Sociology

Unemployments Definition as given in the Census Bureau of Measurement defines the unemployed as people who were not working at all in the time of the survey week and were thus looking for work. The definition exemplifies further that other persons who are defined to be unemployed are those that would be in search of employment just but for the fact that they were unwell or they were expecting to resume working in the same situation that they were in before they were laid off for an undefined period of time. Such people held the thought that no work within their scope of skill and knowledge was available for them. The questions raised in this definition are thus those of objectivity as the definition is formulated to determine whether a person worked or did not and whether he was in search of a job (Hauser 1949).
How it affects those living in poverty
There is tremendous amount of proof that posits unemployment as the major cause of increase of poverty contributing to the major divide between the poor and the rich. In company to contributing towards increased poverty, unemployment also incites a host of debilitating effects that are social in nature on the unemployed people as well as their families and the surrounding community. As such this calls for welfare reform that will stress the need for formulation of sound policies that will generate employment opportunities. Despite the importance of employment opportunities as a solution to unemployment it should not be the only motivation and goal for the welfare system. The welfare system should formulate a model that guards against distortion in the income structure.
Extent of  problem
There are two myths in the fundamental welfare debate regarding the effects of unemployment and the poor (Saunders 2002).  The problem is that on the left side of the debate there is reluctance to reckon the central role that incentives play on actions that are deemed to be economic in nature. To the right the mystical assumption that is often assumed by those in positions of influence is that attempts to redistribute wealth so as to make tentative improvements within the circles of the poor are always wrought with disaster. The slippery slope of alleviating poverty through wealth redistribution results into an inescapable trend exhibited in the web of poverty (Gruen 1982). Assessing the cost of alleviating unemployment and thus poverty should be a primary goal of the welfare system.
Historical changes
Poverty rates became de-linked from the status of the economy in the nineteen seventies and particularly in the eighties (Haveman, 2000). According to the indexes that were brought before The State of Working America in the period starting from 1998-1999, the seventies experienced elevated poverty levels regardless of the fact that unemployment was dropping in America. In the first half of the nineties, the situation was only fairly improved (Mishel, Bernstein and Schmitt, 1999). In America, economic growth and falling unemployment ran in tandem with poverty. The predominant cause of this scenario is the discrepancies that characterized incomes with high disparities. 
Understanding the problem.
Public Opinion
In America, inequalities within the market directly result into increased poverty. This is because of the weak commitment to formulate policies and assume enterprise frameworks that motivate and enhance equality and redistribution
Views of the unemployed
Among the poor, unemployment exposes one to a heightened risk of poverty. This is because the lack of income to support one in meeting hisher living expenses such as food and housing as well as other costs like education and house bills is a sign of inability to support oneself. In a situation where two adults are living together as a married couple, having one of the two adults in employment is stressed (Miller 1997).
Effectiveness of past solutions
What reduced the risk of people languishing in poverty in the past was not the paid work itself but was as a result of the availability of fulltime work. Poverty can be managed when in a family of two grownups constituting a mother and a father there is at least one parent that is working full time. As such accessibility to full time work schedules is a major factor in alleviating poverty.
Viable Solutions
Programs that work and dont work
    Primarily, the debate against unemployment is that it inhibits accessibility to earning income with the resultant effect of increased poverty.  A point worth observing is that the welfare systems response of alleviating poverty by giving benefits to the poor work against them in the end. This is because the corporate world that is supposed to sustain these benefits is burdened by them and thus can not remain competitive enough to expand and create more employment opportunities to meet the demands of those who come into the employment market.
New programs and visions.
One program that is likely to work in solving the issue of unemployment and poverty is the raising and indexing of the minimum earnings to half the average earnings per hour. The center has also proposed that the government extends Pell Grants and at the same time put clear mechanisms in place that will make tertiary level of education readily available to the residents of each state. The federal government has also been advised to enhance the reintroduction and entrenchment of ex-convicts back into the society by finding stable working opportunities for them. Lastly, the federal government has been advised to reformulate its insurance legislation in a way that will see the insurance companies promote equity when dealing with workers on low wage. 
Which will work Why
A practice that is likely to bear fruit as stated in the new programs and visions as engendered in the policy is the raising and indexing of the minimum earnings to half the average earnings per hour. This is because in the present times, it is as a result of the casual system of employment with increased trends among employers to diminish wages that is leading to a new trend in the society that are creating the working poor (Richardson and Harding 1999)
Discussion of the policy that will work, why will it work
    (Bradbury and Jntti 1999) conclude that, one of the lead causes of divergent tendencies among children living in poverty is accessibility to market incomes. As such by linking disadvantaged and disconnected young Americans with an opportunity to attend school and work at the same time will access them to market opportunities that would have excluded them as a result of lack of skill.
Goals
Goodness of Fit
    The center in a bid to promote education among young Americans has also guaranteed child care assistance to families with low incomes.
Do the goals actually contribute to the greater social good
Alleviating the problem of bringing up a society full of uneducated children who grow up to be juvenile delinquents is absolutely critical as the uneducated lead up to societys detriment by engaging in criminal activities for survival as they lack the necessary skills to sustain them.
Who supports goals Who opposes
The centers proposal to promote formation of workers unions by legislating and enforcing of the employee free choice act by congress is a policy that has been criticized by those in the circles of big corporate ownership. This is because employees as a result of this act will be able to go on paid long leaves of absence and thus will not be productive and cost effective to the respective firms. Despite this fact, employees have received the measure well as it grants them liberty to break the monotony of work.
Feasibility
Does Funding exist
The centers proposal to provide 2,000,000 housing vouchers and enhance same level development in areas that include the outskirts and the inner core of the cities is portrayed in the governments supplementary efforts in ensuring that strained Americans do not loose their houses. 
Discussion of strengths and limitations of policy.
The housing policy is a strong measure towards making sure that poor families can access housing needs but it is questionable as to how the federal government will recover back the funds and more specifically will protect its loan portfolio.