I would prefer not to use the terms “the poor” and see that classification as legitimate description. How about starting to see humanity first and use adjectives, even if it takes longer—-people living in poverty. Or people with low incomes. This group of people, which seems to have risen over the years, has indeed been commoditized. Once dehumanized, they become a number, a faceless nameless object. Women. Girls, Men. Boys. Children. Elders. If there’s a buck to be made, our society has found a way for unscrupulous enterprises to commit fraud and get away with it. Medicare fraud. Medicaid fraud. Housing vouchers and tax credits. A web so intertwined it’s literally impossible to untangle. Judges sending adjudicated youth to their best friends’ facilities. Doctors conducting unnecessary surgeries. Pastors taking from the till. After all my years in the nonprofit world, I am convinced that we’re all colluding in one way or another. Naming the problem is key. It is corruption at its very center. I don’t have answers AND, suspect we can start with the language we use. They aren’t “the poor,” they are people experiencing the grips of poverty.
I would have liked to see suggestions on how to collect the data you suggest. How would Policy LInk propose collecting that kind of data well? Wouldn’t it be extremely difficult to collect this data when people would be trying to cover up their actions. It seems like each case would need investigative reporting.
I agree that a set of recommendations would be a valkuable contribution by Ploicy Link and others who are concerned. Having been in phinathropy for over 25 years as a grantmaker, I know that that sector can play a critical role in helping nonprofits increase financial and reporting capapcity. Outright fraud and embezzelment requires extensive forensic accounting practices, which is seen as a luxury when trying to make hard resource choices. I tend to think thta we can increase a community’s role in holding both governtment and the nonprofit sectors meet ethical standards. It will require “watchdog” organizations and efforts to heighten awarreness among grassroots leadership. I was very impressed with the results of the Neighborhood Leadership Cleveland (NLC), which started in 1994 as a program of the Neighborhood Centers Association, under the direction of Don Slocum. Neighnorhood residents desmystified the local city budget andmoved on to hold local govt and other entities to a high standard of accountability. It takes partnerships and one virtue that has been eroding faster these days—a commitment to transparency and good old honesty. Courage and whistle blowing. Much like the “urban myths” of the code of silence in many professions, there is also an “urban myth” about how the code is operative to not rock the boat unless its so evident that it calls into question the ethical character of the “witness.” I am an optimist and do think that the tools to monitor, evaluate and collect data are either in place or are in the making.
COMMENTS
BY Winnie Hernandez
ON August 23, 2016 12:50 PM
I would prefer not to use the terms “the poor” and see that classification as legitimate description. How about starting to see humanity first and use adjectives, even if it takes longer—-people living in poverty. Or people with low incomes. This group of people, which seems to have risen over the years, has indeed been commoditized. Once dehumanized, they become a number, a faceless nameless object. Women. Girls, Men. Boys. Children. Elders. If there’s a buck to be made, our society has found a way for unscrupulous enterprises to commit fraud and get away with it. Medicare fraud. Medicaid fraud. Housing vouchers and tax credits. A web so intertwined it’s literally impossible to untangle. Judges sending adjudicated youth to their best friends’ facilities. Doctors conducting unnecessary surgeries. Pastors taking from the till. After all my years in the nonprofit world, I am convinced that we’re all colluding in one way or another. Naming the problem is key. It is corruption at its very center. I don’t have answers AND, suspect we can start with the language we use. They aren’t “the poor,” they are people experiencing the grips of poverty.
BY Patricia Wayne
ON September 1, 2016 12:47 PM
I would have liked to see suggestions on how to collect the data you suggest. How would Policy LInk propose collecting that kind of data well? Wouldn’t it be extremely difficult to collect this data when people would be trying to cover up their actions. It seems like each case would need investigative reporting.
BY winnie hernandez
ON October 3, 2016 07:49 AM
I agree that a set of recommendations would be a valkuable contribution by Ploicy Link and others who are concerned. Having been in phinathropy for over 25 years as a grantmaker, I know that that sector can play a critical role in helping nonprofits increase financial and reporting capapcity. Outright fraud and embezzelment requires extensive forensic accounting practices, which is seen as a luxury when trying to make hard resource choices. I tend to think thta we can increase a community’s role in holding both governtment and the nonprofit sectors meet ethical standards. It will require “watchdog” organizations and efforts to heighten awarreness among grassroots leadership. I was very impressed with the results of the Neighborhood Leadership Cleveland (NLC), which started in 1994 as a program of the Neighborhood Centers Association, under the direction of Don Slocum. Neighnorhood residents desmystified the local city budget andmoved on to hold local govt and other entities to a high standard of accountability. It takes partnerships and one virtue that has been eroding faster these days—a commitment to transparency and good old honesty. Courage and whistle blowing. Much like the “urban myths” of the code of silence in many professions, there is also an “urban myth” about how the code is operative to not rock the boat unless its so evident that it calls into question the ethical character of the “witness.” I am an optimist and do think that the tools to monitor, evaluate and collect data are either in place or are in the making.