Below the average: Area citizens float in poverty level

from The News Courier

By JOSH NEWTON

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Money isn’t easy to come by, and for the average citizen of Cherokee County, it may never be.

The U.S. Census Bureau says the median household income in 2003 for Cherokee County was $28,019, compared to the state average of $35,634 and the national average of $43,318.

The county average might sound reasonable, but for people making half that amount each year, 28K is, in some aspects, a dream.

Charlie Block is grateful just to have a job, and feels blessed to make as much money as he does with no high school diploma. Block falls into the approximately 25 percent of Cherokee County residents over age 25 who didn’t complete high school.

“I’m doing good for what I’m worth in the eyes of the bosses in town,” said Block.

At age 52, Block has been through a number of jobs (“I wouldn’t say I ever had a career”), including changing automobile oil and tires, pumping gas and working farm animals.

“I won’t say who I work for now - I appreciate the job and I have a kind boss,” said Block. “But the most [I have] taken home in the last three years is about $15,000 [a year] before taxes.”

For Block, retirement won’t mean much. He has no savings and no retirement plans.

“Doesn’t really matter. The way I see it, if I’m not working, I’ll go crazy,” he said. “As long as I can stay pretty healthy.”

One of Block’s buddies - a guy he’s worked with on several different job sites - referred to a concept he heard on TV news, “probably from a politician.”

“It was something about having two societies in this country: those who have more food than appetite, and those who have more appetite than food,” the friend said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Making what I make doesn’t mean it’s that bad. I eat just fine, so I don’t want [sympathy]. It just means cutting back on spending extra money.”

According to the Census Bureau, the official U.S. poverty rate in 2005 was 12.6 percent, or 37 million people. The rate stabilized after four years on the rise – higher than the most recent low of 11.3 percent in 2000, and lower than the 1959 rate of 22.4 percent, the first year poverty estimates were made.

In 2003, 19.2 percent of Cherokee County residents lived below the poverty level, compared to the average 14.6 percent of the state as a whole.

Though many believe education level plays a major impact in who falls into poverty, Hope House of Cherokee County Director Laura Garner doesn’t believe that’s actually the case.

“I think it has more to do with the families,” Garner suggested. “I think it’s an inter-generational thing.”

When families arrive for assistance at Hope House, one of the first priorities is the search for a job.

“It may not necessarily be the job they want, but if it puts food on the table, they can still search for another job while they are working,” said Garner. “Some may not find a job real fast because of the educational dilemma, or they may find it easier to ‘work the system.’”

But Garner says clients of Hope House are generally willing to do what it takes to get back on a steady financial foundation.

“They have kids, a family,” she said. “They want to get back up.”

Garner feels availability of outside educational resources, such as life-skills classes, are also important. Hope House works to involve adult clients with vocational or Cherokee Nation classes.

“We’ve got the sources; it’s just having enough computers, enough space [in the workforce],” said Garner.

Soon, organizations involved with the Northeastern Continuum of Care will begin updating a 10-year plan to end homelessness. As part of that effort, a count will be taken of area homeless through a point-in-time survey Jan. 25.

“It’s going to help get numbers for HUD [Housing and Urban Development],” said Garner. “Hopefully this will provide HUD a new way to look at things and bring more funds to the area.”

For those who say they live in poverty, or at least well below the county median average, the story doesn’t seem to have a final chapter.

“I don’t know that we can actually end poverty,” said Block. “Optimistically we could, but I never believe it will happen. I grew up in a poor family; my parents were poor, my grandparents were poor. It’s not science, it’s just my life.”

There is, however, sun at the end of the financial tunnel of darkness, according to Block.

“This is a country of chances,” he said. “I have a chance to better myself - if I make the effort. My kids have the chance to make more money than I have. Their kids, too. The only question that really matters is ... whether we choose to stay where we are in life or try to make ourselves better. Maybe it won’t happen, but it feels good to say I tried my best.”

Josh Newton writes for the Tahlequah (Okla.) Daily Press.