Early researchers in the area of poverty, Joan Kahn and Leonard Pearlin, found that “among the array of chronic stressors that people may confront in their daily lives, there is probably none more pivotal than economic hardships and strains.” Ronald Anderson, a now-retired professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota, noted, “those with incomes below the poverty line were twice as likely to report chronic pain and mental distress as those earning $75,000 or more, and three to five times more likely to have extreme pain or extreme distress.” And according to Stand Together, the lifestyle of poverty results in “a lack of social support, financial struggles, unsafe living conditions, violent commu- nities, and more, [which] creates an environment of chronic stress for both children and adults.” Absolute Poverty or Material Poverty P overty can be defined in two ways. The first is Absolute Poverty or material destitution. At the bare minimum, hu- mans need food, water, and shelter. In the U.S., the federal government has poverty guidelines that are based on food consumption—if you’re making less than about three times the minimum people need to spend on food each year, you’re 8 WWW.CITYGATENETWORK.ORG MAY/JUNE 2019 Smith adds that a reasonable definition of poverty should include a measure of how secure people feel in their homes, their health, and their jobs. That fits with the belief of psychologist Abraham Maslow, who stated that safety only ranked below food and shelter as a basic human need.