This customizable experience combines elements of the virtual experience with the power of in person proximity:
Members of Crisis Assistance Ministry’s community engagement team travel to the location where a group of ten or more has gathered to learn about the realities of life for families struggling with limited financial resources.
After an overview of Crisis Assistance Ministry and its role in the community, participants are divided into small groups of 3-4. With the guidance of Crisis Assistance staff, each group shares a laptop and works collectively through an online simulation experience designed to evoke deeper understanding and empathy surrounding the realities of life near the bottom of the economic ladder.
Following the simulation, Customer Advocates share their own lived experiences with participants who also share perspectives, learn from each other, and discuss ways to help create a more just and equitable community.
The experience is designed for adult learners who live or work in Mecklenburg County. Generally one-and-a-half to two hours in duration, it can be customized for different audiences.
The Blended Poverty Awareness Experience can be scheduled for groups of 10 or more. To discuss how this experience could benefit your group, please contact our Community Engagement team directly.
Defining the connection between poverty and mental illness is a chicken-and-egg scenario: does mental illness create an inability to overcome a state of poverty, or does poverty increase or perpetuate the occurrence of mental illness?
The newly released 2025 State of Housing Instability and Homelessness report confirms what many neighbors already feel. Housing pressure across Mecklenburg County is intensifying.
Free Tax Prep Meck is back. IRS-Certified tax preparation at no cost to qualifying individuals.
Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated each year from September 15 to October 15, is a time to honor the rich tapestry of cultures, traditions, and history that Hispanic and Latino* communities bring to the United States. This gives us an opportunity to reflect on the contributions and challenges faced by Hispanic communities across the country, including […]
September 15, 2025 marked the inaugural National Clothing Insecurity Day. While you have likely heard of housing, food, and financial insecurity, have you heard of clothing insecurity? Probably not. This often-hidden insecurity is when someone lacks access to clean, properly fitting, and appropriate clothing. Millions of American families struggle with this challenge, and it is […]
There’s something powerful about the first day of school: the anticipation, the nerves, the clean slate. But for too many students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, that moment of possibility is clouded by something as simple as what they’re wearing. More than 40 public schools in the Charlotte area require uniforms: solid color polos, khakis, sweaters, socks. […]
For millions across the United States, securing stable and affordable housing remains an elusive dream, a challenge compounded significantly for individuals with disabilities and their families. This intersection of housing instability and disability creates a critical crisis, forcing impossible choices and exacerbating existing vulnerabilities. When SSI Can’t Cover Rent A January 2024 report by the […]
Officially named the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”, H.R. 1 is indeed a big bill, at over 1,000 pages long. The bill combines permanent extensions of the 2017 tax cuts with steep spending reductions in key safety-net programs like Medicaid, SNAP (food stamps), LIHEAP (energy assistance), student aid, and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). […]
At Crisis Assistance Ministry, the mission is rooted in housing stability and combating poverty, ensuring neighbors find help, hope, and understanding. As we serve our community, it’s impossible to ignore a critical truth: the LGBTQ+ community faces a disproportionately higher risk of homelessness, a crisis deeply interwoven with persistent economic disparities. For many, the journey […]