It’s my understanding is the statistics on the poor are based on income only. Let’s say your income is $1,000. You are poor.
That you live in public housing, receive food stamps, receive heating assistance in winter, send your kids to public schools, receive Medicaid for yourself and your children, and receive cash assistance, etc. count for nothing.
The local food stamp secretary got tired of being hollered at by their clients that their kids had no milk yet sat in the lobby bragging about getting their hair and nails done to party over the weekend. She crunched the numbers proving they were getting more than she was working 40/hr a week. She quit that day.