Series to focus on local poverty

from The Coloradoan

BY TREVOR HUGHES
TrevorHughes@coloradoan.com

Community leaders trying to fight Fort Collins' rising poverty have enlisted the help of internationally acclaimed author Barbara Ehrenreich, a local performance troupe and high school students from around the area.

It's all part of a monthlong effort called "Life on a Shoestring: Perspectives on Stepping out of Poverty."

According to Census data, the rate of poverty for children living in Fort Collins increased 132 percent from 2000 to 2006. A 62 percent increase in the overall poverty rate during that time meant almost 20 percent of all Fort Collins residents were living at or near poverty levels.

Organizers hope the month's worth of events will raise awareness of the growing problem and put the city on track to address it.

"We are overwhelmed with the community's response to this landmark dialog. In our efforts to create a forum where our community can benefit from considering varied perspectives and best practices from other regions of the country, we never imagined that this thematic series would grow into a six-week series," said Carol Dennis, executive director of Beet Street, one of the organizations behind the series, in a statement.

"We believe this series offers something for everyone concerned with the increasing rate of poverty in our community."

The series’ first event is Tuesday, with a panel discussion of poverty issues. Ehrenreich, the author of “Nickled and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America,” a book about trying to live on a low wage, is giving a private reception Friday evening. Also Friday, OpenStage Theatre and Company will perform a play based on her book.

In her book, Ehrenreich chronicles her repeated attempts to live on low-wage jobs, forgoing her college degrees and connections for a series of low-rent motels and apartments. She worked as a cleaning lady, waitress and Wal-Mart stocker, each time finding it very difficult to live happily and healthily without a good-paying job.
In the introduction to her book, Ehrenreich said she wanted to understand what it was like to be poor in America.

“With all the real-life assets I’ve built up in middle age — bank account, IRA, health insurance, multi-room home — waiting indulgently in the background, there was no way I was going to ‘experience poverty’ or find out how it ‘really feels’ to be a long-term low-wage worker,” Ehrenreich said. “My aim here was much more straightforward and objective — just to see whether I could match income to expenses, as the truly poor attempt to do every day.”

On Saturday, Ehrenreich will give the keynote address during a lunch at the city’s Northside Aztlan Community Center. She also will take audience questions and sign her book.

The Life on a Shoestring series runs Tuesday through March 22. Other events include an evening discussion on the best practices of other communities by author/trainer Phil DeVol.

The communitywide series is a collaborative effort of Beet Street and WomenGive, a leadership initiative of United Way of Larimer County in partnership with the Women’s Foundation of Colorado.