Making Choices—A Poverty Simulation Tool

What You'll Learn:

  • What low-income working families go through each month as they try to stay within a budget

  • How you can partner with United Way of Lee County to help families move from poverty to self-sufficiency

 

How it Works:

  • You’ll have options worth 1, 2, or 3 credits for each of 8 budget categories.

  • Decide how much to spend in each budget category. Will you have 1 meal a day or 3? Can you afford a car?

  • Can you make ends meet?
     

Budget Categories:

  • Housing
  • Healthcare
  • Food
  • Transportation
  • Technology Access
  • Child Care
  • Utilities
  • Laundry Facilities

Your Family Situation:

For the purpose of this exercise, you are a part of a family of 4: Yourself, your partner, your 4-year-old son, and your 7-year-old daughter.

You work full-time, your partner works 2 part-time jobs, and you both make minimum wage ($7.25/hour).

Your monthly budget consists of 15 credits; you need to decide how many credits you’ll spend in each basic budget category to provide for your family.

When you run out of credits, you’ve spent all your money for the month, but depending on your choices, your family may not have what you need to make it until the next payday.

What will you choose?

Choose one option in each of these basic-needs categories.







Stop sign

You are OUT OF CREDITS

You've spent all your budget for this month. What were you not able to provide for your family?

For too many in our community, this exercise is all too real. Children go hungry, families live in their cars, and utilities get cut off for days or weeks. This is no way for anyone to live.

But there is hope! Every day, United Way of Lee County works with community partners to give families the assistance and tools they need to thrive.

But we need your help. Your contribution to United Way of Lee County is invested back into our community to provide immediate emergency assistance and other tools to help families get back on their feet. Your donation can mean the difference between a family sleeping in their car or in safe, warm beds. It can prevent a child from going hungry. And it can provide case management, job training, and other resources to help people move from poverty to self-sufficiency.

Give today to make a difference!

Donate button


__________________________________________

For too many in our community, this exercise is all too real. Children go hungry, families live in their cars, and utilities get cut off for days or weeks. This is no way for anyone to live.

But there is hope! Every day, United Way of Lee County works with community partners to give families the assistance and tools they need to thrive.

But we need your help. Your contribution to United Way of Lee County is invested back into our community to provide immediate emergency assistance and other tools to help families get back on their feet. Your donation can mean the difference between a family sleeping in their car or in safe, warm beds. It can prevent a child from going hungry. And it can provide case management, job training, and other resources to help people move from poverty to self-sufficiency.

Give today to make a difference!

Your Selections

Housing--1 credit

Housing--2 credits

Housing--3 credits

Healthcare--1 credit

Healthcare--2 credits

Healthcare--3 credits

Food--1 credit

Food--2 credits

Food--3 credits

Transportation--1 credit

Transportation--2 credits

Transportation--3 credits

Technology--1 credit

Technology--2 credits

Technology--3 credits

Childcare--1 credit

Childcare--2 credits

Childcare--3 credits

Utilities--1 credit

Utilities--2 credits

Utilities--3 credits

Laundry-1 credit

Laundry--2 credits

Laundry--3 credits

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