Most social welfare discussions of poverty reflect this perception. Typically, the use of the term poverty references directly or indirectly the official federal policy notion of the poverty threshold or guidelines. In recent years, analyses of poverty have become increasingly narrow, often leading to a focus on conventional images of public assistance. Being impoverished, then, is more than lacking financial means.
Poverty is an overall condition of inadequacy, lacking, and scarcity.
It is destitution and deficiency of economic, political, and social resources. As such, millions of people in this country are impoverished socially, politically, and economically. This broader perspective reflects the true dimensions of poverty. Because discussions of poverty over the last decade have primarily been concerned with the extent of financial need of some members of society, important discourse has been missing. Social scientists must expand the realm of poverty research and discourse in order to truly evaluate all the factors which contribute to the well-being of society.