By Anne Gelhaus, Bay Area News Group, November 4, 2019
Jack Jolly, 25, almost lost his job for being late, had his pay withheld and got evicted, all with in the space of a month—or an hour, depending on your perspective.
Jack was the role played by Kyle (participants didn’t give last names) in a Nov. 2 poverty simulation staged by West Valley Community Services and the city of Cupertino, in partnership with Step Up Silicon Valley. Kyle was one of about 30 participants who each adopted the role of a low-income South Bay resident for four 15-minute “weeks,” navigating everything from health care and child care to rent and utility bills to social services and legal troubles at stations set up around the Cupertino Senior Center. Each participant assumed the role of a family member, from young children to grandparents.
As instructed, Kyle stayed in the role of Jack throughout the simulation, dealing with being the breadwinner for his partner, Joyce, and their infant. At the end of the second “week,” he was down to $60 and hadn’t yet bought groceries. He was going to have to pawn jewelry and a microwave to make ends meet.
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