I must admit I was hesitant when I saw it on the agenda for the New Partners for Smart Growth conference here: "Poverty Simulation, 2-5 p.m." How could this not be contrived or voyeuristic, somehow? I signed up nonetheless.
The role-playing exercise, choreographed by the Missouri Association for Community Action and supported by Kaiser Permanente, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the Local Government Commission, turned out to be a vivid experience, focused on how stressful it is to be poor in U.S. cities.
Before entering the room I chose from an array of face-down cards and drew the role of Helen Harper, a 19-year-old single mother, living with a boyfriend in a homeless shelter with a 1-year-old child, Harvey. A high school dropout, never employed, with aspirations to go back to school someday, I received $278 a month in TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) benefits and $150 in food stamps.
[For more of this story, written by Anthony Flint, go to http://www.citylab.com/cityfix...y-simulation/385190/]
Comments (0)