Simulation opens eyes to poverty

It was a rough month. I went to the mortgage company, made my monthly payment but forgot to get a receipt.

I made three visits to an agency that was supposed to help me with my high utility bills. First, they sent me to the Department of Human Services. But that department sent me back to the agency. Then the agency closed before I could complete my application. During my last visit, they told me they'd give me a weatherization kit to tape plastic over my windows and put me on a waiting list for assistance. When I got home after the last visit, I found I'd been evicted so I had to spend the weekend in a homeless shelter.

The next week, the mortgage company admitted they made a mistake and I was able to go home. I stopped off to pay my utility bills. I was $30 short on my gas bill and I left that office with just $12 to get me through to my next Social Security check. On my way home, I was held up at gunpoint and the thief took the $12.

The purpose of the exercise is to give the rest of us some inkling of how difficult it can be to survive when you are poor. It is also lonely, frustrating and confusing, to quote some of the adjectives used by exercise participants.

What struck me most about the exercise was the isolation I felt.

I didn't know where to turn for help. The employees I spoke to at the various agencies I visited didn't see me as a human being, they saw me as a problem to be dispensed with quickly and with the least amount of effort. There were lots of forms to fill out that were complicated and a waste of time. I never knew in advance the kind of documentation I needed.

What would have helped me most would have been an advocate to negotiate the system with me and gain access to information about what services are available.

The Poverty Reduction Initiative is working on these issues. You can volunteer by calling the Volunteer Center of Greater Kalamazoo at 382-8350.

If you are someone who is short on time but can help out financially, you can mail a tax-deductible contribution to the Kalamazoo Regional Chamber Foundation, c/o PRI, 346 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49007.

If you or your group would like to participate in a poverty simulation workshop, call Kimberly Crider at 381-2977, extension 3252.

The greater the community involvement in this issue, the more opportunity there will be for creative minds to fashion real solutions.

Joyce Pines is the Kalamazoo Gazette's public editor. She can be reached at 388-2736 or jpines@kalamazoogazette.com.

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