Live United, by Ann Austin

Lift one. Lift all.

Poverty is defined as “the state or condition of having little or no money, goods or means of support; condition of being poor.” In poverty people are surviving rather than thriving.

Something I have recognized since before I started at the United Way is: To solve any really pressing problem, everyone needs to step up. But how do we engage people in such a pervasive issue?

Our community has been blessed with the presence of the Blandin Foundation’s Leaders Partnering to End Poverty effort. Through the work of LPEP, Blandin is convening community members to discuss what poverty looks like in our community and how we can better help people who are struggling.

There are about 30 local community members active in the LPEP leadership group and we will be working over the next 18 months to help engage people in this conversation and take a look at how local systems are functioning and what we can do to help lift people up.

“Lift one. Lift all,” is a statement the LPEP leadership group chose to represent this effort. It’s a powerful statement and is an abbreviated version of Paul Wellstone’s famous saying: “We all do better when we all do better.”

It is a call to action. A call to each one of us to look, really look, at our neighbors. Who are they? What are their lives like? Are they struggling to make ends meet, or living in fear or with depression?

Journalist Sasha Abramsky puts it well: Poverty is “about a lack of basic necessities and a lack of security, so an uncertainty as to where you’re going to get food, an uncertainty as to how you’re going to pay your most elementary bills, and it’s about a reliance on either very imperfect government institutions or very overwhelmed private charity.”

Poverty here looks different than it does in another country. In developing countries you see absolute poverty, where people have nothing. Poverty here is relative. Most people have a place to live and food on the table, but many are living paycheck to paycheck and if faced with a financial emergency, they could easily end up homeless.

The programs have done a good job of helping people out of an emergency, but we need to take a deeper look at how emergencies can be prevented. How can we take away some of that uncertainty people experience?

It seems easier to turn our heads away from people who are struggling because we feel there isn’t much we can do or we don’t have an answer.

The truth is no one really has the answer. Every situation is different and each person needs different supports to discover a ray of hope or the pathway to a better tomorrow.

A wise man recently said to me that everyone expects the systems and programs we’ve set up to solve the issue, but we all need to be willing to get our hands dirty.

I believe this and have seen so much good come from people who are willing to step up and volunteer to help others. The local Rock the Block effort — which engages volunteers in rehabilitating local homes — is a key example of how we can come together to address the uncertainty of adequate housing. Volunteers address health and safety issues like black mold, crumbling infrastructure and leaky roofs. This is a prevention effort so people can remain in their homes and it has been an inspiration.

It feels amazing to get your hands dirty because, even though it might be hard work at times, you can see the impact you have made. It’s an impact that sends a positive message across the community.

I have seen such a difference since I moved here 10 years ago. People are stepping up and solving problems; they are spending time engaging in work that is meaningful to them and our community is better for it!

The kickoff for LPEP will be July 23 at Albert Lea High School. We are so excited to have poverty consultant Jodi Pfarr speak about poverty and its impact on communities.

Events will be held throughout 2014 and in to spring of 2015. Keep checking the Tribune and listening to local radio stations for regular updates of community activities and events. For more information on the LPEP program, visit leadership.blandinfoundation.org/programs/lpep.

In the meantime, start talking to people about poverty and share your ideas and thoughts on the Facebook page for Leaders Partnering to End Poverty Freeborn County.

Lift one. Lift all.

 

Ann Austin is the executive director of the United Way of Freeborn County.