Read Chapters 1, 2, and 3 in Multicultural Social Work Practice: A Competency-Based Approach to Diversity and Social Justice.
First Questions:
Professional Development: Write your own definition of Cultural Competence. Why is this an important element of the social work profession? And what potential issues could arise from a social worker who lacks cultural competency? This DQ provides specific content that will assist in preparing for the ASWB licensing exam.
This discussion question is informed by the following EPAS Standards:
1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
2: Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice
Second Questios.
Under which areas of the NASW code of ethics does cultural competence reside? How can personal biases of the social worker in training impact their service of clients? What challenges might you have in applying these values to your own future practice? How does diversity and social justice relate to the core values of social work?
This discussion question is informed by the following EPAS Standards:
1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
2: Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice
Proyect Questions Multicultural
Introduccion and conclution
Social workers should understand what cultural competency is in social work. This assignment will help you learn this concept.
Citing three to five scholarly sources, address the following in an essay (500-750 words):

Identify strengths and challenges that develop from diverse human experiences.
Explain what is meant by cultural competency.
Explain how diversity and social justice relate to core values of social work.
After reading the NSAW Code of Ethics,self-reflect about the population associated with your selected social problem: How will you serve this population with dignity and integrity, respecting their basic human value? How will you avoid biases?

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA 7 Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
Proyect Social Justice
For this presentation assignment, you will complete sections of the Social Justice Project Presentation throughout this course. Here is the layout of the sections and when they are due:

Topic 1- The      “Social Justice Problem” essay
Topic 8- The Social Justice Project: Final      Draft of the presentation

For this topic, you will need to select a social problem to analyze for this course.
Suggested topics:

Environmental Justice
Gender-based violence
Socioeconomic status
Equality issues (race, gender, age, sexual orientation…)
Immigration status
Black Lives Matter

In a brief essay (250-400 words), address the following:

Select a social justice problem and describe it.
Explain why this problem is important to you.
Citing two to four scholarly sources, explain how social justice relates to the core values of social work.
Poverty and Social Justice: The Building Stones of Social Work Identity
Stephen W. Stoeffler &Rigaud Joseph
Pages 284-299 | Published online: 25 Nov 2019
Cite this article https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/10875549.2019.1695700 CrossMark
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ABSTRACT
Social work’s identity crisis
A recommitment to the building stones of social work identity
Recommendations
Conclusion
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ABSTRACT
Poverty and social justice have historically been integral components of the social work profession. This profession has earned national and international recognition for its contribution to the welfare of
society. Indeed, social workers celebrate the national social work month in the United States and Canada, and the world social work day in the United Kingdom, Australia, and other parts of the globe.
Unfortunately, factors such as social work practice and education as well as political ideology and power dynamics plunge the discipline into an identity crisis. This paper uses the analogy of masonry
construction to emphasize the importance of poverty and social justice in social work. It is argued that social work has been erected on two building stones: poverty as the cornerstone and social justice as the
keystone. Thus, a recommitment to these two areas is needed for social work to overcome this crisis of identity.
KEYWORDS: Social workpovertysocial justiceidentity crisisnational social work month
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The origins of social work are unmistakably connected to the poor and the problem of poverty (Popple & Reid, Citation1999). Alleviating poverty and increasing economic opportunities were foundational
materials in the construction of the new profession at the turn of last century. Rank (Citation2013)
contends that poverty has been central to social work since its inception and, “ … addressing poverty lies at the heart” of professional identity (p. 1). In fact, social work is unique in articulating a commitment to combatting social injustices “beyond the realm of professional practice to the realm of society” (Buila,
Citation2010, p. 5). The National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics (NASW, Citation2017)
directs social workers to engage in social justice work specifically related to ending poverty. Likewise, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE, Citation2015) states “social work’s purpose is actualized
through its quest for social and economic justice, the prevention of conditions that limit human rights, the elimination of poverty, and the enhancement of the quality of life for all persons” (p. 5). The CSWE
(Citation2015) also holds as core competencies to: “advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice (p. 5)” and “engage in policy practice” with and on behalf of those living in poverty
(p. 8). Similarly, many international social work codes and accrediting bodies make a compelling argument for poverty and social justice. In fact – among other entities – the Canadian Association of
Social Workers (CASW), the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), the Australian Association of
Social Workers (ASSW), and the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) all uphold the social justice principle expressed in the NASW Code of Ethics (ASSW, Citation2010, p. 13; BASW, Citation2014;
CASW, Citation2005, p. 5; IFSW, Citation2018).
However, despite the ambitious intentions of the poverty and social justice declarations by NASW (Citation2017) and CSWE (Citation2015), evidence suggests the goals have only been acted upon during
pockets of the profession’s history and are currently only marginally being actualized (Ehrenreich, Citation1985; O’Connor, Citation2001; Pozzuto & Arnd-Caddigan, Citation2008; Reid & Edwards,
Citation2006; Reisch & Andrews, Citation2001; Weiss, Citation2006). After over a century of research
and extensive documentation pertaining to the structural nature of poverty (Harrington, Citation1997;
Iceland, Citation2003; Noah, Citation2012; O’Connor, Citation2001; Patterson, Citation1994; Rank,
Citation2004; Royce, Citation2018; Stricker, Citation2007; Wilson, Citation2009), why is the social work profession essentially treating the elimination of poverty as a goal in name only (Ehrenreich, Citation1985; Specht & Courtney, Citation1994)? This paper sought to answer this pertinent question by
revisiting the identity of social work in an era of great challenges.
Social work’s identity crisis
Gibleman (Citation1999) posits, “external forces have been more influential in defining the boundaries of social work and shaping the nature of its practice than intraprofessional forces and choices” (p. 299). The formation of social work came as a response to hard times in post reconstruction America. Jane Addams
(Citation1910) and others responded to inequality among women and immigrants. Mary Richmond (Citation1917), responding to accusations of social work not being a profession by Abraham Flexner
(Citation1915) and others, promoted diagnostic, individualistic methods of treatment that sharply contrasted with functional frameworks that stressed structural roots to social suffering (Payne,
Citation2005). The Franklin Roosevelt administration responded to economic desolation by enacting federal social policies under the guidance of social workers Harry Hopkins and Frances Perkins (Downey,
Citation2009). This trend of reactivity in the early decades of the profession has maintained to present day. Doing so has led to movement away from a social change orientation that empowers the poor to
focus on individualistic and family pathology where poverty is overlooked and psychoanalytic and therapeutic methods prevail to maintain status quo (Waldegrave, Citation2005). While some may view
this as a natural evolution that has led to more diversity and responsiveness to social issues, others view it as problematic. In The Altruistic Imagination, Ehrenreich (Citation1985) makes the bold charge that on the whole, social work, has essentially abandoned its progressive roots in pursuit of professionalization.
Seminal texts by Specht and Courtney (Citation1994), Lowe and Reid (Citation1999), and Reisch and
Andrews (Citation2001) have levied similar indictments that the profession has forsaken the poor to
enter the mainstream. In other words, the field of social work has once again been plunged into an identity crisis (Donovan, Rose, & Connolly, Citation2017). There are several explanations for the identity
crisis that permeates the social work profession in the twenty-first century. Some of them are described below.
Conflicting views about levels of interventions in social work
According to Netting (Citation2005), “The conflict among strongly held beliefs about what actions are necessary in order to do social work were divergent in the beginning of the profession, just as they are
divergent today and will be tomorrow” (p. 52). From the beginning of the 20th century the social work profession has articulated a variety of perspectives on social concern and social caring along a continuum
although two main groups have been especially noticeable: those focusing on individual level concerns (sometimes referred to by the terms clinicians or caseworkers) and those focusing on societal level concerns (sometimes referred to by the terms organizers or reformers) (Ehrenreich, Citation1985;
Patterson, Citation1994; Trattner, Citation1999). Social workers who “emphasize individual causation of
social problems have moved to the development and use of psychological theory and to a therapeutic approach to helping” (Axinn & Levin, Citation1997, p. 2). However these methods do not carry as much potential for poverty elimination as structurally oriented interventions (Abell & Lyon, Citation1979).
Social workers who “emphasize societal causation of social problems seek programs establishing governmental responsibility for meeting needs and develop coalitions for reform and institutional change” (Axinn & Levin, Citation1997, p. 2).
Presently, the social work profession is found to be mainly in compliance with the individualistic ideology of the general public, if not intellectually then in practice (Martin, Citation2010; O’Connor, Citation2001;
Specht & Courtney, Citation1994; Trattner, Citation1999). Theoretical literature and empirical findings demonstrate that as the profession has become more integrated into the mainstream culture, it has
become less likely to challenge the status quo (Axinn & Levin, Citation1997; Davis & Garrett, Citation2004; Ehrenreich, Citation1985; Krumer-Nevo, Monnickendam, & Weiss-Gal, Citation2009;
Payne, Citation2005; Rank, Citation2004). This presents a great challenge to social work as, “it is clear that the [Trump] administration’s decisions, directives, and actions threaten to undermine our
government’s basic social contract with its citizens, particularly those in need” (Burghardt, Coconis, &
Stoeffler, Citation2017, p. 1). Social work identity suffers as the profession, “ … is part of the dominant culture and, as such, does not and cannot confront the prevailing social order without undermining its
occupational goals” (Reisch & Andrews, Citation2001, p. 214).
Political ideology about antipoverty programs
Segal (Citation2007) believes policy makers are disconnected from those in need. To illustrate this point she focuses on the creation of the Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF) program, “Members of
Congress were predominantly older, married, White men with high levels of income and education, creating a program for unmarried young women with low levels of education and no income” (Segal,
Citation2007, p. 74). Over the past 20 years national politics has focused on the middle and working classes (Cancian & Danzinger, Citation2009). This has a direct impact on poor families as their interests
are not advanced and this is linked to the perpetuation of poverty.
Political power is unevenly distributed in a capitalist democracy (Brady, Fullerton, & Cross, Citation2009;
Clark, Citation1965; Hardcastle, Wenocur, & Powers, Citation2011; Noah, Citation2012; Piven & Cloward,
Citation1993; Royce, Citation2018). Segal (Citation2007) notes, “Historically, access to policy-makers has been strongest for those who have economic means, often through campaign contributions or personal
access through social networks, or both” (p. 70). Royce (Citation2018) states, “Poor people lack money, but they also lack political power, and one reason they lack money is precisely because they lack political power” (p. 124). Money helps to purchase political access and in turn shapes the policy agenda, which
undermines political equality. This reality was magnified exponentially in 2010 when the Supreme Court ruled in the Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission decision that, “campaign contributions in
any amount were protected under the First Amendment, effectively neutralizing federal campaign finance limits” (Karger & Stoesz, Citation2018, p. 176). What followed was the immediate creation of
super political action committees that poured unprecedented amounts of money into elections. This should be of particular interest to social workers as, “It empowers the rich way beyond their numbers,
and it precludes the most needy citizens from gaining a fair hearing in the political process” (Royce, Citation2018, p. 137).
Weiner, Osborne, and Rudolph (Citation2011) found that “political ideology influences decisions to help the poor … with liberals being especially prone to offer help” (p. 209). Politically liberal individuals are
disposed to sympathy and help-giving in response to poverty as, “sympathy is the most proximal determinant of aid” (Weiner et al., Citation2011, p. 199). Robinson (Citation2009) demonstrates that
research has shown that individualistic attributions of poverty are strongly connected to political conservatism and structural attributions of poverty are strongly connected to political liberalism
(Cozzarelli, Wilkinson, & Tagler, Citation2001; Furnham, Citation1982; Griffin & Oheneba-Sakyi, Citation1993; Pellegrini, Queirolo, Monarrez, & Valenzuela, Citation1997).
The conservative political perspective of poverty has mainly been conceptualized as involving individual actors who lead immoral lifestyles and are deserving of the poverty they experience (Seccombe,
Citation2011). Related to this narrative is that fact that the political process is deeply influenced by race in America (Lui, Robles, Leondar-Wright, Brewer, & Adamsson, Citation2006). Royce (Citation2018)
shows how this affects policies for the poor in stating, “It is difficult to rally popular support for an expanded welfare state when the White majority suspects undeserving minorities will be the primary
beneficiaries. The politics of race undercuts the politics of redistribution” (p. 136). The conservative wave of the last 40 years has ushered regressive social policies found at the nexus anti-welfare sentiment and
racism. A prime example of this is the racist and nativist discourse of President Trump and his administration that is deployed as justification for retrenchment of social welfare programs and restrictive immigration policy (Huber, Citation2016). These political creations have a negative effect on
the promotion of social work ideals.
Social work curriculum imbalance
In the United States, “individuals may not engage in the legally recognized professional practice of social
work without having spent considerable time in a higher education institution dedicated in some way to preparing them for such practice” (Reid & Edwards, Citation2006, p. 464). This is significant as most
licensed social work practitioners have an undergraduate (12%) or graduate degree (81%) in social work (Center for Health Workforce Studies, & NASW Center for Workforce Studies, Citation2006). Entry into
the profession comes by way of graduation from an accredited social work program. The literature demonstrates imbalance, favoring micro over macro courses (Butler & Coleman, Citation1997; Huber &
Orlando, Citation1993; Hymans, Citation2000; Kasper & Wiegand, Citation1999; Miller, Tice, & Hall,
Citation2008; Reisch, Citation2016; Wolk, Pray, Weismiller, & Dempsey, Citation1996) and micro over macro field practicum opportunities (Koerin, Reeves, & Rosenblum, Citation2000; Miller et al.,
Citation2008; Raber & Richter, Citation1999; Sui, Citation1991). Poverty content has also been shown to be very limited in social work curriculum at both undergraduate and graduate levels(Stoeffler, Citation2015).
As a result of the curriculum imbalance, social workers relegate the goal of eradicating poverty to the backburner. Even though many social workers view poverty in structural terms, research indicates that
they do not view themselves as having a role in addressing it (Davis & Wainwright, Citation2005). Social workers have demonstrated ambivalence to poverty, which translates to interventions that do not
specifically target its alleviation (Becker, Citation1997; Gupta & Blewett, Citation2008). Further, Krumer- Nevo et al. (Citation2009) write, “it would appear that everyday interventions are not founded on the
understanding that poverty is a predominant cause of distress nor is the mitigation of poverty regarded as a goal of intervention in a similar way to ‘the alleviation of couple violence’ or ‘improving parental
functioning’” (p. 227).
A recommitment to the building stones of social work identity
A call to the old identity is essential for social work considering that the original challenge still remains a virulent social problem. Indeed, close to 40 million Americans lived in poverty in 2017 (Fontenot,
Semega, & Kollar, Citation2018). Poverty in the United States is extremely high in comparison to other Western developed nations regardless of absolute or relative measures (Rank, Citation2004). Since the
adoption of neoliberalism, the US has spent much less on social welfare programs compared to other developed nations (Ambrosino, Heffernan, Shuttlesworth, & Ambrosino, Citation2012; Brady et al.,
Citation2009). The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reports that, of its member countries, the US is 3rd lowest in gross social welfare spending as a percentage of gross
domestic product behind Korea and Mexico, with Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New
Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom all spending more than the US (Adema & Ladaique, Citation2009).
By targeting the eradication of poverty, social work has made a commitment to fight a noble cause. In fact, poverty has devastating consequences both for those directly experiencing it and for society at
large. The poor have been shown to have a disproportionate amount of physical and psychosocial stresses when compared to other economic classes and this contributes to problems in healthy living (Saplosky, Citation2005). Poverty has been shown to dramatically increase the risk of chronic disease and shorten the life span (Bombard et al., Citation2012; Saplosky, Citation2005). Poverty reduces a person’s life expectancy more than any other factor when compared to the social and behavioral risk factors of
smoking, binge drinking, obesity, educational level attained, race, and lack of health insurance (Muennig, Fiscella, Tancredi, & Franks, Citation2010). In economic terms, Holzer, Schanzenbach, Duncan, and
Ludwig (Citation2008) suggest that childhood poverty alone costs “about $500 billion per year, or the equivalent of nearly 4% of gross domestic product (GDP)” (p. 41).
As seen above, the problem of poverty is consequential. Working toward its elimination is a sine qua non
goal. Abandoning such a great mission would be the equivalent of building a house without laying down a solid foundation. In masonry construction, some stones play an indispensable role in the durability of
the building. In the edifice of social work, social justice represents the keystone and poverty the cornerstone. The keystone (social justice) constitutes a central idea, value, purpose, or mission in social
work. The cornerstone (poverty) is considered the most important social issue that needs to be addressed in working toward the social justice goal. At the nexus of so many issues, poverty is arguably
the mother of most, if not all, social ills. In other words, poverty is considered the centerpiece of the social justice core value in social work. Together they form the foundation of social work identity.
The existing social work profession can also be alluded to as a house exposed to unfavorable meteorological conditions. In addition to normal wear and tear, a house may be exposed to severe weather conditions over its lifetime. These include deadly tornadoes and thunderstorms, devastating hurricanes and flood, massive heat waves and wildfires, sweeping landslides and earthquakes, and heavy
hailstorms and other forms of precipitations. This is why houses are remodeled or updated, sometimes many times over the decades. Roofs collapse, siding blows off, and windows are broken. These
conditions are not unlike social problems that take place and need to be addressed immediately. The profession has faced challenges during various eras and may explain its reactive nature. Gil
(Citation2013) provides theoretical insight, “That in efforts to improve unsatisfactory conditions, [social workers] tend to pursue individual solutions within a political-economic status quo rather than collective solutions in everyone’s interest, which would require extended efforts to achieve significant social
transformations” (p. 36). However, the foundation of the house should remain constant and stable. This represents the long-term sustaining vision and identity of the profession. If the foundation is destroyed, then the house is no longer as the identity is lost. The house deed becomes void. Similarly, the social work profession is blatantly exposed to a cascade of social, political, and economic headwinds. These are opposing forces in the form of adverse social policies, which should be addressed sooner rather than later. Modifying or veering off poverty and social justice – the profession’s key building stones – is the
worst possible approach toward making this World a better place. This is perhaps the worst approach toward rebuilding the identity of the profession.
Recommendations
Social advocacy
Voting
Social workers are encouraged to engage and advocate for social and political action on behalf of clients (NASW, Citation2017, Sec. 6.04a). The most common form of civic engagement for social workers is
voting (Hamilton & Fauri, Citation2001; Parker & Sherraden, Citation1991; Ritter, Citation2007) with the largest survey of NASW members (Rome & Hoechstetter, Citation2010) indicating that 95% “often” or
“always” vote on election day. Rome and Hoechstetter (Citation2010) report the more time intensive political activities are the least common activities of social workers which include, “participating in (7.8%), helping to organize (3.4%), or encouraging others to attend (9.5%) rallies, marches, or
demonstrations; voicing opinions through the media (7.1%); attending or testifying at hearings (11.5% and 4.3% respectively); actively campaigning for a candidate (13.4%); contacting legislators (17.9%);
participating in community groups that seek to influence policy (18.2%); and keeping track of how legislators vote (26.7%). (p. 113)
These findings are consistent with the literature detailing social workers political involvement (Ezell, Citation1993; Hamilton & Fauri, Citation2001; Parker & Sherraden, Citation1991; Ritter, Citation2007;
Wolk, Citation1981). In this way social workers talk a good game, but get lost. Rome and Hoechstetter
(Citation2010) write, “Comparing beliefs to action reveals some disparities; despite positive attitudes, fewer than half of the respondents demonstrated high overall levels of political participation” (p. 122).
The concern is that “professional ideology is not always matched by actual social work practice and education” (Weiss, Citation2006, p. 136). Social work education is decidedly Micro focused (Dodd &
Gutierrez, Citation1990; Fisher, Citation1995; Miller et al., Citation2008; Raber & Richter, Citation1999; Ritter, Citation2008; Specht & Courtney, Citation1994; Weil, Citation1996; Weiss, Citation2006) and social work students have the least interest in “social policy formation, management, and community organization” (Weiss, Citation2006, p. 143). This may be related to many social workers feeling inadequate when “integrating political action into [their] professional role (42.9%)” and 20.9% having
“no opinion” on the subject (p. 117).
National marches
The social work profession has a history of organizing national marches (Reisch & Andrews, Citation2001). The most notable one is the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963 on behalf of the African American community (NASW, Citation2019). This March, co-organized by social
worker Whitney M. Young, Jr., had over 200,000 participants and turned Washington into a tailspin. The purpose of this movement was to demand equal rights for African Americans. Just a year later, the Civil
Rights Act was signed into law.
Social work can build on these past successes to launch great national offensives on behalf of the poor,
especially with the national platform presented by the National Social Work Month. The Reagan administration dealt a huge blow to social welfare by endorsing neoliberalism (Joseph, Citation2017).
Yet, in 1984 this administration ironically handed social work a golden platform to cement its identity on the national stage by signing Proclamation 5167, a joint resolution declaring March as the National Social
Work Month. The wording of the joint resolution is as follows:
It is appropriate that Americans express our appreciation to the many thousands of dedicated men and women in all parts of our Nation who have devoted their lives to helping those in need. For more than a
century, social workers have been committed to the betterment and general welfare of all our society.
They have helped implement social services with creativity, resourcefulness, and true professionalism … .
It is within our local communities that the real contribution to the welfare of our citizens is made. Those closest to the problem-the social workers in State and local governments, area agencies, and private and
voluntary organizations – are usually the most qualified persons to decide what help is needed and the best way to provide it. In this way, they carry on and enhance our proud American heritage of neighbors
helping neighbors, and people helping people … . In recognition of the many contributions of the social work profession to the welfare of our society, the Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 112, has authorized and requested the President to proclaim the month of March 1984, as “National Social Work
Month.” … . Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the month of March 1984, as National Social Work Month. I ask all our citizens to join in this recognition and to search their hearts for ways in which they too can help their fellow Americans … . In
Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-second day of March, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and eighth. (Reagan, Citation1984)
This proclamation came roughly two decades after NASW published the first National Professional Social
Work Month in 1963 (NASW, Citation2019). This paper therefore calls upon the profession to become pragmatic with regard to the National Social Work Month. The month of March should be allocated to
marches to Washington, and state capitols, to protest social injustices. Such a move would grab headlines in mainstream media outlets and provide the profession of social work a chance to reaffirm its
commitment to poverty and social justice. The same tactic can be replicated in Canada where social work is celebrated annually for a period of 30 days. Although to a lesser extent, social workers in the
United Kingdom, Australia, and other parts of the globe also celebrate the prowess of their profession work during the world social work day in March (ASSW, Citation2019; BASW, Citation2019; IFSW,
Citation2019). It is time for social workers around the globe to make these opportunities count in a big
way.
Other forms of advocacy
Other ways social workers can take action with and on behalf of the poor include but are not limited to political endorsements, grassroots advocacy, and congressional testimonies. In the past, social workers
have endorsed political figures whose policies are congruent with social work values, served as presidential cabinet members, and elected as members of the House of Representatives. Hence, social
advocacy has always been fundamental to many social workers. Now is the time for those on the sidelines to wake-up and join the plight of the poor on a macro-level.
Better conceptualization of poverty in social work education Weaver and Yun (Citation2011) suggest, “social work education influences students’ poverty related attitudes” (p. 3). How social work educators conceptualize poverty and the manner in which they teach
the methods of its alleviation may be able to influence positive changes for the profession. Studies have shown that teaching of social justice content (to include poverty) in social work education settings can be effective to varying degrees in orienting social workers towards a perception of poverty as being
structural (Chandler, Citation2009; Clark, Citation2007; Gasker & Vafeas, Citation2003; Sun, Citation2001). However, Krumer-Nevo et al. (Citation2009) report that transformative practice recommendations do not discuss, “ … the means by which to integrate these changes into social work curricula” (p. 228).
Conclusion
The premise of this paper is grounded in ethical concerns. The profession has often understood poverty
from a social justice perspective (Chandler, Citation2009; Clark, Citation2007; Csikai & Rozensky,
Citation1997; Gardner, Tuchman, & Hawkins, Citation2010; Healy, Citation2008; Murdach, Citation2010;
Sun, Citation2001). The Code of Ethics for social work unequivocally directs social workers to engage in social justice work specifically related to poverty (NASW, Citation2017) and the Council on Social Work
Education (Citation2015) views “the elimination of poverty” as one of the purposes of the profession (p.
1). However, both guiding documents provide very little information on how these goals are to be actualized. While social workers and their professional leadership organizations are altruistic in their
poverty statements (Csikai & Rozensky, Citation1997; Ehrenreich, Citation1985), there is a substantial gap between the rhetoric and reality (Ritter, Citation2008; Rome & Hoechstetter, Citation2010). In
addition, the desertion of a social change orientation and the acceptance of a psychoanalytical framework, to some extent, moved social work away from its association with empowering the poor to that of maintaining a status quo developed by the wealthy elite (Ehrenreich, Citation19