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Show Thursday, Ociobot 1, 1987 Paqc Poor ore proud despHe .situation Severn 4 Many return assistance with gratitude, small gifts By Dennis Romboy Chronicle investigative editor People living on Salt Lake streets and below the 600 South freeway offramp are certainly poor, but they aren't necessarily proud of it. In fact, many of them are ashamed. Ashamed to be seen eating at a soup kithcen. Many of their relatives are not aware that one of their own family members spends part of the day scavenging through trash dumpsters. Salt Lake City's poverty-stricke- n population may not be proud about their poverty, but they do have pride. This is evident as a man in worn-o- ut Levis, wearing tattered shoes with a scraggly beard, grabs the hand of Claudette Reeves, director of the St. Vincent DePaul Center, stuffing a dollar bill into it while shaking it vigorously. "Thank you. God bless you," he says as he hugs her and then shuffles down 400 West near 200 South. "They are always bringing me gifts," Reeves said, "It makes them feel good about themselves." She said she has received everything from stuffed animals to flowers Current estimates indicate 12 percent of the Beehive. State's population is living below the federal poverty level. This translates into nearly 200,000 people having little or nothing to live on. More than half live along the Wasatch Front. Many are homeless. Others live in shelters, which are nothing more than places to sleep. Some have a form of housing, but have trouble making ends meet . Reeves said 65 percent of the people on the streets have a high school education. Another 15 to 20 percent have been to college and a small percentage are college graduates. Some have regular jobs, while others resort to collecting aluminum cans on basis to make a living. a full-ti330-se- at cafeteria at St. Vincent's The serves as many as 400 people a day from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. It is usually filled to capacity during the last two weeks of the month. After the middle of the month, many families have run out of money or food stamps. If they want to eat, the cafeteria becomes their only choice, Reeves said. Most people are going hungry because of unemployment or a family crisis such as divorce or a death, Steve Blackman of Utahns Against Hunger said. Poverty occurs when a once-inta- ct family unit is broken up, he said. "Poverty is something that happens to good people. People don't want to be poor," he said. Utah's homeless, although not proud of their state, often find pride in returning in part, the help they receive from shelters such as St. Vincent DePaul. 4'iirouu.k- - phom hv Slew low-payi- ng me f (Big Ed's) Established l0fS In a recent study prepared by the Crossroads Urban Center and the Univer- Best Homemade Soup & Chili freshly plucked from the garden of sity of Utah Graduate School of Social nt someone's home in the valley. households Work, most needy Reeves said the destitute families and were in a condition. That is, individuals who frequent St. Vincent's are they were without income, behind on the gracious people. However, they are often rent and utility payments, and were undernourished and suffer from some type ineligible for financial assistance because of physical illness. both parents were at home. Reeves said as many as 76 percent have Yet they were on the verge of becoming some type of physical problem. Many of part of Salt Lake's homeless community. Two-pare- nt those served at St. Vincent's have diarrhea families, however, made up from "dumpster diving," she said. Food out only 42 percent of those surveyed. The of trash containers is often contaminated 'majority of families in poverty are single-parefamilies mostly women with causing much of the sicknesses homeless them. with children. people carry two-pare- pre-homel- ess nt if f ' i t) courc) Ham Cheese Omelet Open 7 am to 8 pm Mon thru Fri 8 am to 3 pm Sat. 210 University 582-904- & Buy One Get One Free 5 Good before :30 am Expires I0V1K7 1 Happy Hour: Friday after 3 pm 1 :i I g N. s f " 8) Q Q Or1 V for Sign-u- p . . . EXPERIMENTAL FILM SURVEY Studies special fee) Film It's 11 O'clock Do You Know Where Your Copies Are? If you've taken them to AlphaGraphics Printshops Of The Future they're ready and waiting for you to pick them up . With our new hours, getting your copy work done in one day or less is more than just a gimmick, it's our promise. Film Studies 528R-- 58-- 1 fee) Tuesdays, OSHWPRA 6:30-10:0- New store hours: 1 Monday - Thursday 8am to 1pm, Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday 10am to 6pm. 0 1 (4 hours credit, tuition$20 (Noncredit, fee $9420 special p.m., Sept. 29-De- c. 7 Kevin Hanson European avdnt garde cinema, the American underground movie and personal filmaking. 273 South 1300 East Printshops Of The Future Hrrrrrriiiiii i WiImmi 582-828- 2 i trrmrrrrrrrrmtMwrrrrmrrwmi J |