Index IntroductionService Learning ReflectionConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionIn this article I evaluate the impact of poverty on children and families and the ways in which a community can help change these conditions of marginalization. As of 2014, there are 14.7 million poor children in the United States, which represents “the second highest child poverty rate among 35 industrialized countries despite having the largest economy in the world” (Children's Defense Fund, 2015). This means that there are 14.7 million children in the United States who are at increased risk for health problems, hunger and poor nutrition, developmental delays, psychological problems, and poor academic performance (Rafferty & Shinn, 1991). Patterns of poverty are passed down from generation to generation and will not be broken until they have the opportunity to be healthy, educated, and skilled enough to participate in decisions that affect their lives (Peirson, 2010). It is our job as a community to recognize this injustice and work in solidarity with these families in poverty to stop this cycle and help the children of our future succeed. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Children need structure, predictability, and consistency in their lives, but moving between shelters and unpredictable living situations is not congruent with those needs (Kilmer, Cook, Crusto, Strater & Haber, 2012). Children and their families lack choices and opportunities to find adequate shelter and resources, especially due to a lack of affordable housing, racial disparities, the challenges of being a single parent, and dealing with traumas such as domestic violence (America's Youngest Outcasts). When we treat these families on an individual level we are only scratching the surface of all these factors that lead to the vicious cycle of poverty. Expecting these families to face the challenges of poverty while simultaneously combating the stigmas and barriers that society places against them is extremely unfair. Society rarely considers the social factors that affect disadvantaged people and sees homelessness as the fault of the person and not as a difficult situation or a series of unfortunate circumstances (Deforge, Zehnder, Minick, & Carmon, 2001). Nelson and Prilleltensky (2010) described the role of a community psychologist to highlight the importance of prevention and early intervention by promoting well-being through community development and social and political action. Community psychologists should be able to recognize these injustices and work in solidarity with disadvantaged people towards social change. In this article I will examine some of the difficulties that the children and women I worked with at St. Margaret's shelter faced and how society should respond to their needs. Even though I only worked on an individual level to help children in the shelter, I was able to build meaningful relationships and understand the importance of promoting action and change using transformational strategies.Service Learning ReflectionSt. Margaret's is a transitional housing shelter that began offering emergency shelter to homeless women and children in 1992 (Catholic Charities, 2012). Women are offered refuge for up to two years, along with personalized case management, parenting assistance and life skills courses. St. Margaret's vision statement is to "embody an environment where families have the physical, emotional and spiritual resourcesthey need to create beneficial changes in their lives in order to find and maintain stable housing and lifestyles in the broader community" (Catholic Charities, 2012). These families come from diverse backgrounds and all live at or below at 30% of the average family income (Catholic Charities, 2012). This shelter does a great job of ensuring that families feel safe and part of a strong, caring community. Margaret's I was a volunteer for their Homework Club, where I helped. students to do homework in a controlled, quiet environment twice a week. Being a mentor to these children was great because I was able to convey the importance of receiving a good education and doing well in school. Programs offer structure , consistency, high expectations, and opportunities for accountability can have a critical influence on low-income children (Douglass, 1996) It was very important for these children to have a recurring mentor who supported their academic success. While my volunteer work has not been considered transformative, I think it is important to consider each child's individual needs and provide them with the appropriate resources and support. Some children in the Homework Club needed much more reinforcement because they were easily distracted or unmotivated. If we understand how to support students based on their unique and diverse needs, we will be able to help them thrive in their later education and, hopefully, the world of work. In addition to shelter and food, St. Margaret's provides women and children with a sense of community. They are all facing similar challenges and being able to relate and care for each other really creates a sense of community and safety. St. Margaret's does a great job focusing on a family-centered level. Their intervention focuses on reducing stress, providing them with free resources, increasing their social, work and coping skills, and helping to expand their knowledge of resources for social support. The operators and volunteers also do an excellent job strengthening the caregiver-child dyad by offering courses and parenting support. This dyad “deserves clear attention because caregivers have a fundamental and proximal influence on children's development and adjustment, and the caregiver-child relationship is a key contextual factor that can have a significant impact on various life domains and factors that influence a child” (Kilmer et al. , 2012). If a mother offers a warm and positive parental attitude towards her child, she can help mitigate the negative effects of poverty for the child. St. Margaret's really helps women transition to life outside of the shelter by offering resume building, job skills, and other life skills like healthy cooking, however I think having more programs geared towards children would be very beneficial. Children who spend more than half their childhood in poverty are much more likely to become poor as adults (Molnar et al., 1990). It is therefore important to develop their skills in the hope that this will reduce their chances of repeating the cycle of poverty. Tim Moore and colleagues (2011) studied children growing up homeless and asked what they wanted from the services they came into contact with. The key theme that emerged from this study was “the need for services to engage with children as full individuals and listen to and recognize their experiences” (Moore, McArthur & Noble-Carr, 2011). Children liked to focus on what their parents could do rather than what they could not do and wanted services to do the same. Therefore the services must help (2010) 14.