Harper event simulates living in poverty

Harper College students, staff and faculty got a realistic, and possibly uncomfortable, look at the challenges of living with little income Wednesday, during a Community Action Poverty Simulation hosted on the Palatine campus.

Created to help people understand the realities of poverty, participants in the simulation role-play the lives of low-income families. Some are Temporary Assistance for Needy Families recipients, some are disabled and some are seniors on Social Security.

During the course of four "weeks," the simulation ran participants through the tasks of providing for basic necessities and shelter on a limited budget, while interacting with human service agencies, grocers, pawnbrokers, bill collectors, job interviewers, police officers and others.

The simulation was designed to sensitize those who frequently deal with low-income families, as well as to create a broader awareness of the realities of poverty among policymakers, community leaders and others.