Did you know that all of the schools in the Newburgh School District now give free breakfast and lunch to their students? Sometimes the food children eat at school is the only meal they get during the day. This is reality for people who are living in poverty and you might not even be able to tell who they are.
On November 1st I attended the poverty simulation. I walked up to the doors of the Hudson Auditorium and was told that I was now Harvey Hanlow, a 25 year old man. During this simulation, I was going to be taking on the role of his day to day life for a month. In order to do so, each week consisted of 15 minutes, with a weekend of 4 minutes. In order to go to work, stores, the bank, anywhere at all, you needed to use a transportation pass, including the one year old. The next 66 minutes of my life, now turned into Harvey's life. It went as followed...
I just got out of jail and I live in a trailer home with my girlfriend and her one year old son. Since we can't pay the rent we're going to get evicted by the 3rd week, so we now have to find a new place to live. I work in a cafeteria and my girlfriend doesn't work since she takes care of her son. We have a car, but it's broken so we have to rely on public transportation. Along with our rent, food, clothing, etc., that we pay every week, I have to pay child support every month.
Week 1:
We have 8 transportation passes, but going to work requires me to take 5 because I work full time. I go to work, my girlfriend and her son take 2 to the quickcheck location to try and buy more passes for the following week. When work is over, I go to the bank to cash my check. I plan on using this money to pay rent, but when I get to the bank, they inform me that I don't have a bank account with them, so I have to go to quickcheck to cash my check. Without another transportation pass to do that, I go home. When I get there, my girlfriend tells me that they denied her passes. We are now all out, so we can't travel anywhere for the next week.
Week 2:
I decide to go on the streets and try to pay someone for a transportation pass. Someone agrees, so I give them $10 for 1. I go to work, but now I'm late. When I arrive, my boss notices I'm late and I get fired. I have no other option but to go home and sit with my girlfriend and her son, wondering what to do the following week.
Week 3:
We are now evicted because we couldn't pay rent by this week. We end up at the homeless shelter, which is right next to the church. We ask the church if we can have some transportation passes and they give us 2, free of charge. I go straight to quick check to cash my check and get more passes, but they are all out. I head over to the pawn shop and ask for 7, but instead he gives me 5 and charges me $50. When I return home, I take one to go apply for a job and my girlfriend leaves her son with a babysitter (another woman at the homeless shelter) and tries to get a job as well. I'm told to return to work the following week, while my girlfriend has to wait to hear back. Now instead of needing 5 transportation passes, I need 3 because I only work part time.
Week 4:
It's time to go to work! My girlfriend goes back to the church to ask for more passes, which she gets. She uses 2 and goes to the daycare to enroll her son so she can run errands without needing extra transportation passes. After work, I go to quick check to cash my check and then head over to the store to buy food and clothing. I pay for both and am informed that it was the first time I was there for the past month. My girlfriend tries to go to the realtor to find a place to rent, but they are closed.
Right when we get back to the homeless shelter, the bell rings and the simulation is over.
To say it simply, this simulation stressed me out! The most stressful part was not having enough transportation passes because without them, it was impossible to go to work, cash checks or pay bills. It was also difficult having a child because he also needed a transportation pass to go places, but they were so limited. This simulation really gets you thinking about people who are living in poverty and it makes you want to help in any way that you can, but sometimes that isn't easy either.
On November 1st I attended the poverty simulation. I walked up to the doors of the Hudson Auditorium and was told that I was now Harvey Hanlow, a 25 year old man. During this simulation, I was going to be taking on the role of his day to day life for a month. In order to do so, each week consisted of 15 minutes, with a weekend of 4 minutes. In order to go to work, stores, the bank, anywhere at all, you needed to use a transportation pass, including the one year old. The next 66 minutes of my life, now turned into Harvey's life. It went as followed...
I just got out of jail and I live in a trailer home with my girlfriend and her one year old son. Since we can't pay the rent we're going to get evicted by the 3rd week, so we now have to find a new place to live. I work in a cafeteria and my girlfriend doesn't work since she takes care of her son. We have a car, but it's broken so we have to rely on public transportation. Along with our rent, food, clothing, etc., that we pay every week, I have to pay child support every month.
Week 1:
We have 8 transportation passes, but going to work requires me to take 5 because I work full time. I go to work, my girlfriend and her son take 2 to the quickcheck location to try and buy more passes for the following week. When work is over, I go to the bank to cash my check. I plan on using this money to pay rent, but when I get to the bank, they inform me that I don't have a bank account with them, so I have to go to quickcheck to cash my check. Without another transportation pass to do that, I go home. When I get there, my girlfriend tells me that they denied her passes. We are now all out, so we can't travel anywhere for the next week.
Week 2:
I decide to go on the streets and try to pay someone for a transportation pass. Someone agrees, so I give them $10 for 1. I go to work, but now I'm late. When I arrive, my boss notices I'm late and I get fired. I have no other option but to go home and sit with my girlfriend and her son, wondering what to do the following week.
Week 3:
We are now evicted because we couldn't pay rent by this week. We end up at the homeless shelter, which is right next to the church. We ask the church if we can have some transportation passes and they give us 2, free of charge. I go straight to quick check to cash my check and get more passes, but they are all out. I head over to the pawn shop and ask for 7, but instead he gives me 5 and charges me $50. When I return home, I take one to go apply for a job and my girlfriend leaves her son with a babysitter (another woman at the homeless shelter) and tries to get a job as well. I'm told to return to work the following week, while my girlfriend has to wait to hear back. Now instead of needing 5 transportation passes, I need 3 because I only work part time.
Week 4:
It's time to go to work! My girlfriend goes back to the church to ask for more passes, which she gets. She uses 2 and goes to the daycare to enroll her son so she can run errands without needing extra transportation passes. After work, I go to quick check to cash my check and then head over to the store to buy food and clothing. I pay for both and am informed that it was the first time I was there for the past month. My girlfriend tries to go to the realtor to find a place to rent, but they are closed.
Right when we get back to the homeless shelter, the bell rings and the simulation is over.
To say it simply, this simulation stressed me out! The most stressful part was not having enough transportation passes because without them, it was impossible to go to work, cash checks or pay bills. It was also difficult having a child because he also needed a transportation pass to go places, but they were so limited. This simulation really gets you thinking about people who are living in poverty and it makes you want to help in any way that you can, but sometimes that isn't easy either.
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