Social Problem Policy Analysis

Identify and analyze a social welfare policy with respect to its effectiveness in addressing poverty and its correlates. Begin by thoroughly exploring the nature of the social problem and then analyze the impact of the social welfare legislation, answering the ultimate question: is it effective? This paper will focus on poverty among the LGBTQ+ community in the United States and if current legislation and programs are effective.

Paper needs to be written in APA format (7th edition), with a minimum of 10-15 peer-reviewed references. It needs to include a title page, abstract, content, and reference page.

Topic: Poverty among the LGBTQ+ community in the United States.

Analyze the social problem (about 3 pages):
1. What? Define the problem: Thoroughly define the social problem drawing from peer reviewed literature. All statements of fact must be supported by one or more citations. If there are varied definitions, include them and explore the differences. For instance, the federal government defines homelessness as people who live in unsheltered locations, such as on the streets, in homeless shelters, in cars. Homeless advocacy organizations use a broader definition to include those living in motels, couch surfing, or doubling up. Therefore, federal counts are lower than advocacy organization counts (by millions), which has implications for funding. This type of discrepancy is important to explore. The questions youll be answering are: what causes poverty?

2. Who? Demographics: Who does the problem affect? You should still begin by providing broader demographics. For instance: In 2019 there were 38 million people in the United States who lived below the poverty threshold (Smith & Davis, 2020), 15 million of whom are children (U.S. Census, 2020). Child poverty has increased significantly in the last xx years (citation, year) in fact, according to most recent statistics available, xx children live below the federal threshold and xx children are considered low income (citation, 2020; citation, 2020). Also consider these demographic factors: region, gender, race, age. Basically, you want to paint as detailed a picture as possible regarding who is impacted by the social problem.

3. Why? Risk Factors: What are the risk factors associated with the social problem? What increases someones chances of becoming poor? These are not causes, but more correlates. Perhaps the research shows that certain ethnic minority groups experience an increased risk for certain social problems, or someones gender or age increases their risk, or perhaps its having a childhood with trauma and abuse. Also consider structural issues, such as a bad economy or a poor school district, racial or gender oppression. All of this information will be in peer reviewed journal articles.

4. How? Consequences: What will happen if theres no government intervention? Increased learning disabilities in children? An increase in crime? An increase in health problems? Increased risk of domestic violence? (sometimes the risk factors are the same as the consequences). All of this information will be in peer reviewed journal articles.

Policy Analysis Section (about 3 pages)

Discuss how TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) addresses the social problem of poverty among the LGBTQ+ community in the United States.
Describe the legislation and related program(s). Youll likely draw from existing policy literature for this portion of the paper, such as policy analysis briefs from nonpartisan think tanks. And then describe the legislation and the program in detail. What is the history of the legislation? How has it changed through the years? How does the legislation define the social problem? The legislative goals will often be included in the legislation and may reference perceived cause(s). What are the criteria for acceptance into the program? What are the benefits? What is the delivery system? How is the program funded? What government agency/ies are responsible for facilitating the program(s)?

Analyze the Legislation
Youll then evaluate the effectiveness of the legislation (Personal Responsibility & Work Opportunity Act of 1996, for example) and associated programs to determine whether there has been a positive impact on the problem (i.e., reduced poverty). Does the legislation define the social problem accurately? (consistent with the literature). Do the criteria exclude anyone? Are the benefits sufficient? Is the delivery system effective/efficient? Is the program funded sufficiently? Examples may include defining poverty in a way that doesnt account for systemic factors, the federal poverty threshold being too low (again, all based on research you read and then cite), programs that arent funded sufficiently based on needs referenced in peer-reviewed research and/or government stats.

Lastly, make recommendations with possible solutions for making the legislation and/or programs more effective and more equitable (based on your readings and own analysis).