You are asking the wrong question I think.
Trash is simple, Fires are simple, Law enforcement is simple compared to human nature.
Most Americans are akin to water in how they deal with life. They flow to the least resistance.
Not being poor in America though not at all hard, is however not the path of least resistance. Government programs for poor assistance rarely teach folk how to really handle money. If you can't handle money it does not matter how much money someone gives you it won't be long till you are poor again. If you don't believe me google lottery winners who lost everything.
In all the time you were in school did any government institution teach you how to handle money, how to invest it to make more money, how to spend less than you earn and save the difference?
I never run across a single instance of such a program.
I've seen some hopeful signs in recent years and as much as it pains me to do so, I have to credit Old Navy and Starbucks. I don't completely understand the phenom, but they seem to have attracted a lot of welfare kids to work there. More than once I've overheard them talking about attending classes at Hunter, City College or getting GEDs. I think this may be related to workfare, but am not sure.