Poverty growing in region

from The Valley Independent

By Jeff Oliver

MONESSEN - OK, here is your life:

You live in a household of five people. Of your three children, one is learning disabled.

You have to make sure the kids get off to school every day and are fed dinner every evening.

All of the bills have to be paid each month.

On top of all that, the household's breadwinner recently was laid off from work.

That's just one of many scenarios that people have to deal with every day.

It's a poverty situation.

It isn't pretty, trying to live life with little financial support.

And what's sad is that in Westmoreland County, there are more people living in poverty than ever before.

Tay Waltenbaugh, chief executive officer for Westmoreland Human Opportunities Inc. (WHO,) says that even though politicians will tell you that the economy in the state is improving, poverty levels are growing.

"The poverty level in the county two years ago was 7.3 percent," Waltenbaugh said. "Last year, it was at 9.2 percent. That represents an increase from about 28,100 people to 33,000.

"That's a lot of people living in poverty."

WHO, in conjunction with the Westmoreland County Public Assistance Office, is doing its best to bring to light the plight of those living in poverty.

The county agencies are teaming up to hold poverty simulation sessions throughout Westmoreland.

The latest simulation was held in Monessen at the Orchard Christian Fellowship Church.

The goals of the poverty simulations are to inform and increase awareness of poverty and help the participants to understand what it could be like to live in a low-income situation.

Participants in the simulations - sometimes as many as 80 people - are usually from the social service agencies whose clients are often times the very people they are learning about.

Waltenbaugh said he also tries to reach out to school districts for participation because many poverty situations involve children.

"In fact," Waltenbaugh said, "we have found that typically in poverty simulation the two things that normally take a backseat are kids and food."

In the simulations, participants assume the roles of up to 26 different families facing poverty. They go through what these families face daily.

The simulations include trips to the bank, the department of social services, general employers, juvenile hall/jail, utility companies, public schools, child care centers, grocery stores, etc.

Volunteers, preferably persons who have faced or are facing poverty, are recruited to staff the stations, which are visited by simulation participants.

"It's a tough simulation, trying to get people to make ends meet and yet get the kids to and from school," Waltenbaugh said. "Sometimes in a simulation, people are so concerned with paying their bills and finding jobs that they forget to go to school and pick up their kids."

Linda Toy, director of western area staff development for the county welfare department, says she supports the program because it's useful for her staff.

"We try to get new case workers in here so they can learn how to deal with their clients," Toy said. "This is a very valuable tool for us."

The simulations last about three hours and include four 15-minute periods that each equal a week in the life of a person on poverty.

Waltenbaugh said his goal is to hold the simulations in as many communities in the county as possible "to get the poverty experience out there."

"Having them in Monessen, New Kensington and Jeannette reach three of our neediest communities," he added.

Waltenbaugh said that similar poverty simulations will be held in Latrobe and at Seton Hill University in coming months.

"Actually, these are really wonderful opportunities to get people to learn about poverty," he said.

For more information about WHO's poverty simulations, call (724) 834-1260 (Ext. 107).

Jeff Oliver can be reached at joliver@tribweb.com or 724-684-2666.