The case of urban poverty in Siirt: A field research

The concept of poverty, no matter at what level, is one of the economic factors faced by all people in the world and Turkey. Today, poverty has gained a global dimension including all underdeveloped countries in both developed and developing countries. The economic crises experienced have led to poverty-driven social conflicts and the emergence of segregation in society. Due to the gradual separation of poverty into various types and the acceleration of urbanization processes with globalization, urban poverty has become more pronounced with migration. It started to be considered as meeting the needs of people not only economically but also cultural and social needs. Therefore, poverty is evaluated in terms of our country and the effects of Siirt on urban life have become the subject of investigation. In the first part of this study, the concept of poverty and poverty types are explained both theoretically and conceptually. In the rest of the chapter, factors affecting the emergence of poverty are also explained. The second part of the study includes the examination of poverty in the world and Turkey besides poverty reduction approaches and the situation of income distribution in Turkey is described in detail. Within the scope of the research, it was emphasized how effectively the policies of combating poverty in our country respond to the needs of the poor in the fight against poverty. For this purpose, in-depth interviews were held with the participants as well as with the experts on the issue of poverty alleviation policies. In the study, it was emphasized that the fight against poverty of the participants cannot be sustained with only in-kind aid, but also, in the long term, income generating vocational courses will be more beneficial. It was emphasized that the social assistance provided to the poor cannot sustain their lives with in-kind aids and that aids should be made based on their cash and needs. In the third and last part of the study, a semi-structured in-depth interview form prepared by the researcher, which is a qualitative data collection tool, was used with individuals who had more practical knowledge and opinions on how to determine and apply policies regarding poverty reduction, and 12 participants were interviewed with 4 experts. As a result of the findings obtained within the scope of the research, it was concluded that the poor have an irregular income, and the uncertainties and tensions created in their own lives with this irregular income cause their lifestyle and family unrest. In the light of these evaluations, the policies regarding the fight against poverty were discussed in detail and the results and recommendations regarding the issue were presented in concrete.