Poverty Simulation

Session 4 (Harborside West)

Join us for an intimate opportunity to understand what many of our youth living in poverty face on a daily basis. Approximately 32.9 million Americans—11.7 million of whom are children under the age of 18—live in poverty every day. Many more have incomes above the poverty line, but their incomes are still low enough to qualify for programs like Food Stamps and Medicaid. The recent economic downturn has seen unemployment rates rise and the use of emergency food pantries increase. It is difficult for those of us who have enough to fully understand the situations that families living in poverty experience every day; the decisions they have to make; and the fears and frustrations they feel. That is why we are inviting you to walk a mile in the shoes of those facing poverty by participating in the Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS). The CAPS provides participants with the opportunity to assume the role of a low-income family member living on a limited budget. The experience is divided into four 15-minute sessions, each of which represents one week in which you must provide for your family and maintain your home. As one participant commented, “This simulation dramatically demonstrates how much time and energy many families have to give just to survive from day to day.” It quickly dispels the myth “that people would do fine if they would only go out and get a job!”