Two Types of Rural Poor Need Different Kinds of Help

When we think of "the poor, " we usually envision a segment of society living in a persistent state of social and economic deprivation. But the persistent poor make up only about a third of all the poor. The rest are temporarily poor because of sudden changes in their lives: loss of job or spouse, marital breakup, or illness. Since the needs of the two groups of rural poor are different, so too should be the programs to help them.