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United Way offers workshop to help residents understand poverty
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: October 17, 2019
Say the word poverty and images of poor living conditions or worn clothing might come to mind. But advocates say the reality of the day-to-day struggles is quite complex and difficult for those living comfortable lives to truly understand.
But officials at United Way of Summit County are trying to change that, unveiling a unique workshop designed to give participants hands-on experience dealing with the many problems individuals face.
The three-hour poverty simulation workshop takes place on Oct. 24 and will be led by Andre Campbell, director of diversity and inclusion for United Way of Summit County.
Those who participate will be assigned a unique set of circumstances and barriers, which must be overcome each week in order for them to survive.
“For example, one individual may be behind on his or her rent, another person may not be able to afford a medical procedure and someone else may have just lost a job,” said Campbell. “The simulation is designed so that 15 minutes represents one week in a participant’s life for a total of four weeks. Each week the challenges will change.”
“To help those living in poverty, people first have to understand it,” Jim Mullen, president and chief executive officer of United Way of Summit County said in a press release. “Whether it’s an inability to afford food or medication or lack of access to transportation or health services, once we see the problems faced by people in our community, we’re better equipped to help them overcome those problems.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau and United Way ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) project data, poverty affects a large number of those living in the Summit County area.
In fact, 24.1% or one out of every 4.2 Akron residents reported income levels below the poverty line in the past year. In Summit County, 48% of residents are either living in poverty or considered working poor, meaning that even with steady jobs their incomes are not enough to afford a minimal household budget.
Compared to Ohio’s 14.9% poverty rate, the numbers in Akron and Summit County are significantly higher.
Campbell said the overall goal of the poverty simulation workshop is to raise awareness of the many life obstacles that so many living in the community face as they struggle daily to make ends meet.
“The United Way currently offers full-day Bridges out of Poverty workshops bi-monthly to provide people with a foundational framework for understanding poverty,” said Campbell. “Over the past couple of years, we received a lot of requests for poverty simulation workshops to complement the understanding and experience of poverty.”
United Way’s Poverty Simulation is derived from the Missouri Community Action Network, which houses and offers the Poverty Simulation framework that communities facilitate across the country.
The upcoming simulation will be a pilot workshop to gauge community interest.
As of the publication of this story, 70 people had registered. Campbell said officials are hoping to attract up to 100 participants.
“Depending upon the feedback we receive we may continue to host a few of the simulations every year,” said Campbell.
The Oct. 24 workshop gets underway at 9 a.m. at 37 N. High St. in Akron. The cost is $15 per person. To register, go to uwsummit.org/poverty.