Poverty Simulation Shines Light on Low Income Living

This Sunday, members of the community will have the opportunity to find out what it feels like to live in poverty.

A poverty simulation exercise will take place at Christ Episcopal Church this Sunday, beginning at 11:30 a.m. The project is sponsored by the Episcopal Church and coordinated through West Park Hospital Prevention and Wellness. Reverend Mary Caucutt of the Episcopal Church says the church got involved in the project when they wrote a grant to create this curriculum, which is based on a program called Bridges Out of Poverty.

In the simulation, participants are given a role to play within a family, and each 15 minutes represents a week in poverty. Participants must make decisions that need to be made with limited resources, and in limited time. Val Walsh Haines with the Prevention and Wellness Office points out that most of the participants are of middle class income – and for those who have taken part in the previous events, these simulations opened their eyes to the realities of what people in this community go through on a daily basis.

Reverend Caucutt added that moving forward, they are creating a curriculum for people who are currently experiencing poverty, to go through a class that will help give them a leg up out of their financial situation. As those people graduate from the class, they will be paired with allies in the community who can help them on an ongoing basis.