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TMCNet: Getting a closer look at poverty

[April 01, 2012]

Getting a closer look at poverty

COLUMBUS, Apr 01, 2012 (Columbus Telegram - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- It was a week spent out of their comfort zone for participants who took part in a poverty simulation exercise.

Connect Columbus put on the role-playing activity that was geared toward giving a more realistic look at the lives of those living in poverty or with low incomes.

"Our poverty rate is low, but the number of children qualifying for free and reduced lunch have increased in the last 10 years," said Tammy Bichlmeier, executive director of Connect Columbus.

Nearly 50 percent of students in the Columbus Public Schools district receive low-cost or free lunches. Lakeview Community Schools is at 40 percent. About 43 percent of students in the state get free and reduced lunches.

The simulation was held Friday and was conducted by Mary Nelson, an extension educator with the Douglas/Sarpy County University of Nebraska Extension Office.

The 30 participants were given roles to play. Some were part of families that found themselves in generational or situational poverty. Other volunteers played the roles of agencies there to help.

Each family was living in a different scenario. Maybe they were part of a single-parent family, an elderly couple living on a fixed income or someone who just lost their job. The participants were to live out four weeks during which time they were to find a job, pay utility and mortgage bills, purchase groceries and also get assistance, if needed, from agencies like social services, a homeless shelter and community-based programs.

The scenarios are real-life examples of how some live in communities each day.

"It gives you a little better idea how complicated poverty is," Nelson said.

Monica Lee-Buss was playing the role of a 34-year-old mother of two teenagers. Her husband left her with little money and she needed to provide for her family.

What surprised her the most during the activity was lack of time to get everything done. In fact, for two of the four weeks she wasn't even able to make it to the grocery store for food.

"It's very difficult," Lee-Buss said.

Maryjane Fiala was assigned to play a 14-year-old girl. Because she was too young to get a job, she tried other routes to make money, like baby-sitting for cash and transportation passes.

Some of the participants stole from neighbors, and what they nabbed was taken to a pawn store to make a few quick bucks. That led some to be arrested.

After the simulation was over, the group went through a debriefing process to discuss the experience. Some described the situation as overwhelming and that as the weeks went on, they got more desperate to make ends meet. A few didn't do that and got evicted, had to forego getting medication for their child and had their phones and electricity turned off.

Platte County has a low poverty level compared to the rest of the state. Less than 9 percent of people in the county are living at or below the poverty line. That's less than the state's 15 percent and the country's 18 percent.

But Bichlmeier said it is an issue that needs to be addressed. What many places in the country are dealing with now is situational poverty due to loss of employment, and the county is no different, she said.

The simulation was meant to be an educational effort to draw attention to the percentage of the population that is struggling, and also highlight what the county is doing well to help assist those individuals and families.

It is an additional effort that Connect Columbus has undertaken to draw attention to the issue. The organization has been hosting a workshop series called Bridges Out of Poverty to educate the public and service agencies about people who live in poverty. It addresses the financial and cultural differences between the low, middle and upper classes.

___ (c)2012 the Columbus Telegram (Columbus, Neb.) Visit the Columbus Telegram (Columbus, Neb.) at www.columbustelegram.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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