Activity 1: “Sharing the Message”

One of the most effective ways of addressing the problem of poverty in America is through community education. Have your group organize their own educational campaign focusing on children in poverty in America today. The campaign materials could be displayed in the local schools, public libraries or other community settings. Begin by having your group research the issue of child poverty in the United States using magazine and newspaper articles, the povertyusa.org Web site, and other resources to learn more about the plight of America’s poor.

Share with your group the print and broadcast materials developed by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. View and listen to the PSA campaign in the multimedia gallery of povertyusa.org, or read the following radio script to the group:

"It’s not about the children who dream too much…or dare too much…or laugh or love or hope too much. It’s about the one out of every six children in America today who wants just enough. Just enough food to stop the hunger. Just enough medicine to make the sickness go away. Just enough shelter to be safe and warm. Just enough of a chance to succeed in school, at home, in life. Just enough…to let a kid be a kid. Because, right now in America, one out of every six children is living in a state of poverty. And that’s just one child too many. Poverty. For 37 million men, women and children across this abundant nation, it’s a daily struggle just to survive. Poverty. America’s forgotten state."

Then have your group create their own posters, flyers or print advertisements to run in your group’s newsletter, the local school newspaper or a similar outlet. Or have your group create their own videotaped commercials to air over a local cable channel or their school’s audio-visual networks. Organize a “poverty fair” at a back-to-school night or group assembly. Invite family and friends and hold poster sessions of your group’s projects, providing an opportunity for your group members to talk about what they have learned, showcase their projects, and bring greater awareness about the problems of poverty to their own community. 

Activity 2: “In Your Own Words”

First-hand accounts of life in the state of poverty help us to begin to see the faces behind the statistics – and to understand the brutal realities experienced by 37 million Americans today. Begin this activity by having group members read a selection from one of the non-fiction resources in the Learning More sections, whether the chapter “Living in Poverty,” from Robert Bullough’s Uncertain Lives or the autobiographical selections in Growing up Poor, edited by Robert Coles and Randy Testa. Then, instead of asking individual members to merely summarize the readings, have them speak aloud in the first person – in the voice of the child in poverty – telling the particulars of that person’s life. Personalizing the statements can make for a powerful and moving discussion of the real-life struggles of children in poverty.

Activity 3: www.povertyusa.org

Have your students log on to povertyusa.org and follow the instructions below:

Take the Poverty Quiz. Record your score. Were there any facts presented in the quiz that surprised you? Explain.

Take the tour of Poverty USA. Of the items shown, which would probably be reduced or eliminated all together in order to make ends meet?

Read "Poverty USA: The State of Poverty in America."

• How many people live in poverty in America?
• Many poor people live or have lived below the poverty line for more than how many years?
• What is the likelihood that you will live in poverty at least once in your life?

Read "The Face of Poverty in America."

• Which groups are hardest hit by poverty?
• Of children living in poverty, what is the percentage for those living in female-headed homes?
• Which minorities are most likely to experience poverty?

Read "Poverty and the Working Poor"

• What is the fastest growing segment of the poverty population?
• What is your income, before taxes, if you work full-time at a minimum wage job?
• What are the lowest paying, most unstable jobs in our society?

Go to "Get Involved." How can you help?

Go to "About CCHD." Read about some of the projects that Campaign funds support.

Write your reflections on what you learned in this exercise.

Created by Jane Elfring, a teacher at Paul VI High School in Fairfax, VA, for use in her social justice class. For more information on this or other projects on raising awareness of poverty in the U.S., contact Alicia Bondanella at abondanella@usccb.org.

Activity 4: Learning about Housing and Homelessness

Audience: Adults working with youth/teens (primary) and youth/teens (secondary)

Recommended Learning Objectives: Using data, activities and reflection the Learning Unit will help youth/teens to:

• Break myths and stereotypes about who is homeless in America and why.
• Expand their view of the problem in ways that raise awareness of the cycle of poverty and structural causes for inadequate housing. This includes lack of adequate, affordable housing, as well as the condition of homelessness.
• Increase understanding and empathy about what it means to lack a basic human necessity, specifically, adequate housing.
• Use the issue of housing/homelessness to provide a hopeful and inspiring contemporary view of effective, community action for social justice.
• Offer concrete actions that youth/teens can take to participate in creating housing justice in their community.

Help youth/teens answer compelling questions such as:

• Who is homeless in the USA?
• Why are so many Americans homeless?
• What is it like for youth/teens to be homeless in America?
• What is the housing crisis in America and what communities are affected?

Provide resources that will:

• Describe some real life solutions to the housing crisis in various U.S. communities.
• Give examples of empowered homeless Americans, specifically including youth/teens.
• Identify resources for further information and action.

Use Success Stories as Resources

The Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) of the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO) is a homeless youth program comprised of seven councils of youth ages 10-24 who all experienced homelessness in various ways around the state of Ohio. YEP is dedicated to empowering youth through leadership, advocacy, and education. Furthermore, YEP encourages youth to take control of their life situations while building self-esteem and improving the quality of life for themselves and other homeless youth.

Be sure to visit COHHIO’s home page at www.cohhio.org.

Also go to www.cohhio.org/projects/projects.html to learn more about YEP.

In Miami, Florida, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development has been a good neighbor to a community-based organization called, LIFFT, which stands for Low-Income Families Fighting Together.

Mary Nesbitt and other LIFFT members are working to preserve the sense of community in their neighborhood. Most of LIFFT’s members reside in public housing units.

Although there have been numerous changes in public housing policy too many families remain unable to obtain affordable housing. Furthermore, the implementation of some policy changes generates new problems for public housing residents. For example, many long-time residents want to continue residing in the neighborhood to remain close to their network of family, trusted childcare providers, churches and small businesses. Relocating residents to other neighborhoods tends to weaken the experience of community that is of such support to many poor and low-income people.

During the three years that Mary has been part of LIFFT, this organization of public housing and low-income residents fought for and obtained significant residential improvements. They prevailed to secure air conditioning which is more necessity than convenience in south Florida. Also, as the result of many meetings between LIFFT and county commissioners, the community will see the construction of 120 private, affordable housing units for low to moderate-income families. They are now working to preserve community-based businesses that have been neighborhood institutions for 30-40 years. Mary notes with confidence that, “People recognize who we are and what we’re doing. They know that LIFFT is in the community working for the community to make it better.”

Currently, Mary is an intern at LIFFT. She is proud of the achievements of shy friends who have learned to lead meetings, set agendas, evaluate issues and speak out. This work also has helped Mary and other members to gain a broader understanding of the struggle of poor people beyond their neighborhood. For example, LIFFT at times works with the Coalition of Immokolee Farm Workers.

Mary, who is well aware of the stereotypes of people who live in public housing responds that, “We’re people even though we are low-income and don’t live in a house on a hill. We have feelings. We love our families and want the best for our children and grandchildren.” Always stressing the value of a good education, she added, “I want my granddaughter to have a college degree not a training certificate.” With a steady vision and determined action, Mary Nesbitt and other LIFFT leaders are defying the stereotypes placed on poor and low-income people in their community.

The Preble Street Resource Center (PSRC) exists to empower people who are experiencing problems with homelessness, housing, hunger and poverty and advocates for solutions to these problems. The Catholic Campaign for Human Development has supported PSRC’s Consumer Advocacy project. This project is engaged in voter education and other non-partisan civic activities that help homeless citizens participate more fully in the live of their community. Here is one man’s story:

For years, Steve Houston was a frequent visitor at Preble Street Resource Center (PSRC) in Portland ME. When Steve, an artist, lived on the street, the folks at PSRC provided food, daytime shelter, a shower, laundry and a mailing address. They also encouraged him to “do better.” In time, he came to believe he could live a better life and entered PSRC’s transitional living program.

Today, Steve is in his own home and has a dog to keep him company. He works for PSRC as a Consumer Advocate, reaching out to others who are experiencing the hard times that he knows well. “Homeless people are survivors; they have to be,” he says.

Steve is a good facilitator and coalition builder who knows the social service system and understands how to speak and listen to poor and homeless people. CCHD’s approach to addressing the root causes of poverty is echoed in Steve’s belief that “If you don’t bring people to the table who are experiencing the problems you’re not making the right decision.”

As one of eight PSRC Consumer Advocates, he has focused on voter education and participation. Voting and other civic activities can give all citizens, especially poor and homeless people, a sense of community. Steve described many successes of the Consumer Advocacy project including, registering more than 700 new voters, raising awareness about illegal evictions and violence targeted at the homeless population, presentations in schools and community groups, letter writing and candidate forums. In fact, Steve helped to organize a city council forum that achieved 100% candidate participation. PSRC’s Consumer Advocacy project is making a difference in the political landscape and in the policies that impact poor and homeless people in Maine.

WORK WITH OTHERS TO BREAK THE CYCLE OF POVERTY AND HOMELESSNESS IN THE U.S.

• Take the Poverty tour at www.povertyusa.org.
• Learn about stories of empowerment among people who are experiencing poverty in the U.S.
• Talk with the Diocesan Director for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development in your area. Go to www.usccb.org/cchd/director.shtml to find out who directs CCHD programs and to identify projects funded in your region.
• Do an internet search beginning with the keywords “housing crisis,” “homelessness” and “poverty.”

Additional Activities

Middle-school-aged groups (Grades 6-8) should also refer to the “One in Six” activity contained in the Grades K-5 section; High-school-aged groups (Grades 9-12) should see the “Hard Living on the Poverty Line” and “Myths, Facts and Action Against Poverty in America” activities located in the Adult Education section of this Web site. 

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