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Crisis Assistance Ministry

Crisis Assistance Ministry

Charlotte, NC

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Put Yourself in Someone Else’s Shoes

With two kids to care for, aged 7 and 9, there is a zero percent chance my family can pay these bills on time. Should I fall behind on rent payments and risk eviction? Should I ignore the electric bill and risk the power being cut off? How will I be able to afford groceries for the coming week? All of these questions spiraled through my mind as I came to a harrowing conclusion: my family and I could likely end up homeless very soon. Suddenly, I heard a whistle blow, and a hush fell over the room.  It was over.

February 16, 2023

BY NOAH HOWELL

I’m stressed and overwhelmed as I prepare to clock out of work for the week. Next month’s rent is due in only a couple of days, but I’m behind on my utility payments and still need to buy groceries for the coming week. The good news? It’s payday. The bad news? My $350 weekly paycheck isn’t nearly enough to cover all my expenses, even with my husband’s monthly disability check — our only other source of income.

With two kids to care for, aged 7 and 9, there is a zero percent chance my family can pay these bills on time. Should I fall behind on rent payments and risk eviction? Should I ignore the electric bill and risk the power being cut off? How will I be able to afford groceries for the coming week? All of these questions spiraled through my mind as I came to a harrowing conclusion: my family and I could likely end up homeless very soon.

Suddenly, I heard a whistle blow, and a hush fell over the room. 

It was over. 

For the past hour, I’d participated in the Missouri Community Action Network’s poverty simulation, facilitated by Crisis Assistance Ministry. The simulation takes you through a simulated month in the lives of people living in poverty, split up into four 15-minute segments, each segment representing one week. I took on the identity of Zola Zuppot, a fictional 53-year-old woman whose experiences and circumstances were drawn from the real-life experiences of someone experiencing poverty.

Zola, whose husband is disabled and confined to their home, became the legal guardian of her two grandchildren after her daughter was incarcerated. The children’s father was not in the picture; therefore, the brunt of this responsibility fell on Zola. Between Zola’s low-paying job and her husband’s monthly disability checks, the household of four had just over $2,000/month to live on, putting the family below the Federal Poverty Line ($30,000/year for a household of four). With not enough household income, it’s no surprise that I was unable to make ends meet and pay all my expenses; I ended the simulation with less than half of what I needed to pay rent for the next month. 

American political rhetoric surrounding issues of poverty is too often dominated by individualism and a failure to recognize systemic factors that drive cycles of poverty. Poverty is often seen as a personal failure rather than a systemic one. The poverty simulation aims to dispel this mindset by putting you directly in the shoes of someone trapped in said cycles of poverty. For one hour, you feel the stress, the urgency, and the hopelessness that accompanies the experience of poverty. 

Once you’ve felt that—once you’ve experienced having the odds stacked against you at every turn—it changes your perspective. That’s the power of the simulation: its ability to instill empathy among people who may not have experienced poverty themselves.

As you progress through the simulation, you very quickly realize a cruel paradox exists in the American economy: it is extremely expensive to be poor in the United States. You also realize it is incredibly difficult to climb out of poverty once you’re there. Take Zola, for example: she has no college degree, speaks English as her second language, and is nearing retirement age. She essentially has no opportunity for upward mobility in terms of income. Her husband cannot work, and now she has double the number of mouths to feed in her household. Through no fault of her own, the outlook for Zola and her family is bleak without a strong safety net in place.

Zola’s case isn’t some imaginary horror story. Each character’s story in the simulation is crafted directly from social workers’ casework. These scenarios represent the norms of poverty rather than the exceptions.

In fact, Zola represents one of 37.9 million Americans living below the Federal Poverty Line in 2021. That’s about 11.6% of the total U.S. population. By OECD standards, the U.S. poverty rate is at 15.1%, much higher than other comparable nations, including the U.K. (11.2%), Switzerland (9.9%), Canada (8.6%), France (8.4%), and Denmark (6.5%).  

When you look at the staggering numbers, it becomes difficult to ignore the role our socioeconomic systems play in creating poverty. And once you actually put yourself into the shoes of someone experiencing poverty, even for just an hour, it becomes impossible.

If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking of poverty as a personal failure, I encourage you to try this simulation. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes and see if you change your mind.

Learn More About Poverty Simulations

Noah Howell

Noah Howell is a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate who works with the Civic Engagement team at Crisis Assistance Ministry. A Charlotte native, he is deeply passionate about exploring potential solutions to homelessness and poverty in his community.

Filed Under: Advocacy Tagged With: Civic Engagement, Community, Federal Poverty Line, Missouri Action Network, Noah Howell, Poverty Simulation, Poverty Simulations, Preserve Dignity

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  • Four women who appear to be Black and varying ages hug themselves to illustrate "Embrace Equity"International Women’s Day 2023: Embrace Equity
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Crisis Assistance Ministry

Preventing homelessness.
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  • Main Office:
    500-A Spratt St.
    Charlotte, NC 28206
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Recent Photos

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What's in your closet that could help out a neighbor in the warmer months? 
Spring has sprung here in the Queen City. That means the needs of families shopping, free of charge, at @CrisisAssistMin are changing too. 
You can help meet their needs with donations of new or gently used clothing, shoes, or household goods or by signing up as a volunteer to help receive, inspect, and prepare donations for shoppers.

crisisassistmin

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What do you do when you miss out on the big dance? 
Well, these Charlotte area #Tarheels pitched in to unload a truckload of donated goods and prepare them for families who shop free of charge in the Free Store. Thanks to these @charlottecarolinaclub #volunteers, it's always a #GDTBATH! 
THANKS for all you do to give back in #CLT.

crisisassistmin

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Happy St Patrick's Day!  This big ole batch of 400+ granola bars will provide a little bit of sustenance to waiting families thanks to @MeckKidz from @meckchurch. Youth used "Meck Bucks" earned for participation in activities to purchase bars for the snack ministry here @CrisisAssistMin

crisisassistmin

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We loved hosting these visiting Bisons from @howard1867 as they lived out their motto of Excellence in Truth & Service here in #CLT. Thanks to them families will find essentials, free of charge, here in the @CrisisAssistMin Free Store. #volunteers

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Happy International Women's Day!
Today we take a look at how this year's theme of Embrace Equity affects the people (and mostly the women) served here at Crisis Assistance Ministry every day.

Observed worldwide on March 8 as a celebration of “the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women,” International Women’s Day is also a global call to action for accelerating women’s equality.

The theme for this year’s observance is “Embrace Equity.” Organizers at International Women’s Day (IWD) encourage everyone to “Imagine a gender-equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated.” 

While great strides in gender equality have been achieved since women gained the right to vote in 1920, there is still much work ahead. Consider these indicators of the gender gap in the United States:
- Women full-time workers earn, on average, 82 cents for every dollar earned by men
- American women earn less than men in all industries, with the most significant pay gaps in management positions
- The construction industry has the smallest gender pay gap, but only 9% of construction workers are women
- Unpaid work like housekeeping and caring for children falls mainly to women 

Read More at the link in our bio

crisisassistmin

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The theme for Black History Month 2023 is “Resistance”, a single word that encompasses so much. Through the centuries, a long line of brave and committed Black Americans have battled injustice, some on the public stage and others behind the scenes. But for every high-profile or large-scale act of resistance, countless others go unnoticed. Every day at @CrisisAssistMin, we see brave and committed Black Charlotteans struggling to resist the forces of an unjust society right here in Mecklenburg County.
Read "Black History Month: Resisting the Status Quo" at the link in our profile.

crisisassistmin

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It was a beautiful weekend to share (more than) @onewarmcoat with our neighbors! Our friends from One Warm Coat finished up their working retreat by distributing brand new coats to families right here in our parking lot. So many smiles, a few tears of relief, and a lot of runway spins were shared.

crisisassistmin

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We 💙 💙 💙 it when community members create their own "Army" to celebrate birthdays and other milestones in each others' lives. Thanks to these #volunteers from "Eric's Army," shoppers this week found essentials like clothing, shoes, and household goods free of charge. Together, we #preservedignity for #CLT families who are struggling financially.

crisisassistmin

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We're excited to have @QCfamilytree share their expertise as our staff digs into the impact of systemic racism here in Mecklenburg County and its impact on the people served here. Thanks Greg, Helms, & Shamaiye for taking time to help us begin these important conversations.

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