with People in Poverty Lynda Coates Poverty Consultant Agenda - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Lynda Coates Poverty Consultant

Concrete Tools for Working with People in Poverty

On the Road to Diabetes Education, April 1, 2011

1: Poverty

Poverty in in the the U.S. U.S.

2: Understanding

Understanding Behavior Behavior

3: Communication

Communication

4: Strategies

Strategies Agenda Agenda

• 1. Poverty in the U.S.

An Insider’s Perspective

An Insider’s Perspective

Why do so few people move

• ut of poverty in the U.S.?

U.S. Poverty Facts

America is the land of...

• 1. E

Education is t the w way t to a achieve social m mobility.

• Earn a degree
• Learn a skill & literacy

Wage R Reality

• No degree or skill = minimum wage
• Most earn about $2.00 above

minimum wage after 20+ years.

2. Social f factors foster p poverty.

In the last 20 years,

• Value of minimum wage declined.
• Fewer jobs for low-skilled workers.
• Gov. $ for social programs reduced.

• Minimum wage earners spend

majority of income on rent.

• HUD/Section 8 has up to 3 year wait.
• Must re-apply if you don’t receive and

respond to notification letter.

• Unpaid traffic tickets

can be barrier to housing.

• 3. H

Housing i is o

• ut o
• f r

reach.

• $22,350 = federal poverty level, family of 4.

Families need twice that much.

• Current benefits for a parent & 2 kids is

29% of the federal poverty level.

• About $500 a month in Oregon.
• 20 yrs ago it was $408.
• Disability payments are also insufficent.
• 4. W

Welfare do does no not p provide relief. relief.

• Focus on daily survival limits preventative

care.

• Barriers: transportation, day-care, $,

navigation.

• Doctor to Patient relationship intimidating.
• Lack of empowerment.
• Bad experiences at free clinics.
• Gov. Insurance = not easy to get services.
• 5. H

Healthcare is d difficult to access. access.

• Cities arrest people for sleeping on

streets.

• Kids who are late or failing in school

miss out on recess or fun activities.

• Parents are allowed only 2 years of

higher education on welfare.

• Messages of not good enough/trash.
• 6. P

People a are p punished for t their situation. situation.

US Social System Model: Coping vs. Moving Up

• 2. Understanding

Behavior

There are different kinds

• f Poverty in the U.S.

...each shape behavior differently

Ge Gene nerational l Po Pove verty

• Family never owned land/property
• No relationship with anyone educated.
• Don’t know others with living wage jobs.
• Highly mobile, move frequently.
• High Illiteracy.
• Focus on making it through the “day.”

Wo Work rking g Po Poor

• r
• Working, but rarely have $
• Most do not own land/property
• Live check to check
• Few have health care
• Focus on making it two weeks or month
• Poverty seen as personal deficiency

Im Immi migrant t Po Pove verty

• Have little or no resources;

more barriers

• Language and cultural barriers
• Seem to do better than those born into

poverty in America

• Poverty viewed as a “systemic problem”

De Depr pression n Er Era a Po Poverty

• Societal message: “We are all in this

together”

• Poverty was seen as a societal problem
• No shame or blame
• People who had resources moved back up
• Can be harsh critics of others

Si Situ tuational l Po Pove verty

• Grow up stable
• Surrounded by educated adults
• Has crisis, income drops
• Generally able to move back to middle class
• Has not internalized poverty as own fault
• Does not recognize privileges
• Can be harsh judge others

Think...

What have you been taught to believe about people in poverty?

Common Perceptions Common Perceptions of

• f Behavior

Behavior

• Dont take care of themselves, dirty.
• Unmotivated and don’t want to work.
• Education is not a value or priority.
• Don’t attend school functions or meetings.
• Waste money, buy things don’t need.
• Abuse the social system, greedy.
• Keep having babies to get more welfare.

Exercise

FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF MANY YEARS OF EXPERTS.

FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF MANY YEARS OF EXPERTS.

SEVEN Fs

PERCEPTION

• How our mind makes sense of things.
• What we are trained to pay attention to.
• Result of past experiences.

Beliefs shape perceptions

Common Perceptions Common Perceptions of

• f Behavior

Behavior

• Dont take care of themselves, dirty.
• Unmotivated and don’t want to work.
• Education is not a value or priority.
• Don’t attend school functions or meetings.
• Waste money, buy things don’t need.
• Abuse the social system, greedy.
• Keep having babies to get more welfare.

To effectively serve people in poverty we must:

• 1. Examine our beliefs/Perceptions
• 2. Withhold judgment
• 3. Communication effectively

Perception shapes what you believe is possible for yourself.

Comparison of Perception

Growing up, both experienced:

Housing = Homeless, camping Food = Scarce, food banks, sandwiches Entertainment = Each other, singing Education = Fragmented

Regional Influences

Relative as role model

Donna & & Lynda 1975

Influences

Lynda

1989

Tammy

Lynda at 19: Adequate, stable Housing

Tammy at 19: Homeless, Camping

Lynda: Trying new foods & fun

Tammy: Unhealthy foods & Embarrassment

Lynda’s Entertainment

Trafalgar Square, London Vegas

Tammy’s Entertainment

The Water Hole

Lynda & Donny 1988

Tammy’s Experience Experiences

• Only people she knew were in poverty
• No meaningful connections with anyone

educated

• Basic needs not met: homeless, hungry
• No sense of belonging, only status: mom
• No one telling her what is good about her

Lynda’s Experience Experiences

• Address Book of people not in poverty
• Connections to role models, Mentors
• Basic Needs, Housing, Health Insurance
• Belonging, Middle-class friends
• Teachers telling me my strengths
• Opportunities to succeed

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Do you believe Tammy lives in poverty because she is lazy?

Think...

Who are the people that influenced you? How did they help you shape your perception of yourself?

We cannot communicate, connect or teach if we are judging.

Withhold Judgment

• 3. COMMUNICATION

What percentage of communication is non-verbal?

Walter Walter Ong Ong: : Orality Orality & Literacy & Literacy Oral Oral Print Print ~ N Natural ~Learned ~Learned Ho How b w bal alan ance ced d ar are e yo you? u? Both h have value!

Oral Communication

Every human being is born oral.

Overall: RELATIONSHIP FOCUSED

• Get info from others.
• People are focus.
• Depend on each other.
• Need to trust & feel connected to

person giving info.

Spontaneous

• Absorb info via all senses (sight,

sound, etc). Take in multiple data.

• Ability to bounce from task-to-task

with ease.

• Comfortable with multiple stimuli.
• May appear unfocused & easily
• verwhelmed.

Repetitious & Story Telling

• Information is inside self,

uncategorized.

• Need to hear info multiple times to

remember & connect to real life.

• “Stories” keeps info alive and helps

memory.

Holistic

• See “Big picture” (taking in all data)
• Concrete learners. Visual info is

best understood.

• Thinking abstractly is secondary.
• Do not always apply knowledge to

different contexts.

Emotional

• Relationships are the most
• important. “Do you like me?”
• Few boundaries on sharing emotions
• r info.
• Difficult to disconnect self from the

situation.

• Negative feedback taken personally.

Present Oriented

• Highly in tune with what is

happening today.

• Not much “hope” that tomorrow or

future will be different.

• Ability to enjoy the moment.

Agonistic

• Connect with others and build

relationships via physical touch.

• Learn best by using hands.
• Use their bodies to express emotion

– good or bad.

Self-Disclose

• Connect with others via sharing

personal info.

• Need reciprocation to feel

connected.

• Once they feel connected, few

boundaries on info sharing.

Print Culture Learned way of communicating Reading for info trains the brain to think differently than oral culture.

Ov Over erall: : TI TIME ME is is th the e fo focu cus

• Brain i

is trained to think in terms

• f t

tasks, goals and challenges.

• Time i

is most important, above everything everything else. else.

Linear

• Reading trains the brain to think

in “first this, then this” fashion. N L R I E A

• Brain develops ability to break

data/concepts into parts = categorize and classify.

Analytical

• Reading trains brain to shut out

sensory data and focus.

• Ability to analyze info, one idea at

a time.

Abstract Thinking

• Info is outside of self.
• Trains the brain with ability to

disconnect from situations.

• And apply info to multiple contexts.

Self-Disciplined

• See connections. Break tasks into

parts (set goals).

• The brain learns that a reward will

come at the end.

• Ability to stay focused and wait for

the reward.

Strategize

• Ability to break tasks into parts

trains brain to strategize.

• Feel Success. Start to crave

challenge.

Task Oriented

• Focus is on tasks; people second.
• Ability to get things done =

accomplishment!

• Self-disclosure limited on “need to

know”.

• Can appear “rigid” and “inflexible.”

Strive for Balance Connect via Oral Skills & Teach Prints Skills

• 4. Strategies

Foundation for Strategies

Identification Theory

Humans have a fundamental need to identify with others and feel a sense

• f “BELONGING.”

~ Kenneth Burke Theory

Strengths Perspective

The practice of looking for strengths and resources, instead of focusing

• n deficits.

Resiliency Theory

The ability to cope with challenging life events, “bounce back” from crisis, grow from experience, and become stronger.

Asset Theory

The more supports one has, the more likely they will succeed and grow resilient.

8 Strategies for working with people in poverty.

• 1. Welcoming environment.

Find creative ways to make people feel welcome.

• 2. Connect via oral

Communication.

• Build relationships based on

identification.

• Let patients get to know you.

Levels of Disclosure

• 1. Facts, figures non-personal
• 2. General information about self
• 3. Personal values and beliefs

• 3. Empower people by focusing
• n their strengths and skills.
• Give people opportunities to shine.
• Show them you believe in them.
• Tell people what is good about

them.

• 4. Create shared meaning.



Find out what motivates them.



Make connections between what they want and you want for them.

• 5. Reduce Isolation.

Help build networks.

• Give address books.
• Introduce people to others.
• Walk them to co-workers.
• Make calls to connect them.

• 6. Teach Print Skills
• Demonstrate how to break tasks

into smaller parts.

• Give calendars.
• Walk through steps.
• Show examples.
• Call with friendly reminders.
• Give fun reading materials.

• 7. Examine policies, be flexible.
• Conduct poverty competency

assessments.

• Do policies:

* Provide supports to reach goals. * Help remove barriers. * Focus on people’s “strengths” (not deficits) * Teach print skills (instead of “responsibility”)

• 8. Strengthen Partnerships.

 Build partnerships, collaborate,

consolidate resources.

 Develop relationships with

• rganizations & professionals to can

connect families to other resources.

Levels o

• f Impact

 Comments

Comments

 One w

way

 Two w

way

 Relay

Relay Plant t the seeds!

YOU can be the difference for someone in poverty.