Poverty in Oklahoma

1. Poverty in Oklahoma Developed by: Jan Maples, Renée Daugherty, and Dave Shideler Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service/Oklahoma State University Prepared with support from: Rachel Welborn andMeaghan Gordon Southern Rural Development Center/Mississippi State University January 2013, (Revised July/August 2013)

2. Lesson Objectives: • Understand alternative definitions of poverty • Be able to describe current statistics about poverty and how it affects communities, Oklahoma and the nation • Apply the issue of poverty to your lives and discover the importance of action • Generate a list of personal actions youcan take regarding the issue of poverty and select one on which to work • Describe the Tide project and consult with or access other programs, websites, or resources on the issue of poverty

3. True or False? • The official poverty definition (Census Bureau) uses money income before taxes and does not include noncash benefits.

4. Answer: • The official poverty definition (Census Bureau) uses money income before taxes and does not include noncash benefits. TRUE: The Census Bureau includes all pre-tax wages, salaries, retirement and other money income sources, but it does not include non-cash benefit programs like WIC, SNAP or housing vouchers.

5. What is the “official” poverty definition? A household is considered to be in poverty if total household cash income is less than the poverty threshold. • Cash income includes any unrestricted sources of income • Threshold reflects the cost of food and basic services – not necessarily all living expenses.

6. Threshold values vary by: • Household size • Household composition (e.g., presence of elderly or children) Threshold values do NOT vary by geography!

7. 2013 Poverty Thresholds The complete table of thresholds can be downloaded at: http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/threshld/index.html

8. True or False? • The northeastern U.S. has long been the poorest region of the United States. • Oklahoma has the highest poverty rate in the nation.

9. True or False? • The northeastern U.S. has long been the poorest region of the United States. FALSE: The southeastern region of the US has long been the poorest region. • Oklahoma has the highest poverty rate in the nation. FALSE: Mississippi has the highest poverty rate at 23.8%.

10. In Comparison…

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14. True or False? • Poverty is solely the result of an individual’s actions FALSE: Poverty is not simply the result of “bad choices.” While individuals may bear some responsibility for their circumstances, social institutions like educational systems, laws and regulations, and a lack of exposure to alternative ideas/classes, contribute to and can exacerbate an individual’s poverty.

15. True or False? • Poverty is solely the result of an individual’s actions

16. Poverty is Everywhere

17. Poverty: The extent to which an individual does without resources. -Ruby Payne Financial Emotional Mental Spiritual Physical Support systems Relationships/role models Knowledge of hidden rules Coping strategies Integrity, trust Motivation, persistence, Formal register Sources: Bridges out of Poverty: Strategies for Professionals and Communities (Payne, DeVol and Smith), Bridges to Sustainable Communities: A system-wide, cradle-to-grave approach to ending poverty in America (DeVol), Bridges out of Poverty presentation, Stillwater, OK May 2011

18. Making It Personal:Describe a time when you, or someone close to you, struggled with poverty(of any kind).What was it like?How did others react?

19. Let’s brainstorm… Taking Action Pledge Card… I Can Do…

20. Extension Resource People Research-based information and Asset and Opportunity scorecard ………….Dave Shideler Poverty in OK lesson………..Dave, Jan, Renee Bridges out of Poverty………….Lindsey Miner Poverty Simulation……………Jan, Brenda, Sonya, Jessica Nickel Turning the Tide on Poverty…..Renee and Jan Please turn in a brief evaluation. Thanks!

21. Appendix Alternative Measures of Poverty Additional Resources on Poverty

22. Other measures of poverty -free & reduced lunches Taken from the Data & Information Report for Payne County, OK; Section C, Table 4. http://www.okruralhealthworks.org To qualify, household income must be less than 185% of the poverty guideline for reduced meals, 130% of the poverty guideline for free meals

23. Other measures of poverty -% of personal income from transfer payments Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Table CA05N

24. Other measures of poverty -The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Oklahoma, 2009 http://www.selfsufficiencystandard.org/docs/OK%202009%20All%20Families.xls

25. Audiences for Poverty in OK presentation: • OHCE and 4-H • In-Service Training for Head Start staff • Northeast Alliance for Economic Inclusion • Metropolitan Tulsa Urban League • Brainstorming of other uses:

26. Poverty in Ok Components • Marketing flyer • Evaluation • Presenter guide • Handouts • All components are free downloads from http://agecon.okstate.edu/econtrends/index.asp?type=publications • And on D2L under OCES-Extension-FCS-Educator-Resources

27. Other resources: • Turning the Tide on Poverty • The Poverty Simulation • Bridges out of Poverty • Asset and Opportunity Scorecard

28. Action Forum Kick Off Turning the Tide on Poverty Raises awareness about poverty among the general public through civil dialogue that leads to community-wide action Community Circles Organize Action Plan for Action Facilitator Training Community Change Work On Actions Recruit Participants and Facilitators

29. Tide outcomes • (other Tide states): • Helped stop youth gang violence (AL) • Allowed high school’ersto realize leadership potential and build conflict resolution skills by working on community issues (LA) • Created food pantries, clothing closets, community gardens, and Community Resource Directory (MS) • Planted fruit trees, created farmers’ market, and developed actions to improve the quality of schools (MS) • Tide outcomes in OK (Okfuskee Co. 2009-12) • Helped residents overcome apathy • Caused small communities to see similar issues and learn together • Found employment for some receiving TANF • Helped create community unity & pride • Created a Clearview community vegetable garden For more information about Turning the Tide on Poverty: http://srdc.msstate.edu/tide/results.html

30. Poverty Simulation (Missouri Association for Community Action) • Purpose: To sensitize participants to realities faced by low-income people • Participants assume roles of different families facing poverty • Length: 2 ½ to 3 hours consists of introduction/briefing, the simulation, debriefing and pre and post assessments • Needs for simulation: • 25 – 80 participants • 18 – 20 volunteer staffers • large gym or fair building • Extension Educators and kits are available to assist

31. Bridges out of Poverty Builds upon Ruby Payne’s A Framework for Understanding Poverty http://www.ahaprocess.com/solutions/community/

32. Communities with Bridges programs in OK Coordinated by The Salvation Army Oklahoma-Arkansas Division

33. Compatibility of Programs • Ex: 2-Day Extension In-Service consisting of Bridges out of Poverty training on Day 1 and Poverty Simulation on 2nd Day • Ex: OSU Medical School Students • Training consisting of 1 hour 15-minute Poverty in Oklahoma presentation followed by Poverty Simulation • Ex. In a county, conduct Turning the Tide on Poverty program, using the Poverty Simulation as the Kick-off event. Possible community action outcomes could include: • Conducting the Poverty Simulation for the general public • Conducting the Bridges out of Poverty program

34. Asset and Opportunity Scorecard (cfed, http://assetsandopportunity.org/scorecard/)

35. Other State Extension Resources: “Tough Work, Understanding and Serving People in Poverty while Caring for Yourself” Ohio State University Extension