В Престон-каунти прошла интерактивная симуляция бедности, чтобы показать жителям реальные трудности малоимущих

Preston County Health Department’s poverty simulation takes community members through real-world hardships KINGWOOD, W.Va (WDTV) - The Preston County Health Department gave local residents an interactive look at the challenges faced by individuals and families living in poverty through a community poverty simulation Wednesday. The health department aimed to teach participants empathy and understanding for the hardships that those in low-income situations face. A recent study by WalletHub ranked West Virginia last in the country in median income. “Poverty is a huge problem in West Virginia, and a lot of the times we look at people as statistics and not as people,” Preston County Health Department Prevention Specialist Daniel Stiles said. “I wanted to bring something in to the community to start that conversation to view everyone as people again.” The simulation ran for one hour, with participants moving through a compressed month of living in poverty — 15 minutes for each week. Participants had to balance monthly bills, transportation to work and school, and feeding a family, while also navigating challenges such as not owning a vehicle or being a single parent. The exercise also included scenarios involving police contact and encounters with bad-faith actors such as loan sharks. One of the main goals of the simulation was to illustrate that it is not always possible for those living in poverty to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” “Some of the situations that they have are things that really happen to people, like flooding and you lose everything and that sort of thing, which, you know, we know is something that families have to deal with,” said Tim Craig of the Adolescent Health Initiative. “So hopefully, everyone will have a good experience here and walk away with a clearer understanding of the challenges that people who are in poverty face.” The simulation also aimed to support substance abuse prevention by teaching participants about factors such as economic stress and a lack of access to healthcare that can contribute to substance abuse. Organizers said they hoped participants would come away from the experience viewing those in low-income situations from a place of understanding rather than judgment. Editor’s note: The video for this story will be added once it airs. Please check back for the updated video. Copyright 2026 WDTV. All rights reserved.