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Show Feelings vs. Facts Child ren Major Category of Poor hate being poor. dream of going to a store and buying a new dress. "I dream of going into a store and buying a new dress. Instead I wear all these used clothes. wish rich people could being poor. I But I I have to wear used clothes." I live like we do (Excerpts from Community Affairs Newsletter, Vol. 1 No. 3) In a guest editorial published in the Community Affairs newsletter, William G. Bruhn, Executuve Director, Department of Community Affairs, stated that discussions of poverty often become emotionally charged and slanted from personal experiences. "We all have our own ideas and feelings about povery - its causes and effect. We all have qu r own solutions to the problem' he said. But he pointed out that often personal feelings do not reflect the facts. One FACT is that the majority of the poor are children, the elderly and the Another FACT the reality of trying to live on $150 per month. "It is time to explode some of the myths we accept about the poor, look at the facts, listen to the voices of the poor, and disabled. is work toward solutions to poverty in our state." realistically The typical welfare recipient in Utah is a child under 18 years of age. He is white, of the L.D.S. faith, and lives along the Wasatch Front. There are approximately 120,000 persons living below the poverty guidelines of $3800 per year for a family of four but only 58,000 welfare recipients in the state. These are some findings gathered recently by the State Economic Opportunity Office in report for Bruhn. "Many people assume that the poor person is lazy and on the welfare rolls," said Michael T. McCoy, State Economic director. "They assume that he is either a Chicano or Black, and has fathered eight children. That he is healthy and capable of working and supporting himself and his family but that he'd rather take it easy and live off taxpayers' money, stated the director. He emphasized that this is not the case. He said that over half of the people on welfare 52 - are children, 1 0 are aged are persons over 65 and 11 disabled. Mothers, those whose husbands are dead, incapacitated, absent or unemployed - comprise 21 of the welfare population. Only 5 of those persons on wlefare are unemployed adults. "I hate every day that I have to go to school. The rich kids make fun of me and the clothes wear. cry a lot 'cause don't know what to do about it. hate -- I I I I just for a day. Then maybe they'd understand how hard it is and wouldn't look down on us," said one child. One-fift- h of Utah's welfare population consists of mothers with an average of 2 young children. Caught in the trap of feeling obligated to stay at home and take care of the children - yet wanting to work to have a better income. These women realize that if they were to go to work, an eighth grade education would only get them a job that would not do much more than pay for child care. "This is one hell of a life to lead tell you. Look at this house we're living in - it was condemned three months ago and is falling apart. I've got to find another house, but can't find nothin'. can't afford more than $60 a month for rent, and there ain't nothin' but shacks for that. don't know what I'm going to do 'cause we were told to get out immediately. Make's you wonder what life is all about after awhile. You just sort of want to give up but you can't with the kids," a mother said. - I I I I -- The poor- - a bunch of on welfare, living an easy life on taxpayers' money? Not so. Poverty is misery, poverty free-loade- is rs helplessness-hopelessnes- s. "Wether we discuss poverty at the state or the national level the problem for all of us boils down to the most common victims of poverty the children," stated Bruhn. -- -- Photos by Roger Taylor |