Poverty is more than a lack of money. Factors may include a traumatic past, a lack of skills, unjust exclusion from opportunity, or generational learned helplessness. Every situation is different. Some people need to reconnect with family, some need help with money management, and others may need childcare so they can pursue their education. Furthermore, human flourishing cannot be reduced to material needs alone. Strong families, meaningful work, a faith community, and a sense of purpose are all integral components of the good life. These ends can never be achieved by mere handouts.

Scripture points to personal involvement as a moral duty. This is clearly noted in the apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatian church in which he writes that the whole of the law is summed up in the statement, “love your neighbor as yourself.”  The response to this deeply personal call is to assist those we know, donate to charities, and volunteer time. These acts of compassion benefit both the giver and the receiver. Furthermore, this personal approach results in relationships that uplift everyone involved. Real relationships create accountability and inspire the action required to help people get ahead.

A just government provides a framework for human interaction (e.g. enforcement of contracts, property rights, and protection from violence). Though the government has a crucial role as an enforcer, it cannot be a friend. Government programs are ill-equipped to dispense the relational help that poverty requires. Since the beginning of the War on Poverty in 1964, government spending on anti-poverty programs has increased to around one trillion dollars a year and the poverty rate hasn’t budged. Furthermore, key contributors to success like stable marriages, church attendance, and employment have declined among the poor. Local communities are best equipped to help their neighbors, but unfortunately, the government tends to crowd out this personal assistance and fails to replace it with anything that works.