http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/article_27a14016-3142-11df-90ff-001cc4c002e0.html
I'm sure I can use this somehow...
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Just what does it mean to be poor? How are the poor measured?
US Supplemental Poverty measure according to the Commerce Department will now take into account a wider range of expenses and income to create a truer portrait of which Americans are financially fragile. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/02/AR2010030202316_pf.html)
The old definition was based on the cost of food and a family’s cash income. The new measure acknowledges that food has become a smaller share of poor families’ costs and will consider expenses such as housing, utilities, child care and medical treatment. It will also include financial help from housing and food subsidies and money from jobs as well as cash assistance programs (TANF and other welfare aid?).
Two years ago, New York initiated these new measures and their poverty rate was 22% by the new formula, 18% under the old.
New York Times:
The old standard is anachronistic as it was based on the Agriculture Department’s cheapest meal plan and on the assumption that the average family spends 1/3 of total income on food.
Federal officials describe the supplemental measure as experimental and a work in progress. It establishes a poverty threshold that depends on the cost of food, shelter, clothing and utilities “plus a little more” for “a population that is not poor but is somewhat below the median.”
The threshold would be adjusted to calculate the value of in-kind benefits, like food stamps, and whether homeowners have a mortgage. Tax credits would be added to the total income and benefits; taxes, work expenses (including commuting and child care), and out-of-pocket medical costs would be deducted.
VISTA Carrie:
I will earn this year $10296 in disposable income. My rent is $500, paid by Section 8 through Meade County Housing Authority which adds up to $6000 annually. My childcare will be covered up to $300/month at $3600 annually if I use all of it. I’m not sure what insurance costs per month, but it’s provided for myself and my son. My Food Stamps are (for myself) $200/month and including my son for a family of two $367/month so annually between $2400-4404.
My outgoing expenses are transportation and utilities, mostly. My car takes about $35 to fill up once a week, so $1820 annually. I just moved in to my place, but my utilities were estimated at $55/month for natural gas and $40/month for electricity. Since I have not yet received a bill for these services, I will use those numbers for my calculations. Gas to cook with, heat my home and water, will be around $660/year; electricity for that same year should be around $480. I have to pay a pet rent monthly for $30/pet and I have three. So $360/year/pet for a grand total of $1080, and we must add a $300 deposit per pet in addition to the monthly privilege fee: $900. My outgoing for this year will be: $4940 (deposit + monthlies). That doesn't leave me a whole heck of a lot of income to play with.
By “play with” I must include my membership to the YMCA and my cell phone bill. I received a sponsorship for the gym which means I pay $16.85/month for a single-parent family membership. The membership includes my son, so I feel that it’s worth the expense for both of us to be members: $202.2 for the year is quite a bargain when it concerns our physical health and well-being (now we're up to$5142 annual expenses). So my annual disposable will now be $5154.
My cell phone bill is $107/month. Because Verizon generously offers a discount to government employees, my bill will be $60! Which comes out to $720 for the year and brings me down to $4434.
This means that to eat out, to visit a national park, go to a movie or even rent one at the Red Box, toilet paper and Saran Wrap, toothbrushes and paste, shampoo and conditioner, razors, deodorant, toilet cleaner and other consumable products not covered by my Food Stamps, must come from a monthly income, after the bare essentials, cell phone and gym membership, of $369.5. In a four week month, that’s about $92.375 per week and $11.92 per day for a 31-day month. True, that’s more than I’d get if I were one of those kids in an undeveloped country, but I’m making $4.95/hour! If I add in my total Food Stamp benefits, I still only come out to $7.05/hour.
So am I poor? The 2008 threshold for one individual under age 65 is $11,201 according to http://www.irp.wisc.edu/faqs/faq1.htm and my family consists of two. Since my total income is below the poverty threshold for one, I must look further to find the threshold appropriate for my family size. Two people are living below the poverty line if the total annual household income is below $14,051. If I include my Food Stamps as income, and my annual for Food Stamps is $4404 for the two of us (we’re at a total of $14,700 right now, FS + my cash award) and my rental assistance which will be $6000 by the end of the year which brings me up to $20,700 for my family of two if we include my supplemental housing and food assistance.
So I must not be poor.
Fancy that.
My VISTA, though a Vow of Poverty, will keep my head above the water while I work in service to those who are involuntarily poor.
Fancy that.
My VISTA, though a Vow of Poverty, will keep my head above the water while I work in service to those who are involuntarily poor.
a slice of humble pie
Sweet Land of liberties indeed. I have so many opportunities at my fingertips and yet so very many restrictions as well. As an AmeriCorps VISTA, I was under the impression that my paycheck would be counted similar to a Work Study. By that, I mean that it wouldn't count at all. As a single parent and a student, I was protected by a myriad of programs that allowed me a rose-colored view of poverty: my needs were always met and sometimes exceeded. So I assumed that my VISTA year would simply continue my protected status in a different part of the country. And to a certain extent, it is true. To an extent.
And I am making friends. I was able to transfer my Section 8 voucher to Meade County, just outside the Rapid City where I work. My needs would still be met: a roof over my head and some assistance with utilities. OK. But I have dogs and there seems to be a prevailing prejudice against dog-owners in the Black Hills. I was unable to secure a decent shelter, or decent to my standards. My standards include walls that meet the floors and do not allow sunshine in through the corners. My standards involve a central heating system that does not double as a home for the neighborhood cats. My standards do not involve excrement of any kind and when it's really cold, my new home does not smell so bad but once it warms up for an hour or two in the afternoon, the smell is quite uncomfortable. My maintenance guy did fix my heating vents that were not heating but did not replace the piping so whenever the heat comes on, fluffs and tufts of cat fur drift up from the forced air, and I wake up with a scratchy throat and stuffy nose. The prevailing aroma of excrement is slightly worse outside than inside. My neighbors seem friendly enough and have children and pets as well. I can make it work for a year since I won't have to pay for it myself. Yesterday, though, I received a letter from Meade County Housing stating that I will owe $170 per month on that modest shelter! While I was willing to reside there for free, I don't see how I could in good faith I could pay my own rent in addition to the $30 per pet monthly pet rent. AmeriCorps pays $858 for me per month. That income is in addition to Food Stamps and insurance for myself. And Max's childcare will be taken care of for the summer; he'll qualify for Medicaid. So my basic needs will still be met. Am I spoiled, perhaps, to feel that my housing should keep out the weather and strays? I chose VISTA in order to make a difference, to help others who live in poverty strive for something better. Perhaps, I thought, I must live in such humble surroundings because I need to make that trailer park a better place for people to live. I'm reminded of Orwell's Road to Wiggan Pier on so many levels. This is my Road to ...what? Sturgis? Road to Success? Road to Rapid City? Road to the West and a better life? Is this why I ran through the St. Louis Arch, to dwell in the squalor of those I hope to save in order to truly know what their needs are and address them fully to the best of my ability (and here I find my self quite motivated).
This is a small hole that was covered quite eloquently by a Pink Floyd poster when I moved in. Maintenance guy suggested I replace the poster.
This couch covers a dramatic dip in the floor and somewhat blocks out the sunshine fro the corner. It currently serves as Sassi's bed. I'm not a couch-up-against-the-wall kind of girl, so I confess I resent having to keep it in it's current location in order to keep the weather somewhat outside. Sassi enjoys the couch.
This hole is the only way to reach an electrical outlet from my bathroom. The maintenance guy came out over the weekend and installed a 6-plug extension cord and mounted it against the wall on the other side. I now have a thick cord stapled against this wall. He suggested I replace the entertainment center from the living room into this room as the previous occupants did; that way, I'll hide both the holes in my bedroom.
This is where I'm to clean myself. As you can see, the water does not contain itself by the edges of the tub and has spent time among the crevices created by previous tenants in this circa 1960 mobile home. So far it's only occupant is a large spider that has recently relocated and I'm still sorta afraid to relax in it. Below, we have another poor joining between wall and floor. Or maybe it's ceiling this time.
This is an outlet that shoots fireworks when I plug something into it.
This is another space where the floors and walls no longer function as originally intended. Or maybe the original intention was this exactly: to fall apart before the turn of the century?
And to be completely fair, once I put up half-curtains at the bottom of this window, the view will be amazing. When the sunshine spills out over these hills in the morning and evening, it's quite stunning. The fog is only slightly less impressive by it's density. Being 3000+ feet above sea level, sometimes the clouds visit and nothing is visible through the pea-soup thick of it.
And I am making friends. I was able to transfer my Section 8 voucher to Meade County, just outside the Rapid City where I work. My needs would still be met: a roof over my head and some assistance with utilities. OK. But I have dogs and there seems to be a prevailing prejudice against dog-owners in the Black Hills. I was unable to secure a decent shelter, or decent to my standards. My standards include walls that meet the floors and do not allow sunshine in through the corners. My standards involve a central heating system that does not double as a home for the neighborhood cats. My standards do not involve excrement of any kind and when it's really cold, my new home does not smell so bad but once it warms up for an hour or two in the afternoon, the smell is quite uncomfortable. My maintenance guy did fix my heating vents that were not heating but did not replace the piping so whenever the heat comes on, fluffs and tufts of cat fur drift up from the forced air, and I wake up with a scratchy throat and stuffy nose. The prevailing aroma of excrement is slightly worse outside than inside. My neighbors seem friendly enough and have children and pets as well. I can make it work for a year since I won't have to pay for it myself. Yesterday, though, I received a letter from Meade County Housing stating that I will owe $170 per month on that modest shelter! While I was willing to reside there for free, I don't see how I could in good faith I could pay my own rent in addition to the $30 per pet monthly pet rent. AmeriCorps pays $858 for me per month. That income is in addition to Food Stamps and insurance for myself. And Max's childcare will be taken care of for the summer; he'll qualify for Medicaid. So my basic needs will still be met. Am I spoiled, perhaps, to feel that my housing should keep out the weather and strays? I chose VISTA in order to make a difference, to help others who live in poverty strive for something better. Perhaps, I thought, I must live in such humble surroundings because I need to make that trailer park a better place for people to live. I'm reminded of Orwell's Road to Wiggan Pier on so many levels. This is my Road to ...what? Sturgis? Road to Success? Road to Rapid City? Road to the West and a better life? Is this why I ran through the St. Louis Arch, to dwell in the squalor of those I hope to save in order to truly know what their needs are and address them fully to the best of my ability (and here I find my self quite motivated).
This is a small hole that was covered quite eloquently by a Pink Floyd poster when I moved in. Maintenance guy suggested I replace the poster.This couch covers a dramatic dip in the floor and somewhat blocks out the sunshine fro the corner. It currently serves as Sassi's bed. I'm not a couch-up-against-the-wall kind of girl, so I confess I resent having to keep it in it's current location in order to keep the weather somewhat outside. Sassi enjoys the couch.
This hole is the only way to reach an electrical outlet from my bathroom. The maintenance guy came out over the weekend and installed a 6-plug extension cord and mounted it against the wall on the other side. I now have a thick cord stapled against this wall. He suggested I replace the entertainment center from the living room into this room as the previous occupants did; that way, I'll hide both the holes in my bedroom.
This is an outlet that shoots fireworks when I plug something into it. This is another space where the floors and walls no longer function as originally intended. Or maybe the original intention was this exactly: to fall apart before the turn of the century?
Monday, March 1, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
fill'er up!
In South Dakota, or at least in Rapid City, mid-grade is the cheap stuff because it's Enriched with 10% Ethanol. Regular and Premium are both pure gasoline. South Dakota, I've been told, grows a lot of corn. If we buy the Enriched mid-grade, we're supporting local agricultural business. I filled up with it today. On my previous tank of 85 octane, I got 207 miles before the gaslight came on. I wonder what it'll be with 13 gallons of Enriched 88? And premium here is 91. In Anderson, it was 87, 89 and 92 or 93 and regular was cheapest. Some things are surprisingly (if slightly) different. Like downtown, for instance. In Greenville, there are a few statues commemorating notable persons of local historical significance. And of course the Mice on Main. Here in Rapid City, there are presidents on every street corner. In Keystone, I understand, there's a mock-shootout every day that disrupts traffic and everything else for the duration. In Anderson, there's a statue of Radio and Mr. Whitner and fish. And have I mentioned the hills? The omg views on my way to work? And the fact that my job involves making my contribution to saving the world?
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Living in the Black Hills
Which I don't. Not quite yet. I'd envisioned living on a mountain top somewhere with my dogs and Max. I know that's a lofty dream in my tax bracket but a girl can dream no matter what, right? So what I really want comes down to shelter and food at this point. I want a roof over my head that keeps me dry; I want unbroken windows and unblemished walls. I want to have my pets in a house that doesn't smell like the previous tenant's pets. I want a food stamp card that works at every grocery store, not just the fancy ones. Ok, I'm joking; I'd only shop at the fancy food stores anyway so it doesn't really matter ;)
What is in between me and my dreams? My income. AmeriCorps gives more than I can afford to decline even if I do have to live in a tin can for a year just to keep my job: at least we'll be able to keep our doggies. But the place smells like the last guy's cats. There is a cute little cat door in the wall that smells to have been installed quite a while after the cats came in or maybe it was locked most of the time. Sassi fits in it so she'll be free to come and go but Sophi and Troi will have to wait for us to get home.
I was so dispirited after looking at the trailer park--and it was covered in snow, mind you; I can't imagine but that it looks better covered in snow than bare--that I decided to search for options. My quest led me to Star Village, formerly subsidized apartments at the edge of town and only a few blocks from work. I drove up the hill and my ears popped twice as I approached the drab duplex community. I inquired from the elder gentleman at the desk and he told me in a British accent that he did indeed have a two bedroom super with a fantastic view and yes, I could have my dogs. Rent is $675 or some such number. I asked where he was from and he replied, "Africa; Victoria Falls. Have you heard of it?" "No." "It's one of the 7 wonders of the world! how is it you've never heard of it?" After our small talk, I got the key to the apartment and went to view it. As I suspected from the beige exteriors of the cinderblock buildings, the inside was very 50s as well: wall-to-wall linoleum throughout and tiny tiles in the batheroom. The bathroom window and the sliding glass doors in the living room (called the lounge by the fellow at the leasing office) opened out to a panoramic view of the city. I was home. I cannot think of a better place to be poor, I thought to myself. I went back to the office only to find out that the apartments are no longer subsidized, so I couldn't live there.
My only option at this moment is to take the trailer. But I have begun the process to procure a housing voucher that will be accepted by Star Village in the future. I will live on my mountain! Some year.
What is in between me and my dreams? My income. AmeriCorps gives more than I can afford to decline even if I do have to live in a tin can for a year just to keep my job: at least we'll be able to keep our doggies. But the place smells like the last guy's cats. There is a cute little cat door in the wall that smells to have been installed quite a while after the cats came in or maybe it was locked most of the time. Sassi fits in it so she'll be free to come and go but Sophi and Troi will have to wait for us to get home.
I was so dispirited after looking at the trailer park--and it was covered in snow, mind you; I can't imagine but that it looks better covered in snow than bare--that I decided to search for options. My quest led me to Star Village, formerly subsidized apartments at the edge of town and only a few blocks from work. I drove up the hill and my ears popped twice as I approached the drab duplex community. I inquired from the elder gentleman at the desk and he told me in a British accent that he did indeed have a two bedroom super with a fantastic view and yes, I could have my dogs. Rent is $675 or some such number. I asked where he was from and he replied, "Africa; Victoria Falls. Have you heard of it?" "No." "It's one of the 7 wonders of the world! how is it you've never heard of it?" After our small talk, I got the key to the apartment and went to view it. As I suspected from the beige exteriors of the cinderblock buildings, the inside was very 50s as well: wall-to-wall linoleum throughout and tiny tiles in the batheroom. The bathroom window and the sliding glass doors in the living room (called the lounge by the fellow at the leasing office) opened out to a panoramic view of the city. I was home. I cannot think of a better place to be poor, I thought to myself. I went back to the office only to find out that the apartments are no longer subsidized, so I couldn't live there.
My only option at this moment is to take the trailer. But I have begun the process to procure a housing voucher that will be accepted by Star Village in the future. I will live on my mountain! Some year.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Wow what a week
Rapid City is an incredibly friendly, stunningly beautiful city. In one week, I have made several acquaintances and driven over 200 miles just exploring the countryside looking for a place to live. Unfortunately, my beloved dogs will prevent me from living in any of the aesthetically-pleasing areas I have searched (extensively). It's lookin' like a humbling experience in a transitional trailer park is the only thing available at this time. Fortunately the little trailer has a tiny cat door, so my miniature Dachshund will be able to let herself out to use the restroom. Unfortunately the cat door smells to have been installed after the cats marked the length of single-wide tin and carpet for their very own.
The YMCA here is as amazing as everything else. There's even a towel service and a special swim-suit water extractor! Which will make working out rather convenient. There's a special Express for Women workout room. It's express because you work out on a timer instead of counting reps; hence the title "express." It was created with the working woman's lunch hour in mind. There are two lap pools (one 8 lane and one 4 lane) for exercising and a huge indoor family pool that is comparable to the Anderson YMCA's outdoor pool. There's a Youth room for older kids while parents work out. The youth room contains a Wii with several controllers, several couches and pool tables, air hockey and other table games, 3 computers at the computer station, a snack bar, and special-entry access to the basket ball courts if that's not enough.
If I choose to live here for several years, I'm just not sure I want to live in a little tin box. So I've started researching subsidized housing closer to my job and in the city. There are 5 Catholic churches within the city and several in the surrounding areas. The Catholic school, St. Elisabeth Seton, goes through high school and offers college scholarships to students! I'm volunteering tonight at the neighboring Cathedral, Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
When I decided to relocate to SD, I wrote to the Rapid City Chamber of Commerce for a relocation guide. And I'm glad I did. On Thursday, I attended the Young Professionals Group social sponsored by the Chamber. I met several chamber Board members as well as the printer who designed and printed my relocation guide! The social was hosted in the print shop this month, and I look forward to seeing everyone again at next month's social. Since I had been in South Dakota for a mere 4 days by that time, it was easy for me to strike up a conversation with each of the professionals who attended and they all made me feel very welcome.
The YMCA here is as amazing as everything else. There's even a towel service and a special swim-suit water extractor! Which will make working out rather convenient. There's a special Express for Women workout room. It's express because you work out on a timer instead of counting reps; hence the title "express." It was created with the working woman's lunch hour in mind. There are two lap pools (one 8 lane and one 4 lane) for exercising and a huge indoor family pool that is comparable to the Anderson YMCA's outdoor pool. There's a Youth room for older kids while parents work out. The youth room contains a Wii with several controllers, several couches and pool tables, air hockey and other table games, 3 computers at the computer station, a snack bar, and special-entry access to the basket ball courts if that's not enough.
If I choose to live here for several years, I'm just not sure I want to live in a little tin box. So I've started researching subsidized housing closer to my job and in the city. There are 5 Catholic churches within the city and several in the surrounding areas. The Catholic school, St. Elisabeth Seton, goes through high school and offers college scholarships to students! I'm volunteering tonight at the neighboring Cathedral, Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
When I decided to relocate to SD, I wrote to the Rapid City Chamber of Commerce for a relocation guide. And I'm glad I did. On Thursday, I attended the Young Professionals Group social sponsored by the Chamber. I met several chamber Board members as well as the printer who designed and printed my relocation guide! The social was hosted in the print shop this month, and I look forward to seeing everyone again at next month's social. Since I had been in South Dakota for a mere 4 days by that time, it was easy for me to strike up a conversation with each of the professionals who attended and they all made me feel very welcome.
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