"Low-income," "underserved," or "financially challenged" are polite, sensitive ways to say poor. Other alternatives focusing on economic status include "disadvantaged," "of limited means," or "working-class." These terms are more respectful than "poor" and focus on financial circumstances rather than reducing a person's worth.
Impoverished - meaning having little to no wealth or resources; 2. Needy - meaning having very little, usually referring to money; 3. Penurious - meaning having very little money; 4.
Low-income is a polite way to describe people who are poor. Impoverished is used, especially in journalism, to talk about poor countries and the people who live there. To talk about poor areas in rich countries, use deprived. penniless (literary) having no money; very poor:He died penniless in Paris.
Non-inclusive phrases: poverty-stricken; welfare reliant; the poor. Inclusive phrases: people whose income is below the poverty threshold, people with low income, receiving welfare. When writing about income, only include what is necessary and relevant for your content and be as specific as possible.
Referring to people as the vulnerable, the poor, the homeless, drug addicts, mentally ill, disabled, etc., is common in policy documents, media and our own communications. Unlike derogatory terms or slurs, these words are not meant to be intentionally harmful.
Have you ever used words like 'vulnerable,' 'disadvantaged' and 'underserved' to describe the people you serve? In education and health, we learn to use these words to describe people who live in under-resourced communities. These words have pejorative undertones that are demeaning, belittling and discriminating.
Describing someone as “individuals with limited financial resources” is a polite way to acknowledge their financial situation without using potentially stigmatizing language.
A poor person or indigent person is a legal status that some jurisdictions recognize, so as to grant a person access to court even if they lack the financial resources to pay otherwise required fees and costs.
bankrupt dependent down-and-out guttersnipe mendicant pauper suppliant. WEAK. alms person indigent poverty-stricken person street person ward of state.
