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By Judy Le
VIRGINIA BEACH
By the end of the month, 36-year-old Melinda Morris didn't know where the money had gone. Her disabled mother-in-law needed medicine, and they were working hard to keep their utilities on.
Still, they did better than others. All around them, families had been evicted.
Morris is not real. She was one of dozens of low-income personas taken on by participants in Wednesday's poverty simulation, put on by the Virginia Cooperative Extension office and sponsored by the city's departments of Human Services and Housing and Neighborhood Preservation.
Dozens of educators and members of local government and faith-based organizations gamely sought to survive one month, made up of 15-minute weeks, on a very limited budget.
The intent of the exercise was to help people better understand the experience of being poor.
Some had disabilities and couldn't be left alone. Some could work but had limited transportation. And those who didn't make it to work didn't get paid. Some did have cars but had to go to the bank to make loan payments.
Those with small children brought them around, and they acted up. Child care was hard to get unless you were on the list. And a lot of people were not on the list.
Volunteers staffed the agencies, and every agency had a long line.
Those running out of money turned to the pawn shop, known for short changing sellers. Melva Martin - in real life, a Community Services Board member - was shocked to find her $100 microwave was worth only $20. She negotiated it up to $52.
Next door, the payday loan joint was charging 1 percent to cash a check and 30 percent interest over two weeks on loans.
Simulation volunteer Myra Labens, 41, brought her experience. In real life, the single mother, now unemployed, once worked in payday loans.
"I've seen people try to repay them. The interest eats you alive," she said.
"I hope this experience helps people understand how hard it really is on people."
By the end of last year, the city had 27,344 individuals participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or what was once called food stamps. That was an increase of 35.6 percent from the beginning of the year, according to state statistics.
Andy Friedman, the city's director of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation, said at the outset that he hoped the exercise would allow people to see what it was like on the other side of the desk. By the end, he had.
"I'm surprised to see how frustrating it is to have your fate in someone else's hands," he said.
Julie Barnes, a member of Beach Fellowship, said the experience showed her a different side of herself.
"I consider myself to be a person of integrity, but I threw it out the door. Right away I was looking for ways to cheat the system, and I had no guilty feelings about it," she said. "It blew me out of the water."
Judy Le, (757) 222-5113, judy.le@pilotonline.com
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Common Sense
So what was the point of this exercise? Obviously, that people can't live a basic lifestyle on minimum wage without accessing consumer credit during times of emergency.
Many of the participants in this program have advocated for the elimination of payday loans - yet, they were quick to access the product during the simulation when overdrafting and other alternative were not available or were more expensive as an option.
Welcome to reality!
Simulation over, now what????
I don't think you really need a program to find out how it feels to be poor. You probably have the real things living right in your neighborhoods. I grew up poor, so, I know how it feels. It's not easy, but, I overcame. I went to school and graduated; went into the military and did 20+ years; stayed away from drugs and anything that would deter me from what I was trying to achieve---which was a better life from the one I grew up in. Retired, found a job, got laid off, almost lost my house(still battling to keep it), but even with all that the road still wasn't easy, but, I did what I had to do and never relied on the state to take care of me. Needeless to say, I can go on and on, but, I'm employed full-time again and yes, I am able to breath a little more easier now, so, to simulate how to be poor, I really don't think people can grasp fully how that feels until you're in that particular shoes walking that path. So, my question now is; what do they do with the information that they found out from this simulation? Do you use it to better programs to help people better themselves or do you simply move on with your lives? Just wondering?
Nice try but
this simulation doesn't even begin to demonstrate what poverty feels like. How about the simulating the discrimination, utter contempt and prejudice from the legal system, law makers and society in general? Add to that being hungary and homeless and probably ill from lack of the basics and medical care. Let's face it, most of our society and those in power have nothing but contempt for the poor. I hope this is changing as people wake up and open their hearts. I've heard this over and over, it's your fault, you have brought this on yourself. Does anyone realize how many factors go into this situation? And what about Section 8 housing & affordable housing? From observing other states and how they deal with their poor, disabled and indigent population, Virginia holds some of the most negligent and discriminatory laws, attitudes and agendas regarding the poor. And to add further insult to injury, it's harder for a poor person to get a job because of these lack of basics and the attitude that poverty is a disease and no body wants it around them.
Wow!
Ain't Christians a grand bunch of folks. I find the majority of comments in this thread quite revealing of how much a Christian nation, based on Christian Values, America really is.
Different religions.
Even a Christian should stand up for what is right and wrong.
Been There, Done That
I was Laid Off June of '08.
In an attempt to cut expenses, I changed to a lesser plan/less minutes w/ Nextel.
Well guess what? My truck got repo'd. With the Phone Tag w/ repo I went WAY over on minutes. I was expecting a $30 bill, jumped to $180. My point? If you are looking for a Job, you WILL need those minutes so DONT be too quick to change your cell phone plan. I learned the hard way. BTW, once I got THAT Bill paid I switched to a Trac Phone and buy minutes as I need them.
Internet ? My God, what a Search Engine for Job Hunting ! It PAYS to KEEP the Internet. I got Lucky. I was paying $55 a mo JUST 4 Internet. My Cable Provider offered a 'deal' and now I get Cable/Int & Phone for $70 a Mo. For JUST $15 more a month I now have a Home Phone #.
Almost ALL 'Temp Agencies' notify you by Phone on next Job Assignment/ Weekly Check In.
Also, you can File for Un-Employment Online.
Some expenses will cost you MORE in time and effort without them. IMHO, Phone & Internet are 2 of them if you are actively seeking work.
trigger
Library has free internet
Track phone buys your minutes
Don't be a sissy! Get off your butt and be resourceful!
Who needs a feeling of "simulated" poverty?
If taxes keep increasing, we'll all ACTUALLY feel it soon enough.
Nice Experiement But Now What?
What the article describes is a good experiment in getting people to place themselves in another's shoes. But now what? It's good that some of the participants now have a better understanding of what it is like for some of thier clients, but how will that understanding be put to good use? Aside from being kinder or a little more compassionate, both good things on their own, what practical applications will now be implemented to help those they portrayed for an evening rise out of such frustrating and desperate circumstances?
VA-Pilot : A followup story on the answers would be a great idea.
Look up, not down
Perhaps we can focus on successful individuals whom have struggled in their lives but acheived a good education, earned a needed skill, or started a business from scratch. Let these community leaders be role models to those who are less fortunate. Let us look up, not down.