THUNDER BAY – Roughly 65 people took part in a simulation on Wednesday to get a glimpse into what life is like for families who live in low-income situations.
Held at the Urban Abbey, Living on the Edge was organized by the United Way of Thunder Bay and Literacy Northwest. It was modelled after a similar event hosted by the United Way in Brandon, Man.
Each participant is placed in a family and presented with a scenario, said Albert Brule, chief executive officer with the United Way of Thunder Bay.
“For example, I am a single dad,” Brule said about the scenario he was in.
“I have two teenage daughters and a young son – and we're experiencing what it would be like to have to cover the cost for the utilities, go to and from work, go to school, and have to make decisions about repairs to the household.”
Brule said there were volunteers around the room representing the bank, the employer, social services, Dave's Pawn Shop. Participants had to make “all of the kinds of choices that people might have to deal with when living on a low income.”
Breanna Reid, with the Elizabeth Fry Society of Northwestern Ontario, registered because she thought it would be an interesting experience.
“The word simulation caught my eye and I was wondering how exactly you would simulate something like poverty,” said Reid, who is from Jamaica - where she has seen poverty first hand.
Reid said the experience was what she assumed poverty would be like in real life. Life was very hard when trying to live on a low income.
Her character was a 15-year-old who was in school full time and worked part time at a dollar store. Her mother was undergoing chemotherapy and was unable to make the trips on her own.
Reid said she was robbed in the simulation and she was really frustrated with the police service.
“I have to juggle school and I'm also failing – I have a lot going on.”
Reid described the experience as “eye-opening,” especially since her family in the simulation was evicted from their home, which is something that happened to most of people who participated.
The aim of the workshop was to foster empathy and understanding.
Brule said the exercise gives people “a real glimpse of what some of their clients might be facing – so they can better serve those clients and understand the situations and predicaments they may encounter.”
