Saying ‘just get a job’ doesn’t solve underlying issues, says Kelly Jones.
What causes poverty and what can people do to get out of the cycle?
These are among the questions raised by YWCA Muskoka’s Bridges Out of Poverty workshop.
On Oct. 22, our reporter attended the one-day training session led by Circles South Muskoka co-ordinator Kelly Jones, who spoke about her experience with generational poverty. She was raised by her dad in pool halls and now lives in district housing as a single parent.
The Bridges training uses a framework by educator Ruby K. Payne, which examines how different income groups have unique mindsets based on the challenges or privileges they experience. Under this framework, poverty is defined as “the extent to which an individual does without resources.”
Here are five take-aways from the workshop.
TYPES OF POVERTY
Generational poverty is when a person’s parents and/or grandparents grew up in poverty. Situational poverty is when an incident or circumstance like death, divorce or disease leads to poverty.
About 13 per cent of Muskokans live in poverty, according to the Muskoka Community Foundation’s 2021 Vital Signs Report.
CAUSES
Jones outlined four main causes of poverty: individual behaviours and circumstances,; community conditions, exploitation, and political and economic structures.
MENTAL MODELS
People of different income groups have different views and understandings of how the world works, said Jones, and there are hidden rules or norms that govern their behaviours and decisions.
Those with less money tend to spend it in the moment on immediate needs, while middle-class people focus on managing their money and upper-class people invest it, she said.
People in poverty live in survival mode, often experiencing crisis after crisis with no relief in sight, she said. In survival mode, it is hard for someone to learn new skills because they are in a constant state of chaos. It is not always as simple as “just getting a job.”
ESSENTIAL RESOURCES
The Bridges framework says there are 11 essential resources for stability: financial, emotional, mental/cognitive, language/formal register, social capital/support systems, physical, knowledge of hidden rules, relationships/role models, motivation and persistence, integrity and trust, and spiritual.
SOLUTIONS
Relationships and education are at the heart of getting out of poverty, said Jones.
Two participants of Circles South Muskoka spoke at the workshop. Circles matches leaders (people in poverty) and allies (people with economic stability) to develop relationships and help each other achieve their goals.
Circles leader Terri Jo Déraiche of Gravenhurst described the circumstances that led her into poverty: divorce, depression, abuse and addiction. She has been clean for eight years and took YWCA’s Getting Ahead program before joining Circles, which has boosted her confidence and helped her form relationships, she said. Next, she plans on returning to school.
Promoting community programs and resources is an important way people can help address poverty, she said.
Circles ally Peter Stolpmann of Bracebridge said joining the group helped him form friendships and get involved with other organizations giving back to the community. Attending workshops like Bridges is important to debunk misconceptions.
He said people must be patient, be present and listen to people in poverty; the goal is not to ‘save,’ them, the goal is to support and empower them.
More solutions recommended by people in poverty can be found on muskokaregion.com; “SOLUTIONS: How can we alleviate poverty in Muskoka and misconceptions about it?”
Sarah Law – MuskokaRegion.com – Saturday, October 29, 2022