Reflections on Lived Poverty | Austin Burke

I thought I came prepared for my year of service in AmeriCorps VISTA. As a VISTA member, you spend a year serving poverty efforts while being paid a living stipend at the poverty level. I would have the opportunity to experience being in poverty while simultaneously fighting it. I knew that it would be challenging but that I could do it. I figured that if 14.5% or 45.3 million Americans are living at the poverty line (https://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/about/overview/), I would be able to do it for a year.

I came in with every advantage possible. I am college educated, have my own car, and had ample

time to research and prepare. I think it’s worth noting that many people are living two paychecks away from poverty and don’t have time to prepare. I read blogs from other VISTAs, got cheap housing with reliable roommates, downloaded a cookbook for people on SNAP (food stamps),

figured out the minimum I could budget for food through the USDA ($190/month), and figured out how far my work commute would be and estimated my gas costs. I set what I thought was a reasonable budget and hoped for the best.

My term started off alright in July with my position at the Center for Community Support and Research at Wichita State University. At first I was able to keep to my budget. I cooked every meal, planned my car trips to the store and Laundromat to save on gas, didn’t spend money on clothing or entertainment, and took advantage of SNAP benefits and the YMCA slider scale membership fee. However, I was running at capacity with no room for error. The amount of effort and time it took to live like this is immense and I found there couldn’t be much deviation from my daily plan. Not to mention all the relationship and family obligations that doesn’t go away when you are poor. Once one thing went wrong, everything snowballed. I found that even with a good plan, it was exhausting to keep up.

Also, there are things about poverty that aren’t talked about and I didn’t plan to happen. Nobody talks about the amount of guilt and fear you feel every day because of your circumstance. There is the guilt of using SNAP. Do I really need them? I could get by eating canned ravioli and ramen noodles. One day I forgot my lunch at home and bought a healthy lunch for $6.50. This may not seem like much, but it’s the amount I budget for food for the entire day and I wasn’t full. I felt guilty, kicking myself for the mistake. There was another time when I was mistakenly charged for a hotel room and would be refunded once the credit card company cleared the transaction. It temporarily left me with under $100 in the bank. It’s a pretty scary feeling knowing you may not have money for gas to get to work. Every mistake, no matter how small, feels like the start of an out of control snowball.

However, I am very happy I decided to do this year of service, even with all of the challenges. I’ve gained insight on poverty that only those in poverty understand. I’ve been supported by my work colleagues and organizations that help the impoverished. I’ve learned great skills, both at work and at home that I’ll use for the rest of my life. I’m grateful for this opportunity to serve and for those who serve the impoverished.