below the poverty line
I saw an article on a web news spot that said that washington dc was one of the top 10 poorest cities in america- with like 12 (or maybe it was 17, I can't remember) percent of the population living below the poverty line. It also said that when you look at those numbers in relation to children, those numbers jump up to the 20's.
For a long time, I didnt know what it meant to live below the poverty line. My only image was of homeless mentally ill older people- on the west coast, in the south, I think it also included some veterans, on the west coast, it included teenage runaways.
So I live in a neighborhood where there are quite a few families really struggling to make ends meet- most likely living below the poverty line. Here is one case. My neighbor has four little children. They seem really sweet so far, the whole family. So I have noticed that their apartment doesn't seem to have any furniture. WHy don't they have furniture? There are thrift stores and free stuff all over the place- that's how I got most of my furniture. Well, they don't have a car (nor the means to rent one) and they probably don't have the time, like I do. I do not work two jobs or long hours AND have four kids. Also, for one person, living below the poverty line means living with less than 10 thousand a year. I have never come close to that.
Doesn't the government provide services to help these kinds of families? Yes and no. One summer I worked at the public advocates' office (notice, I worked there for free and so got access to many opportunities for networking- not something I could do if I was living below poverty level). Some other interns were researching the welfare system for a report to the public advocate. They decided to try to apply for public assistance- just to see what the process is like. It took them two days to get an application. They stood in line, waiting to get on line for another line, so they could get the form to request an application. they were sent to different places, told that they didn't have the right kinds of certification at one place or the right identification at another or that simply, this wasn't the right time for them to come to apply. Now, these are college educated government interns. It can't be for lack of english reading knowledge that caused them to not know what were the right procedures or pieces of identification. The lines were long, the process convoluted, the applications incomprehsible. That means this is two days out of work to apply for public assistance.
Recently, my roomate saw the my neighbor's kids and asked them, "what is Santa getting for you for Christmas this year?" To which the mom quickly replied, "She isn't getting anything because she is bad." I am pretty sure that the girl isn't that bad but it is just that they can't afford presents. That whole situation just made me mad. Mad at my roomate for asking that and not realizing the discomfort it was going to cause, mad that the mom felt embarassed and as a result probably made her daughter feel bad. mad that the little girl had to feel bad for no particular reason. mad that we have a system that doesn't really work and isn't helping this family. then mad at the people who choose to ignore this, to say that the poorness of the family is their fault (that they are not good enough so that's why they are so poor- so is this what flows from Calvinism?). mad mad mad mad.
For a long time, I didnt know what it meant to live below the poverty line. My only image was of homeless mentally ill older people- on the west coast, in the south, I think it also included some veterans, on the west coast, it included teenage runaways.
So I live in a neighborhood where there are quite a few families really struggling to make ends meet- most likely living below the poverty line. Here is one case. My neighbor has four little children. They seem really sweet so far, the whole family. So I have noticed that their apartment doesn't seem to have any furniture. WHy don't they have furniture? There are thrift stores and free stuff all over the place- that's how I got most of my furniture. Well, they don't have a car (nor the means to rent one) and they probably don't have the time, like I do. I do not work two jobs or long hours AND have four kids. Also, for one person, living below the poverty line means living with less than 10 thousand a year. I have never come close to that.
Doesn't the government provide services to help these kinds of families? Yes and no. One summer I worked at the public advocates' office (notice, I worked there for free and so got access to many opportunities for networking- not something I could do if I was living below poverty level). Some other interns were researching the welfare system for a report to the public advocate. They decided to try to apply for public assistance- just to see what the process is like. It took them two days to get an application. They stood in line, waiting to get on line for another line, so they could get the form to request an application. they were sent to different places, told that they didn't have the right kinds of certification at one place or the right identification at another or that simply, this wasn't the right time for them to come to apply. Now, these are college educated government interns. It can't be for lack of english reading knowledge that caused them to not know what were the right procedures or pieces of identification. The lines were long, the process convoluted, the applications incomprehsible. That means this is two days out of work to apply for public assistance.
Recently, my roomate saw the my neighbor's kids and asked them, "what is Santa getting for you for Christmas this year?" To which the mom quickly replied, "She isn't getting anything because she is bad." I am pretty sure that the girl isn't that bad but it is just that they can't afford presents. That whole situation just made me mad. Mad at my roomate for asking that and not realizing the discomfort it was going to cause, mad that the mom felt embarassed and as a result probably made her daughter feel bad. mad that the little girl had to feel bad for no particular reason. mad that we have a system that doesn't really work and isn't helping this family. then mad at the people who choose to ignore this, to say that the poorness of the family is their fault (that they are not good enough so that's why they are so poor- so is this what flows from Calvinism?). mad mad mad mad.
posted by Matty Lau at
5:17 AM
1 Comments:
First, thanks for sharing your blog. As a gesture of thanks, here's a comment. It is hard for me to imagine what it is like to live below the poverty line. I've never been in that position or close to it. I used to think I was struggling because I could only afford to BUY a condo or that I couldn't go on the ski/beach vacations my friends take. So, I got a second job to help further my dreams along. Working retail for $8/hour has put my life in a whole different perspective. Now, I am grateful for what I have and no longer envy the lifestyle of my friends. Well, I still do a a teensy bit. But, I also realize that those trips may all be on credit. Although I still don't know what it is to live below the poverty line. I no longer feel sorry for my situation.
By
CloverJelly, at 1/24/2006 3:08 PM
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