{"id":109550,"date":"2020-05-18T09:31:45","date_gmt":"2020-05-18T13:31:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=109550"},"modified":"2020-11-27T12:09:19","modified_gmt":"2020-11-27T17:09:19","slug":"associate-professor-challenging-the-lens-through-which-we-interpret-poverty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/associate-professor-challenging-the-lens-through-which-we-interpret-poverty\/","title":{"rendered":"Associate Professor Challenging the Lens Through Which We Interpret Poverty"},"content":{"rendered":"

UCF sociology<\/a> Associate Professor Amy Donley \u201902 \u201904MA \u201908PhD<\/strong> is committed to understanding and exposing social inequalities and the impact they have on those in poverty.<\/p>\n

In the midst of COVID-19, Donley is assisting in the coordination of relief efforts coming out of the Homeless Services Network. The network aims to combat homelessness through funding programs and providing direct crisis recovery for agencies across Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties<\/p>\n

\u201cLocal agencies serving homeless individuals and families have quickly instituted major changes to ensure that everyone stays healthy,\u201d she says. \u201cHSN is coordinating efforts across agencies. It has been a major undertaking and the work that these agencies have done is commendable.\u2019<\/p>\n

Donley has also turned her research towards understanding the impact of unemployment and furloughs prompted by COVID-19. Donley and her students are conducting a real-time online survey of hospitality industry workers who have been directly impacted.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur hope it to shine a light on the impact this is having on the people who make up a major employment sector in our community, so that people feel heard and considered rather than just a statistic,\u201d says Donley.<\/p>\n

Seeking to understand the quality of life and sociological tendencies of homeless and impoverished communities does not end with her research. Donley has a hand in many of the local agencies that have a direct impact on the wellbeing of these individuals<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it is important that we examine the structural reasons why so many people live in poverty or experience homelessness,\u201d says Donley. \u201cBeing poor or homeless is a condition, not a personality trait.\u201d<\/p>\n

Donley believes solutions are also found working with community partners, which is one reason she directs the Institute for Social and Behavioral Science at UCF<\/a>. It produces research about an array of subjects within the social and behavioral sciences, particularly via collaboration with non-profit and government agencies.<\/p>\n

She also serves on the board of directors for the Coalition for the Homeless where she is able to communicate what she knows and can draw direct information for her research.<\/p>\n