Sunday Conversation: Attack Poverty tackles local and global poverty
Good Sunday #GoodSunday
Despite having one of the lowest poverty rates in the state of Texas, Fort Bend County still maintains a poverty level of almost 7 percent, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. By comparison, the state average is about 17 percent.
Attack Poverty is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that tackles systemic and generational poverty on a global and local level.
Attack Poverty has four hubs in Fort Bend County, including Katy, Stafford, Richmond and Rosenberg.
The board of directors for Attack Poverty discussed what poverty looks like in a relatively prosperous area and how the organization is working to mitigate the issue.
What are some of the ways you serve the local community?
Attack Poverty serves local communities through our missional components of spiritual growth, education, revitalization and basic needs. We accomplish this through a variety of programs such as our In-School Student Support.
The ISS aims to strengthen relationships and communication with teachers and administrators at our partner schools. We work alongside the schools to create incentives for students who demonstrate good behavior and good grades throughout the year.
Other examples include our after-school programs, literacy education, GED preparation, job readiness training, computer literacy and financial literacy. We strive to revitalize communities and meet basic needs assisting with home repair as well as counseling, financial assistance, and food distribution.
Katy and the general Fort Bend County area is a relatively prosperous area, yet poverty still exists here. What does poverty look like in this area?
We believe poverty is more than just about stuff. If it were about just materialistic items, then we wouldn’t still be dealing with poverty. When most people think poverty, they think about individuals who may be struggling financially. And while we do serve individuals facing those realities, we also serve those who may be facing poverty in other aspects of their lives.
This is why we take a holistic view of the issue, addressing it through all of our missional components. In the Katy and Fort Bend County areas, we see individuals who need help meeting their basic needs as well as those who feel alone and are in need of a supporting community.
Poverty doesn’t look identical from one particular community to the other, which is why we listen first to understand how we can best serve them.
Attack Poverty is a faith-based organization. How does faith guide your mission?
One of the main cornerstones of our mission is spiritual growth. We believe that breaking the cycle of generational poverty cannot be changed with small, soft-hearted plans. It must be directly addressed with great intention through mutual relationships. Generational poverty is a complicated spiritual, relational, mental-attitude, education and financial issue. Our work would not be holistic if we did not address the communities’ spiritual health.
What are some of the ways people can get involved and help with the cuse?
The local community can get involved with Attack Poverty in several ways . There are four domestic “friends of” locations across the Greater Houston area where individuals can volunteer their time and talents to empower individuals to attack poverty in their lives and community.
You can learn more about those opportunities at AttackPoverty.org/Volunteer. Like any nonprofit, we depend on the generosity of financial donations to support our mission and various programs Individuals wishing to donate can do so at AttackPoverty.org/Donate. Our Young Professionals Ending Poverty is another way to get plugged into the organization. It is a service-based organization that supports our nonprofit through advocacy and fundraising. You can find more information about YPEP at AttackPoverty.org/YPEP
For more information about Attack Poverty, visit www.attackpoverty.org.
claire.goodman@chron.com