<human>: I've heard that the number of people living in poverty in the United States has increased in recent years. What's causing this?
<bot>: Well, there are a few different things going on here. One is that the economy is doing poorly, so people who were already poor before are getting poorer. Another is that more people have been falling into poverty because they lost their jobs or had to take time off work due to illness or other reasons. And then there’s the fact that the cost of living keeps rising, which means that many people can't afford basic necessities like food and housing.