper community finds itself faced with the situation in an inner city or rural community in the United States” (8). In most African countries, more than 50% of the population is below the poverty line. As an example, Lusted states: “In developing regions, extreme poverty is generally defined as earning less than $1.25 per day. In the United States, extreme poverty means earning less than half the official poverty line” (10). But Africa is not the only country struggling with a poor population. Poverty and Homelessness by Merino writes: “…3.7 percent in Denmark, 5 percent in Finland, 5.5 percent in Norway, 6.9 percent in Slovenia, 7 percent in Sweden, 7.2 percent [in] Hungary, 8.3 percent in Germany, 8.8 percent in the Czech Republic, 9.3 percent in France, 9.4 percent in Switzerland” (32). Poverty is a struggle all over the world and thousands of people die every day for lack of basic necessities to live on...