Taking a step for change

What is poverty? What is the cause of poverty?

 Everyday we look at the face of poverty without even realizing it. Next to us in the shopping check out lane, behind us on the train, the woman playing with her child in the park or the elderly couple living next to you. These people could all be living in poverty and you wouldn't know. I have seen the different faces of poverty and they are many. You're probably wondering as to how I could know these things, how could I, a girl from Kalamazoo relate to these people? When I was 16 I was living with my grandmother in a one bedroom apartment. At one point we had my aunt, her boyfriend and their child living with us as well. My grandmother worked, but she didn't seem to like to pay bills. So as time went on my aunt and her family moved into a two bedroom apartment, but soon after my grandmother and I lost our one bedroom apartment so we moved in with my aunt ( seems to have a cycle established, right?)To make a long story shorter, eventually due to my aunts and grandmothers inability to pay their bills my grandmother and I ended up living at the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission, which is the homeless shelter located in downtown Kalamazoo. The building is divided into a women's building and a men's building. Women who have children are able to have their own room, but women who don't have children share a dorm type room that has bunk beds. Your personal items are not protected in those rooms. At 8am you must leave the building and aren't allowed back in until 6pm when dinner is served in the cafeteria. Dinner was usually old bread and whatever was donated to the shelter at that time. After dinner the genders went to their designated buildings and then prayer circle in the main lobby of the buildings. Obviously since this is a faith based shelter it would have prayer circles and have sermon. Women would talk about how they had ended up where they were and they would talk about the challenges that they have experienced. Many of these women were women of color when I was there, it was so weird being in that place because all these women hadn't had an education or any sort of emotional support. Then we were there, my grandmother who was a well educated woman working in insurance claims and me being of higher intelligence than most of the people there just seemed to be out of place. I have never have known anything other than lower middle class to poverty class growing up, but I have always held myself higher from my socioeconomic status. My grandmother and I were living at the homeless shelter for about three months until my grandmother found an apartment downtown. Another one bedroom, but very large. The landlord had given us a bed ( which we later learned was infested with fleas)as well as a pet cat named Myra. The only things we had in our apartment was the bags that we had from the shelter, a sofa and the flea mattress. For awhile things went well, but within a few months the same cycle happened. My grandmother for some reason didn't pay her rent, and then my aunt lost her apartment and moved in with her baby. Things went further downhill from there to the point to where we were homeless yet again until my grandmother's friend Mary allowed us to live with her. So my grandmother and I shared a single bedroom for about four months until my grandmother found yet another apartment which was a studio apartment in the basement of someone's house. After awhile which went well, my aunt found herself living with us yet again. So we had four people living in a studio apartment and I will say that it was very very uncomfortable. The stress that comes along with having no privacy, no say is what happens and no choices or way out. At 16/17 you really have nothing you can do because you don't know where to even start. Though even though this apartment was alright, it of course didn't last very long. The cycle happened and we found ourselves homeless yet again. Luckily at this point, I had a friend in high school whose mother allowed me to live with them. So throughout my senior year I lived couch to couch with friends. Then as I graduated high school I finally got my own apartment and decided to end the cycle (I pay my rent first and foremost). So, what does going through that experience show? what credentials does it give me? It doesn't give me anything tangible actually. What it gives me is insight as to how to help and relate to people who have gone through experiences like these.


 So you're probably wondering why I've shared one of my stories with you, complete strangers, I've shared this story with you because I want to make change. I want to help people who are living in these conditions learn new skills to not only improve their chances of gaining employment, but also skills to help them lead a more self sustainable life. As of August 16,2013 I decided to take my oath and join the Americorps. to help my country help itself. I will be working with the Kalamazoo poverty reduction initiative that focuses on economic development and education. I'll be helping coordinating events to bring awareness and services to the impoverished population. I have a couple ideas that I would like to try and get off the ground, not only do I want to share the developments of these projects, but joining the Americorps. comes with several limitations including terrible wages, but also forbidden to have any other outside employment. Our health insurance is not very good either, considering that it only covers emergencies instead of preventative care (which is less expensive). I do have to say that there are people who have so much less, so I shouldn't be complaining too much, but I will occasionally. Anyways, I have several ideas and I hope that they will be successful. I encourage you to join me on this journey and give me your suggestions, criticisms, or support.