‘Bad choices’ are not the main cause of poverty

Limited financial means may present no good options. When overwhelmed by scarcity, we make worse choices. During a poverty simulation, PlaySpent.org, a young participant said, “I can win this game. But I’m going to hell if I do.” He saw “rocks and hard places” like working versus taking unpaid leave to get loved ones to doctors. We are each one neighbor, family member, car wreck, stroke, or painful choice away from hardship.

Ecumenical Community Center Foundation’s (ECCF’s) Helping Hands Ministry (HHM) and CompuPlace are strengthened by leasing low cost space to other nonprofits. Donors join us, assisting with rent, utilities, IDs, auto gas, and community referrals. Coordination with other agencies decreases barriers to gaining assistance.

HHM provided $65,363 in 2022 financial assistance. Community resource lists, donated soaps, and more are distributed. People are encouraged to budget and seek lifelong learning. Mentorship can be as impactful as monetary boosts.

We serve county residents below Federal Poverty Level (FPL), having incomes less than $1,215 monthly plus $428 for each additional household member. One in 10 people here lives below this threshold. One in three households struggles financially. One in 10 has a disability and is twice as likely to have low income. Disability makes people age 18 — 65 three times more likely to live below FPL. One in three Black Iowans and one in four Latino Iowans do not earn enough for basic needs, twice the rate for white Iowans, underscoring calls for equity.

A single Iowa parent with one child has basic monthly expenses of $3,480. Almost half are over $1,300 short of monthly living expenses. One in four Iowa kids are raised between these rocks and hard places. Child care can cost more than rent. Transportation can cost more than food. A single Iowa parent of one child needs to earn $21 an hour, almost three times the minimum wage.

One in four households in Linn County rents. Forty-two percent of renters pay over 30 percent of income for housing. For every low income household finding an affordable rental, three cannot. Median monthly Linn County rent is $824.

From 2018 — 2021, Iowa rent, utilities, and food increased by 7 -10 percent; child care by almost 20 percent. Other household expenses increased by 34 — 45 percent. Iowa’s households need incomes twice FPL just to get by. Medicaid, child care, and food assistance evaporate long before that income is reached, creating a poverty “canyon,” leaving workers earning between $10 — $17 per hour especially squeezed. Six percent of Linn County’s 93,602 households don’t have a computer, and 11 percent still don’t have broadband at home. Five percent don’t even have a high school diploma.

Lately, we’ve served a remarkable number of rugged individuals who refuse any more than minimal assistance to get through their current struggles. Some need ongoing supports. Most are coping ingeniously on meager finances, are looking for ways to improve their own lives, and should not be disparaged for an occasional “bad choice.”

Robin Switzer Brunner is chief operating officer for the Ecumenical Community Center Foundation in Cedar Rapids.