Why do some people stay trapped in poverty — even when opportunities to escape exist? The answer is “learned helplessness,” a psychological barrier that can be overcome with the right approach.
What’s the best way to help a panhandler? Learn why giving cash often makes things worse and explore three practical alternatives that provide real help and long-term hope.
What does it mean to help the poor with dignity? Discover how the truth of being made in God’s image (imago Dei) changes how we fight poverty effectively.
Government food aid should foster dignity, not dependence—linking assistance to work can restore purpose and break the cycle of relief-driven poverty.
Explore how society must provide the means (not just the message) for people to flourish—turning charity into growth, not dependency.
This article argues that privately funded nonprofits must be protected from growing federal overreach, especially as recent court decisions threaten to treat tax-exempt status as government aid. It calls for support of the Safeguarding Charity Act, asserting that civil society—rooted in voluntary, relational charity—offers more lasting solutions than government programs and must remain free from burdensome regulation
Effective charity starts with the right relationships. Discover how affiliation and subsidiarity help ensure the right people provide help, preventing dependency while restoring dignity.
In this excerpt from his new book, The Crisis of Dependency … True Charity CEO & Co-founder James Whitford powerfully illustrates the importance of being with people we want to help out of poverty.
As a new administration reins in government overreach, a crisis of dependency is sure to come to light. With a generation withdrawing from an over-reliance on federal relief, a unique opportunity will arise to reclaim self-governance and revive private charity. The question remains: “Will we seize this moment?” James Whitford calls us to action.
James Whitford Founder & CEO Read more from James Listen to this article: Just about all of us have encountered a panhandler with a sign that reads, “Anything helps.” […]
Does government aid weaken community bonds of brotherhood? President Grover Cleveland believed it did. In 1887, he vetoed national aid to preserve “kindly sentiment and conduct” among Americans. Today, Missouri’s Medicaid expansion and Senate Bill 82 risk dismissing his wisdom by crowding out faith-based charities that foster true relationships and hope. James Whitford shares.
Discover the shortcomings of a top-down approach to solving homelessness and the power of community-driven compassion. A thought-provoking perspective on the limitations of government incentives and the true essence of real compassion.
As of September 1, if you were homeless, work requirements established in the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act no longer apply to you. They neither apply if you’re a veteran or have aged out of the foster care system and are under 24.
More Americans returning to work equates to less government spending on social programs, but it also restores dignity and strengthen community. James Whitford explains more about a missed opportunity in his article, originally publlished in InsideSources.
The USICH sets lofty goals for reducing homelessness by doubling down on the failed Housing First program—yet the USICH themselves have admitted that though “funding for homelessness assistance has increased every year,” the unsheltered population has grown by a staggering 20.5% nationally.
