Prize-winning author at Catholic Charities event says poverty can be eliminated

TIMONIUM – It was an evening that left many in the crowd of approximately 350 people at Church of the Nativity feeling uncomfortable and a little hopeful, too.

Dr. Matthew Desmond, Pulitzer prize-winning author of “Evicted: Poverty and Profit in America,” asserted that poverty can truly be eliminated. But it will require changes in law, habits and attitudes, he said during Catholic Charities of Baltimore’s second Journey to Social Justice symposium Oct. 9.

Many people, he said, believe there is nothing they can do, or they quote Matthew 26:11 – “The poor you always have with you.” Yet President Lyndon Johnson proved that was incorrect when he declared a war on poverty in 1964 and Congress passed the Economic Opportunity Act, he said.

“It made a dent in poverty,” Desmond said. “The government programs worked.”

The government still spends money on programs to help the poor, but they often go unused.

“Poor families pass over billions of dollars in aid each year,” Desmond said. “We do a bad job of connecting families to programs.”

Tax benefits need to aid those who need them, he said, not those “who need it least.” He suggested donating one’s mortgage deduction next tax season. The Internal Revenue Service, he said, could pay roughly $177 billion toward poverty relief if it collected from those businesses and individuals who skipped out on their taxes.

Zoning laws need to include affordable housing, he said, noting that affordable housing done right and managed well has zero impact on surrounding home values.

“Our walls have to go,” Desmond said. “What are we teaching our kids?”

According to another Desmond book, “Poverty, by America,” one in three people in the United States (108 million) live on $55,000 or less and one in nine (38 million) live below the poverty line. One in 18 (18 million) live in deep poverty.

According to Desmond, white poverty is not located in a community where others are poor, whereas Black poverty is found in communities where all are poor, creating a “concentrated level of poverty.”

“It is one thing to be poor, another to live next to poor,” he told his audience. “That’s another level.” 

To help abolish poverty, Desmond suggested people work with corporations that are unionized, noting that his family ships packages by UPS because it is unionized and pays living wages. He urged attendees to examine their finances and invest only in companies that provide a living wage.

“(Are) we OK? You invited me. Are we still friends?” Desmond asked about halfway through his program. While the comment sparked some nervous laughs, Desmond received a rousing round of applause at the conclusion of the event.

William J. McCarthy Jr., CEO of Catholic Charities of Baltimore said Desmond “made a convincing case that we can do so much more than reduce the impact of poverty.” The research he presented made everyone uncomfortable – even those who work every day to combat poverty, McCarthy said.

“I mean this in the best possible way,” McCarthy told the Catholic Review in an email interview. “He made a convincing case that we can do so much more than reduce the impact of poverty. We can actually end poverty if we’re willing to be true poverty abolitionists. That’s a call to action we all need to answer.”

Andrea Craig, a parishioner of Our Lady of Victory in Arbutus, noted that Desmond did not talk about mental illness or drug addiction.

“Some people are not capable of working,” Craig said. “Some people don’t know how to handle money. They don’t understand about late fees.”

Karyn Smith, a parishioner of a Methodist church, was surprised to learn she might be part of the problem.

“To end poverty, what is really stopping it?” Smith said. “It’s us. We are in the way. We really have to work to get out of the way.”

Father Evan Ponton, associate pastor of seven Baltimore parishes in two pastorates, had read Desmond’s book with a friend last year and found Desmond’s talk hopeful.

“He asks challenging questions,” Father Ponton said. “It is a call to action.”

Catholic Charities launched its Journey to Social Justice series in April 2023 with Dr. Greer Gordon, an author and theologian, as the speaker. 

The symposiums are important, McCarthy said, because they raise awareness about paramount issues, they share steps to ensure that every person has the opportunity to reach his or her God-given potential and they foster community-building, “knowing that we work best when we work together.”

Email Katie V. Jones at kjones@CatholicReview.org

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