Single mother of four ""Susan"" doesn't know what to do. If she continues working her third job, she will fall into a slightly higher income bracket and no longer qualify for government assistance. If she quits her third job, she will be dependent on welfare just to feed her family.
This hitch in poverty legislation is just one of many obstacles people in the lowest income bracket face every day that further perpetuate the cycle of poverty and subsequent dependence on government aid.
Poverty statistics and service organizations throughout Madison confirm that the weak economy is not increasing the number of homeless people in the city. According to Major Paul Moore of the Salvation Army in Madison, although the number of homeless people is more than ten years ago, the number peaked in 2006.
Fortunately, there are many organizations in Madison dedicated to lessening the suffering that accompanies poverty. One such organization, Porchlight, offers emergency shelter and help with the search for transitional and permanent housing.
Executive Director of Porchlight Steven Schooler commented that so far the number of people needing to be served has not increased and his volunteer staff remains very committed to its inhabitants.
""We aren't here to analyze where the poverty stems from, we are a responsive organization dedicated to meeting whatever need is in the community,"" Schooler said.
Will Workman, editor of Street Pulse, a newspaper written and sold by low-income individuals, believes it is only a matter of time before the people of Madison begin to feel the full force of the bad economy.
""There may not be an increased number of homeless right now, but the question is what is going to happen in the next few months,"" Workman said.
According to Workman, there are a lot of people in Madison on the brink of becoming homeless. The only thing keeping these people from living on the streets are safety nets such as staying with family or friends, but these arrangements are often not permanent housing solutions.
""It's just a matter of time before those safety nets exhaust themselves and then we will really be in trouble,"" Workman said.
Street Pulse is written by low-income individuals in Madison and then sold at different locations throughout Madison, such as State Street. The writers also sell the paper in hopes of turning a small profit. It is a much-needed resource for the homeless in today's economy.
""Just talk to any of the homeless and they will tell you this is the worst economy any of them have ever seen,"" Workman said. ""There are no job openings.""
The paper provides a public forum for the homeless and gives a voice to the oftentimes marginalized voices of the low-income residents in the Madison community.
""We have a very good product with high-caliber stories and writing,"" Workman said regarding Street Pulse.
The newspaper provides a sense of community and a source of revenue for its writers.
Moore said the number of people needing food and shelter has been stable throughout 2008 and into 2009.
Madison appears to have a more cushioned safety net than the rest of the country.
Director of the Institute for the Research on Poverty Timothy Smeeding explains Madison's good fortune in a sea of economic mayhem.
""We are one of the most recession-proof communities in the United States,"" Smeeding said. ""A majority of the employment is with the university, which hasn't seen a lot of cutbacks, and there are no major failing corporations here.""
One contributor to the safety net, the Wisconsin Student Public Interest Research Group, runs a Hunger and Homelessness campaign every year.
UW-Madison freshman and intern for WISPIRG Mariana Berbert is passionate about the work her organization is doing to alleviate poverty. In the last few months, the Hunger and Homelessness campaign has called Wisconsin state lawmakers to push bills beneficial to low-income individuals and also raised money through Box City, an event to raise awareness and an understanding of the harsh realities that come with sleeping on the streets.
The campaign's mission is to help alleviate and prevent poverty through education, legislation and service.
""We live in a country where the standard of living is so high, and it can be really hard to know that there is that percentage living in poverty—but that's not just a number, it's people,"" Berbert said.
With all the discussion of the stimulus package passing, it may be easy to think the increased amount of money allotted to unemployment insurance will fix a lot of the problems caused by recession.
Laura Dresser, the research director for the Center on Wisconsin Strategy, an economic policy organization, said this will not be the case, since just over half of unemployed people currently receive unemployment insurance. According to Dresser, the stimulus bill will provide insurance to a few more people by covering part-time workers.
""I think the first step to alleviating poverty is awareness,"" Berbert said. ""When you walk past people begging for money on State Street, even if you don't want to give them money, they are people. Look at them. Don't take away a person's humanity.""
