05/21/2026
This last week our staff and Bridges leaders had the opportunity to assist Community Action of Southeast Iowa, Quad-County Community Partnerships for Protecting Children - CPPC , Lee County Economic Development Group, and the Lee County Health Department with their Poverty Simulation. We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to come together, meet our neighbors in Lee County, and hear about the amazing work being done throughout the community.
A Poverty Simulation is an immersive, interactive experience designed to help participants better understand the realities many families face every day. Participants role-play as low-income families and navigate a month of poverty in four 15-minute “weeks.” During the simulation, they face challenges such as securing food, housing, childcare, transportation, and employment while also dealing with unexpected situations like illness, emergencies, or financial setbacks.
This experience is a tool used to build empathy, challenge stereotypes, and create a deeper understanding of the systemic barriers many individuals and families encounter. The hope is that it shifts perspectives from seeing poverty as a personal failure to recognizing the complex realities surrounding it, ultimately inspiring stronger communities, compassion, and action.
❤️During the simulation, my family was made up of a mom and dad with three children, a teenage daughter and two young sons. As they navigated the experience, they started out with more bills than income coming in dealing with a layoff, unemployment benefits running out, a teen pregnancy, and the everyday challenges of raising two young children (Who may or may not have been pretty onery🤷🏼♂️).
Throughout the simulation, they worked together constantly, all of the family members were dedicated to keep each other safe, trying to figure out how to meet their basic needs, and navigating both internal family pressures and the outside challenges that seemed to keep piling up.
🤱🏼Shout out to my family, the best siblings ever, always looking out for each other, and such a dedicated mom and dad!They were so much fun to spend time with and truly dedicated themselves to the roles they played
The overall consensus at the end was that it felt overwhelming 😔. We were in a constant state of stress, barely able to keep our heads above water while trying to survive one challenge after another. The experience brought a deeper realization of the mental and emotional impact poverty has on both adults and children, affecting every area of life from relationships and education to health, stability, and hope for the future.
💯It also reminded us that community truly can make a difference in the lives of our neighbors. Sometimes awareness is the first step. When we begin to see and understand the daily challenges families face, it changes the way we respond. Each of us has the opportunity to help within our own little sphere of influence , through kindness, encouragement, support, resources, advocacy, or simply showing up for someone who is struggling. Small acts of compassion can make a lasting impact.🛟
