Excellent reports on extreme poverty in the United States.  Philip Alston, the UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, made a tour of the United States.  His task was to understand if extreme poverty in the U.S. undermines the enjoyment of human rights by its citizens.  His statement is here.

Secondly Angus Deaton’s opinion article in the New York Times provided additional context.

Caption:  Homeless person begging on Lake Cook Road in Buffalo Grove Illinois.  The photographer talked to the young man and his homelessness was the result of a a loss of a job and the loss of his roommate. Credit: Hajee