Poverty simulation puts participants in low-income family’s shoes

Grants Pass, Ore. — A program in Grants Pass gave community members a chance to see how difficult it can be to live with a low income. On Friday morning, a poverty simulation was put on by the Rotary of Rogue Gateway.

Each participant was given a packet with details about their life. It included their name, age, social security number, along with cash and the bills they were responsible for. The goal was to make it through a month, and keep their head above water.

“I’m here because I think it’s important to learn what about a third of the people in our community are struggling with,” Win Howard said.

Each person was assigned a role. Howard was one of the first to learn whose shoes he would fill.

“I am the gentleman, or the person that is kind of the troublemaker in the community,” Howard said.

Another participant, Tony Mendenhall was a 25 year old single, working father.

“I have an EBT card,” Mendenhall said.

The group goes through four weeks in 15 minute increments. Each week, the participants go around the room to work, school, the bank and grocery store. They have to pay for food, rent, transportation, and utilities. But they also have to find time to go to community resources.

The goal: after an hour, to have a better idea of what it’s like to live paycheck to paycheck, and even struggle to do that.

Aside from financial struggles, the group also dealt with theft, drug dealing in the school, and a kidnapping.

“I went to the child care center, and I took his baby doll,” Howard said.

After Mendenhall’s baby was kidnapped, things took a downhill turn for him.

“I called the police,” Mendenhall said. Shortly there after, he received bad news.”Friendly shut off notice.”

But that’s not where it ended. Following that, Mendenhall got an eviction notice. But by the end of the month, the police got a lucky break in his kidnapping case.

When the simulation ended, Mendenhall was still processing what had happened.

“[It was] kinda traumatic,” Mendenhall said.

Mendenhall says he learned lessons that he’ll take with him everyday.

“Being more understanding of what it is people are going through, and not just looking at the person and their behavior and what’s going on right there in front of you, but really understanding that there’s more going on in their life,” Mendenhall said.

Organizers say another simulation may be scheduled in the future, but as of yet, a date has not been set.

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