Poverty panel makes a swing through region

from The Post Bulletin

By Christina Killion Valdez
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN

Without a job and in need of medical care, Kathy French stood in line outside the Salvation Army Free Clinic last August in hopes of seeing a doctor. Now she's asking members of the Legislative Commission to End Poverty in Minnesota to get in line, too.

The commission, which is made up of 18 legislators and two citizens, will be in Rochester on Thursday as part of the final leg of a statewide listening tour focused on poverty.

"The whole point of this listening tour is for them to understand what poverty looks like in Minnesota," said French, who helped organize the tour of southeastern Minnesota, including stops in Rochester, Winona, Albert Lea and Faribault.

To French, the line best represents the struggle people in poverty in Rochester face. Every person in that line has a different story about why and how they got there. They also differ in their struggles to find transportation, day care and other basic needs, including affordable health care.

"It really needs to be seen, especially right now," French said, referring to the bitter cold temperatures. "Those doors are locked until just before 4 p.m. People wait outside, because if you don't get there early, you won't get an appointment."

In addition to touring the Salvation Army Free Clinic, the commissioners will visit Riverside Central Elementary, tour the Good Samaritan Dental Clinic and have dinner with residents at the Dorothy Day Hospitality House, Rochester's shelter for homeless adults and, occasionally, their children.

Sharing her story

The tour ends with a public forum on poverty. To open the discussion, French said, some people struggling with poverty will share their stories, including herself.

Her role in the project came in part because she is on the Olmsted County Community Action Program board and co-chairs the Coalition for Economic Opportunity and in part because of her experience.

French grew up one of four children raised by a single mother and became a mother at age 18. Financial problems set in when one of her children was born with medical problems, she said. She has slowly worked her way off the system. But when she lost her job as an administrative assistant in August, she said, "it put me back at square one."

Now she's trying to help herself and others.

"Our leaders in the Legislature and county are pretty aware of the level of poverty here," French said. "It's just a matter of getting the state people to understand the depth and volume of poverty. They think it only affects a few people. Unfortunately, it's getting to be more and more."

Open forum on poverty

When: 6:25 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday.

Where: 115 First Ave. N.E. in Rochester, the former Salvation Army Thrift Store.

Hosts: The Legislative Commission to End Poverty and the Rochester Area Coalition for Economic Opportunity.