Beth Oswald, Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services Executive Director
By Samantha Strong
Herald contributor
There is a large population in Oshkosh of people — especially women — living in poverty. More often than not, they look like any other woman you would see in a day, meaning it’s hard to tell someone’s story by looking at them.
A stereotype is defined as a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group. Some of the common stereotypes associated with women in poverty are lazy, dumb, promiscuous, don’t know how to manage their time. In reality these stereotypes are just that— simplified, standardized conceptions that many area nonprofit organizations say are incredibly inaccurate.
“The reality is, it’s hard to make good decisions when you’re in a bad spot,” Matt Johnson, Day By Day Warming Shelter executive director, said. Sometimes the benefits-cliff decision comes into play and an employed individual may need to decide to stay at a lower-paying job because the alternative salary won’t cover the loss of benefits. This decision can lead an outside observer to further believe the “poor people are lazy” stereotype. That individual may be trying to do everything they can to keep food on the table, their children safe and a roof over their heads, ADVOCAP community services specialist Jackie Dioszegi explained.
“The vast majority of people are employed – they’re working two to three jobs,” ADVOCAP executive director Mike Bonertz said. “They’re working very hard just to stay alive. That is one of the grossest misconceptions around, that poor people are doing nothing.”
Al Rolph has been working with those in need in Oshkosh for the past four years as a social worker at the Salvation Army. He works daily to help those in poverty meet immediate needs, as well as teaching them to be self-sufficient through HUB coaching, a participant-driven strategy that empowers them to set their own goals. This type of coaching has been especially effective, according to Rolph, because it allows the person to gain the power and resources to solve their own problems.
“Our philosophy is, if someone comes in here asking for help they have a legitimate need, otherwise they wouldn’t be here,” Rolph said.
In addition to personal coaching, the Salvation Army provides Oshkosh community members with a light breakfast and free hot lunch six days a week (except holidays), is home to a food pantry that also stocks personal hygiene products and diapers, organizes a birthday club with free toys, ice cream and cake, and laundry service for families with minor children that do not have access to a free washer and dryer.
According to self-recorded data, the majority using Salvation Army’s pantry are women. Nonperishable food items are the current greatest need, specifically canned meats and peanut butter, as well as body wash, shampoo and size 5 and 6 diapers.
The Salvation Army warmly welcomes donations of these items year-round at its High Avenue location next to Hardee’s.
“We’ve all been in a place when we’ve needed help, and that’s why we’re here,” Rolph said.
Another agency that works to help individuals in poverty on multiple levels is ADVOCAP. The multipurpose organization creates opportunities for people and communities to reduce poverty and increase self-sufficiency. Some of ADVOCAP’s services include temporary emergency assistance through Bridges, a Weatherization Assistance Program, zero percent auto loans, vehicle repair, job search and career exploration, the Homeowner Development Program, and the Emergency Food Assistance Program.
“It takes a lot of courage to walk through our doors – asking for help is hard,” Dioszegi said. “When they do come here, we make it clear that the choice about what they do next is up to them. Autonomy is the most important part.”
Some of the women in poverty who can be overlooked are survivors of domestic violence. These women are fighting for their lives and sometimes the lives of their children. When they are finally able to escape, they are typically faced with myriad barriers — reduced income, homelessness, nothing to eat, only the possessions they’ve been able to bring with them.
Oshkosh has one shelter that’s specifically for domestic abuse victims, men and women. Beth Oswald, Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services executive director, said the center typically sees more women but the number of men is increasing, as well as transgendered people.
The center has 37 beds and typically operates at 80 percent capacity. The shelter provides immediate resources such as clothing, personal hygiene products and meals. There is no length-of-stay policy as long as there’s a safety concern. But there is little transitional housing – one of the top barriers those in poverty face – for abuse survivors once their immediate safety concerns are eliminated and are discharged from the center. After they leave is typically when the effects of poverty set in. “People who are here run the gambit, but usually when they’re here they’re considered homeless because they left their home,” Oswald said. “If their purpose is to not return back to their partner, then they really are homeless.”
She said the shelter can help get guests on lists for affordable housing but isn’t usually a quick solution. There is typically a wait for low-income housing and while there is a lot of housing near the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh campus that’s more affordable, those homes aren’t always the best environment for survivors of domestic violence, especially those with children. A large percentage of the women who stay at Christine Ann are women with children, which adds another barrier women in poverty commonly deal with: long-term, regular childcare.
“If someone comes in and they weren’t working but now they have an interview, they either have to bring their kids or not go to the interview, which automatically gives a not-so-great first impression,” Oswald said. “This is happening more and more, that women are needing to bring their children to a job interview because they have nowhere else to go.”
The interview is just the beginning of the childcare conundrum. Most daycares in Oshkosh are at capacity with a waiting list; a job-seeking mother needs immediate care if she gets an offer or risk losing it if she can’t start when an employer needs the position filled. Oswald suggests more employers in the area struggling to find and retain employees should think about either offering child care subsidies or a more flexible schedule.
“Typically it’s the moms who deal with childcare, Oswald said. “There are tons of great second-shift jobs out there that are paying $15-$20 an hour but single moms have kids who need care and there aren’t any second-shift daycares. If we had an unlimited budget we’d open a day care onsite that at least goes past second shift.”
Oswald believes the Oshkosh community needs to recognize and back funding for programming such as affordable housing, affordable child care and transportation – the three main barriers to self-sufficiency – to solve the real root of the problems women in poverty face.
“Just getting people off the street isn’t going to fix (the issue of poverty),” Oswald said. “So when leaders are having those conversations, bring in the ADVOCAPs and the Christine Anns to help understand what’s the real root cause here.”
Next week: The special challenges faced by single mothers in poverty.
