Resource Injustice

This chapter reviews social work&s;s commitment to resource justice. Hull-House programs that met the needs of 9000 neighbors per week are showcased. The pivotal system is the economy, and I examine how free markets are manipulated to benefit those with financial advantages. Darity&s;s stratification economics explains wealth inequality and its persistence across generations. I discuss social class. Precarity statistics for workers at Amazon are shared. I review Wright&s;s typology of class, the major influences on placement, and markers. The subprocess of othering is introduced, defined, and illustrated by views of homeless persons. I cover Fraser&s;s idea of resource distribution and contrast it with resource denial. I show how opportunity hoarding creates durable inequalities. I review the theory of human needs, its requirements for a minimally tolerable life, and indicators of unmet needs. Gough&s;s metaphor compares class levels by floors and ceilings. I discuss exploitation and its impact on fringe laborers and those evicted by landlords. Alienated labor is discussed. The case of health care reimbursement denial is reviewed. My injustice profiler is Cesar Chavez. Cooperatives and unions are presented as illustrations of possibilities for democratizing economies. Social workers are compared to poverty-aware vampire hunters.