 |
|
Ralph Paulk
They call America the land of the free, but can you honestly place yourself in that category when imprisoned by poverty? Poverty has plagued the lives of many throughout the United States, and the city of Lansing is no exception to the norm. Lansing has nearly 20,000 people in poverty which accounts for about 17 percent of the population in Lansing. Many people and organizations try to deprive Lansing of this burden, but there is only so much they can do without adequate help from the government. The Lansing City Rescue Mission is a nonprofit Christian social services organization. The mission takes in the homeless and the less-fortunate to provide shelter, food and refuge from their daily hardships. The organization has two facilities in Lansing – the men’s shelter and the family center, which is where most of the women and children go to. “We serve on average about 150 meals a day and provide shelter for about 40 to 70 people on a nightly basis,” said Rich Gray, the men’s transformation program director. “We are attempting to deliver the message of Jesus Christ.” The Rescue Mission helps people from all ages and races. The mission also helps people in a variety of ways aside from providing shelter and a meal to eat. “We help people with their physical and spiritual needs,” Gray said. “We also have a drugs and alcohol rehabilitation program.” For the past two years the group has been in the middle of a large project in which they purchased Maple Wood Elementary on South Cedar, according to Gray. “Our plan is to expand the family center, which should double how many women and children we can help – from about 40 to 80. It should be done by the end of the summer,” Gray said. Poverty is very real, so fortunately places like the Rescue Mission are willing to lend a helping hand. But no matter how far spread poverty truly becomes, a lot of people hardly recognize its harsh realities. Vonavia Quinn, a freshman studying psychology at Michigan State University, expressed her unawareness of the poverty that existed in Lansing. “I knew about the poverty in Michigan, but I did not know about the poverty in Lansing. This is very unfortunate because I believe that people should be more aware of it,” Quinn said. So who is keeping this large population of people in poverty? Is it the fault of the individuals in poverty, or is there some sort of oppressor preventing escape from poverty? “If there are that many people below the poverty line (19,866), it can’t just be the people, it probably has something to do with the economy,” Quinn said. According to Edtrust.org, only 7 percent of students from low-income families will graduate from college by the age of 26. This makes it that much more difficult for people in poverty to escape their circumstances. “First, the unemployment in Michigan is ridiculous. Michigan needs to create more jobs,” Quinn said. “Also, the public school systems should change their curriculum so the students can learn more advanced learning so they can get better jobs.” A remedy must exist for this outbreak of poverty sweeping through the nation and into the lives of millions of Americans. If you just take the time to look in your backyard you can see the desperate cry from children, women and men of all races pleading for a solution. Questions? Comments? Contact Ralph Paulk at paulkral@msu.edu
|
|
||
