{"id":239232,"date":"2026-03-27T13:44:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T13:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/239232\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T13:44:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T13:44:10","slug":"living-on-the-edge-poverty-simulation-makes-it-real","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/239232\/","title":{"rendered":"Living on the Edge: Poverty Simulation Makes it Real"},"content":{"rendered":"

Poverty isn\u2019t just a lack of money. It\u2019s a nesting doll of difficulties, each of which creates its own ripple of potential crises.<\/p>\n

Can\u2019t afford the rent and get evicted? No one will rent you another apartment. Don\u2019t have a stable place to live, and you have school-age children? They will bounce from school to school and fall behind. Not to mention that you\u2019re not getting mail \u2014 including mail from the social services agencies that provide necessary services.<\/p>\n

Last month, Sunnyvale Community Services held one of its Poverty Simulation<\/a> workshops. Community members got an experience of what being poor looks like close-up.<\/p>\n

SPONSORED<\/p>\n

\"BrainShare\"BrainShare<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt changes who you are,\u201d one participant explained, referring to the fact that they kept quiet about being overpaid \u2014 something that they would normally bring to their boss\u2019 attention.<\/p>\n

Paula Crespin, a healthcare professional, role-played as a 19-year-old single mother with no job, little education, living with her boyfriend in a mobile home, and relying on EBT (food stamps) and social services.<\/p>\n

SPONSORED<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe had just paid our rent as we were basically meeting the person that was coming to evict us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Despite having income and benefits, the system\u2019s rigidity left her family constantly on the edge. \u201cOne paycheck away from being homeless\u201d wasn\u2019t a slogan for her \u2014 it was reality.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a constant struggle to survive. The next week, when we went (to the housing office), they were closed for a holiday. So, by the time we finally were able to get in and take care of things, we were on a list to be evicted,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She described the feeling of helplessness that comes from being at the mercy of an impersonal system. \u201cFill out this form\u2026 wait\u2026 I\u2019ll get to you when I get to you.\u201d The process drove her to despair, especially when services closed for holidays without warning, pushing her closer to eviction.<\/p>\n

\u201cI now have a profound appreciation for the struggle to just survive and just have bare minimum things,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Randy Collins \u2014 now a Sunnyvale Community Services volunteer \u2014 spoke of his real-life experience of becoming homeless after being laid off from Lockheed Martin after 18 years.<\/p>\n

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Although he continued to work whatever jobs he could get, rising rents and uncertain income led to homelessness. During that time, he slept in a hoarder\u2019s bedbug-infested apartment, on a floor, for ten years. His asthma spun out of control \u2014 vermin exacerbate respiratory diseases \u2014 and a misunderstanding of disability rules kept him from applying for disability.<\/p>\n

Randy was rescued by Downtown Streets Team<\/a> \u2014 which shut down last year for lack of money.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey visited me in the hospital when I was sick,\u201d he said. \u201cThey allowed me to come and volunteer for them and told me, \u2018Yes, you can go to work,\u2019 and explained disability rules.\u201d<\/p>\n

Randy applied for SSDI on his own at Sunnyvale Library, gathering medical records from Valley Medical and O\u2019Connor Hospital, and was approved within 10 months. Streets Team helped him find a job and subsidized housing.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the one thing that could make the biggest difference for people like Randy? \u201cMore points of entry.\u201d<\/p>\n

But it doesn\u2019t seem likely that will happen with the current administration\u2019s policies.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrograms that were already inadequate are now cut,\u201d said SCS Executive Director Marie Bernard. \u201cThey are very systematically taking away resources. It could be you; it could be me who need this help tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

SCS is one of seven Emergency Assistance Network (EAN) <\/a>agencies that, together, provide a social services safety net across Santa Clara County, assisting residents in Sunnyvale and Alviso, as well as homeless people. Visit svcommunityservices.org, call (408) 738-4321, email info@svcommunityservices.org.<\/p>\n

Carolyn Schuk can be reached at carolyn@santaclaraweekly.com.<\/p>\n

SPONSORED<\/p>\n

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