While in some cases poverty could be the result of personal choices, sometimes it's due to sociological, institutional, political, or uncontrolled reasons or circumstances. If you haven't read it, I remember Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich was pretty interesting. It was about the working poor in America and some reasons why they might have trouble making ends meet. A person can be working full time or even 2 part time jobs and not have enough for rent, food, etc. A child could have come from a well-off middle class family only to suddenly be thrown into poverty when their dad is laid off. The economic recession caused many families to lose their homes. Outsourcing jobs to other countries has also shut down many factories here resulting in many layoffs and sudden poverty. Whole towns have been abandoned when they used to be thriving. Corporate and political greed and corruption exists. Look up the Flint Michigan water crisis where people endured lead poisoned drinking water just because of a city's greed.
Poverty is complicated and there are many reasons for it individually, locally, nationally, and globally. The Bible says how we should respond. God says to care for the poor, orphans, and widows. Deuteronomy 15:7-11 is about the poor and says, "there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, you shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy, and to the poor in your land." In those days, God commanded people with fields and vineyards not to harvest everything but to leave some for the soujouner, fatherless , and widows (Deuteronomy 24:17-21). Today we could volunteer and contribute to food banks, homeless shelters, vote for more efficient policies to help people in poverty, or even buy a hungry person you see on a street corner a meal. Don't tell your brother to go in peace, be warm and well-fed but not give them what they need (James 2:16). When people are hungry, thirsty, sick, unclothed, in prison, strangers etc we are to attend to their needs. Whatever you do (or do not do) "for the least of these" you do (or don't do) for Jesus (see Matthew 25:31-46). He then rightly judges and separates the goats and sheep. We will all be held accountable for our own actions. Don't bury the talents God gave you to use (see Matthew 25:14-30). We are to be good stewards of the things God has given us. Share and don't just store up goods for yourself like the foolish man who unknowingly was going to die that night (Luke 12:13-21).
Remember the parable about the hired men who worked from dawn complaining that the ones hired in the evening for paid the same wages as them (see Matthew 20:1-16)? The full-day workers were mad and wanted more than the denarius they'd agreed to, but he said he had the right to do what he wanted with his own money. God knows we humans often look for things to be "fair" with earthly eyes , but His ways are higher. God sees and knows everything and everyone. The last shall be first, whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and where your treasure is there will your heart be also. If you have little, God values even the little the poor widow gave, but expects more from the rich who only give a little from their surplus. "For the love of money is the root of all evil" (1 Timothy 6:10).