Find Someone Who. Poverty Awareness Paula M. Hella, Family Living Educator, UW Extension, Calumet County Pierson Kohrell, Community Educator, UW-Extension.

Find Someone

Who

Poverty AwarenessPaula M. Hella, Family Living Educator, UW Extension,

Calumet CountyPierson Kohrell, Community Educator, UW-Extension and AmeriCorps, Calumet and Outagamie Counties

Workshop Objectives

Gain insight into how life circumstances shape personal paradigms.

Examine myths about poverty.

Examine personal access to power and privilege.

Learn how poverty is measured.

Gain knowledge of poverty data.

Commit to personal, workplace and/or community action steps.

Personal Reflection

Recall the first experience you can remember regarding poverty.

What emotion do you recall feeling at that time?

What impact did that event have on you then?

What do you think of that situation now? Have your feelings or perspectives changed? 

Poverty Defined

“Having an income below a federally determined poverty threshold.” “Represents the Federal Government’s estimate of the point below which a family of a given size has a cash income insufficient to meet basic needs.”“Any family/individual with total income less than an amount deemed to be sufficient to purchase food, shelter, clothing and other essential goods and services is classified as poor.” “The state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions.”

Poverty Defined

Insufficient means to provide, in a socially acceptable manner, the basic necessities of daily life in order to live healthfully.

The difference between what will we eat for dinner and will we eat dinner.

What’s Class Got to Do With It?

Federal Poverty Guidelines: 2015

Household Size

Monthly Gross Income Annual Gross Income

1 $980.83 $11,770

2 $1,327.50 $15,930

3 $1,674.17 $20,090

4 $2,020.83 $24,250

5 $2,367.50 $28,410

aspe.hhs.gov/2015-poverty-guideline

the poverty rate in Wisconsin

increased by more than 50% over

the past decade

Poverty in Wisconsin

Poverty in Wisconsin

Who is in Poverty?Who is in Poverty?

Wisconsin Poverty Rates, 1970-2010

children are more than twice as

likely to live in poverty as are

the elderly

from 2005 to 2010,child poverty

increased 3 timesas fast in

Wisconsin asnationwide

Living Wage in Wisconsin

http://livingwage.mit.edu/states/55

Household Living Wage in Wisconsin

Federal Poverty Comparison (100% FPL)

Difference

1 Adult $10.13/hr $5.66 $4.47

1 Adult, One Child

$22.38 $7.66 $14.72

1 Adult, Two Children

$28.88 $9.66 $19.22

2 (working) Adults, Two Children

$15.79/hr/each

$5.83 $9.96/hr/each

aspe.hhs.gov/2015-poverty-guideline

Making Ends Meet in Wisconsin1 Adult and 2 Children, 2014

$7.50/hr

$12.50/hr

$23.44/hr

What Makes Poverty so Harmful

Few financial resourcesLack of nutritionDecrease in mental healthHome environmentNeighborhoods strugglingStress

What Makes Poverty so Harmful

Brain on Poverty“Responding to constant, urgent, immediate needs prevents us from getting out of crisis mode to be able to make clear, long term decisions or implement a plan.”

Paulo Freire

Iceberg

Poverty Call to Action

How can you address poverty:At a personal level?

At a professional level?

At a community level?

Thank you!!