Lack of education and understanding. I feel our schools and society fail miserably to prepare students for life on the outside. When I finally got out on my own I didn't have a clue how to obtain an apartment, phone or utilities. I didn't know how to shop for bargains, balance a checkbook or manage my money. I was raised to believe that if you work hard you will do well.
That is not necessarily the case. Life is competitive. You either choose to compete or you don't, however, we are not all endowed with equal abilities. Handicaps are not always visible. Some people seem to have been born with everything going for them. Others seem to never get a break. I am a healthy middle aged individual. All I have ever wanted is to be able to earn a moderate living.
This I have accomplished but it is not a secure living nor is it moderate to everyone's standards. According to most people I have a moderate house, 2 used cars and the abilities to pay the bills and still have a little left over however I make twice as much as the average individual. There are many things I could do without, such as the second car and all expenses incurred by it, my multimedia system including my computer, tv's, vcrs dvds, cell phones... And then, there's all my other belongings such as boats, bikes, fancy clothes, toys, gadgets, dining out, nightclubs and all the expenses incurred therein as well. All this and I live alone! I know many family's with four generations living under the same roof just to survive. Now, here is the point, would I be willing to share it all if I knew I could get a family or even an individual off the street? Would you?
I think the biggest cause of poverty is a lack of understanding, a willingness to turn a blind eye.
Laziness? Yes, I feel laziness is the root cause of poverty, not on behalf of the impoverished but on behalf of all of us who continue to allow it to go on, all of us who feel someone else will do something about it.
How do we fix it? Seek those who have not, find out why not and help them to overcome.
Put and end to beurocracy, pork barrel programs, illicit foreign aid, tax evaders and gougers so we can have the money it will take to help.
Teach our schools to focus more on 'Life Economics' and make it a requirement. Identify the individual talents of children and guide them along the right path for them. Don't penalize and ridicule them because they may not be good at math, taking tests or sports. Stop being so damned two dimensional and realize there is a universe of possibilities awaiting all of us if we could only recognize the abilities of all individuals instead of a stereotyped few. Please forgive my longwinded answer but your was a question worthy of the time. May we all prevail.