Did you know that in 2008 Tennessee’s poverty rate was 15.5% according to the U.S. Census Bureau?! That puts us with the 9th highest poverty rate in the United States.
Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes in Chattanooga hosted a Poverty Simulation conducted by the University of TN at Chattanooga (UTC) Department of Child Welfare on Monday, February 08, 2010. This Simulation is part of the training conducted by UTC for the Department of Children’s Services and community partners. Approximately 100 people took part in the simulation as either participants for training or as volunteers. TBCH had four staff participating for training. They were each assigned to a family group where they would role play situations which families in poverty battle with each day. That could involve getting food, finding assistance for housing or trying to gain social services. Four other TBCH staff volunteered for the project as store clerks, childcare providers or even as someone in the community with, should we say, less than pure motives for helping. The Simulation lasted three hours including time to debrief for all the participants.
Jeff Martin, a house dad on the Chattanooga campus, participated in the event. He said, “It made me realize what a lot of people go through. It was an eye opener. In my simulation I was late for work the first day I got fired the second and put in jail. I ‘m so thankful for all we have here at The Children’s Home.”
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