The True Cost of Poverty

it started with an empty refrigerator at age 4 I was taken away from my mom due to Poverty it was neglect charge due to not having enough food in the refrigerator someone was upset with my mom and called CPS and we were taken away from her place in the home love Dixon says this is what sent her and her sister into the system where she says she traded her mother's love for instability and abuse I was aged out of Force Security 18 I was basically homeless and had no one so I had to figure out how I could uh survive at that point but she says she had no real skills no support network not even a high school diploma so she says she took GED classes over and over again once I came to Richmond took me some time because I didn't have enough money to pay for the test which was uh $56 that may not be much for some people but at the time I was struggling Dixon has also known homelessness she says despite having excellent credit and no negative rental history her small disability check and supplemental income were not close to three times the rental amount required for most departments at times I was living with strangers I went on Craiglist at the time and these things didn't work out because the one person was like I just want your money I don't want you here some people didn't want me to use their refrigerator if you don't have a refrigerator or can't use the kitchen those things are essential for actually saving money so having to buy food that was more expensive and often less healthy than what she might prepare and having to endure the unkindness of random roommates Dixon shares her story now with the desire to help those who've never experienced poverty to understand more and maybe discriminate less against those who feel like out Outsiders because their pockets are mostly empty in a country where they are surrounded by relative wealth that many take for granted like Transportation I walked a lot late for places that I needed to be found out that I had to be super early cuz I never knew what was going to happen and in some places were dangerous to walk I had to really suck it in and just go to where I need to go and block out everything you know protect myself so he's like nobody should be hungry cuz there's so many food banks however you have to walk to the food bank you have to get there on time and you might be at work I had a big duffel bag suitcase with wheels on it so I had to put all of my food in that duffel bag with wheels on it and tug it along sometimes four miles to where I lived because they were in in my area I felt ashamed sometimes I would tell people I'm a person too I'm a person too it was dehumanizing you know even when I I went to school J sergeant Reynolds and VCU at one point and I was grateful for being in these spaces and I still they didn't think about the things that I was thinking about at the time it was like why are you why are you why is your stomach always hurting and I didn't want to tell anyone but my stomach was hurting because I was taking medicine without food Dixon says things are better now as she's acquired more skills and work experience and expanded her support network she can barely count on just one hand and the number of jobs she works many of them centered on helping others even as she continues moving forward Dixon has known Financial struggle all her life I know what it is to have a demon on you and you can't seem to shake it for Debbie Webb the darkness of drug addiction descended upon her I was married for 25 years I lost all s of my kids I went through not paying my light bill because I chose to smoke drugs I went through stealing from my mom I did a lot of things that I wasn't supposed to do but web is quick to accept responsibility for the choices she's made and the consequences that have derailed her time and time again yet Financial Strife can make its way to anyone even the most responsible especially if they have no support network of available to help there is no one reason why people find themselves in need of help but if people find themselves in need of help the power the strength is that there's someone to help them Webb has found her way forward because she says of this Rescue Mission in Rowan o where they serve up sustenance for the Mind and Spirit for hundreds who have unmet needs it begins with recognizing that the person across from you can be and could be you that it is us and we and that it's not just that individual's challenge but it's yours as well because you could be in that position and I think for all of us if we find ourselves in an emergency whatever it might be the greatest good is done when we realize that there are other people who want to help thank you come on Carl Stewart mentors encourages and helps provide hope which he says is the crucial requirement that allows those exhausted by struggle to keep going in the quest to build Better Lives what if your income couldn't support the insurance for a car or money to fix it now you have to consider not only I can't get to the store I can't get to my job and buses don't run seven days a week then think about this identification it's not just one idea you need two suppose you don't have that without that you can't get a bank account we assume everybody has a smartphone we assume everybody has the ability to get to a computer to fill out a job application as long as people have hope as long as they have an opportunity to believe that things can be better I believe people will do better and some of the challenges then that we see like substance abuse some of the symptoms that are publicized that deal with poverty I believe those things will be abated they'll go away simply because people have hope and it's a powerful cure for a lot of things that we see my apartment is right around the corner not only that I have a job and the Cocoon it's just growing growing growing and there's a butterfly coming about because all that I've went through through this program love Dixon is on that Journey as well newly married and with a place to call home yet she urges others to recognize that poverty is not something that most people actively choose that being without money and without support complicates life in ways that are hard to grasp unless you've walked in those shoes that can't afford to stop and rest that having to pay more to accept less and go without is exhausting you have to be very creative you have to think on your feet not only a physical battle it's a mental battle even if you don't care what people think you still have to do the things you need to do to survive and ultimately the cost is counted in dollars but the constant stress also exacts a price from the minds bodies and spirits of those who walk that hard r Road thank you for watching continue to follow Virginia news and stories by subscribing to our vpm YouTube channel

Channel: VPM

Views: 350,058

Keywords: Virginia, VPM

Id: RUdh1gSD6_o

Length: 7min 42sec (462 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 06 2024