human
I've heard that the number of people living in poverty in the United States has increased in recent years. What's causing this?
assistant
Well, there are many factors that could be contributing to this increase. One is the rise in inequality and the decrease in social welfare programs. Another factor is the decline in union membership and the resulting decrease in wages for workers. Additionally, globalization has caused a lot of manufacturing jobs to move overseas, leading to job losses in the U.S. Finally, the housing crisis of 2008 caused an increase in homelessness and other forms of poverty.