It’s one thing to know about poverty and its effects. POVERTY is widespread in Allen County. Almost 19 percent of area families live in poverty, compared to the state average of 13.8 percent. Almost 28 percent of our children live in poverty; compared to just shy of 19 percent statewide. MASTERSON, 65, entered the world of the underserved through a back door. THE CIRCLES campaign will be a 12-18 week course pairing leaders and allies.
It’s another thing to do anything about it.
Georgia Masterson is ready to turn the talk into action.
Masterson has a background of working with families in need. Earlier this year she retired from the Department of Children and Families, formerly SRS, after 28 years. The first half of her service she worked as a case worker at the Iola office determining clients’ eligibility for food stamps, cash assistance and Medicaid services. The last 15 years she’s worked as a supervisor at the Chanute office.
While with social services, Masterson taught classes that followed Ruby Payne’s “Bridges out of Poverty,” methods of helping people stuck in poverty learn ways to better relate to the broader world and on the flip side, helping people understand the lives of those who live in poverty.
“The biggest factor in getting people out of poverty is for them to have a relationship with somone not in poverty who can serve as a role model,” Masterson said.
It’s that relationship that Masterson hopes to foster by bringing the Circles Campaign to Allen County. Circles pairs “leaders,” — those who want to take the initiative to get out of poverty — with “allies,” — those who live successful lives.
Masterson shies away from using the term “mentor,” because these people don’t necessarily “have the answers,” but will be a source of encouragement.
People stuck in poverty tend to be “fatalistic,” Masterson said. “They feel they have been born to a life of poverty and can’t work their way out of it.”
Circles’ goal for Allen County is to bring “one family at a time” out of poverty.
Of area school children, almost 64 percent in USD 257 receive free- or reduced-priced lunches, compared to the state average of 40 percent.
A minimum wage these days is not a living wage. For a single adult, the required annual income before taxes to keep your head above water is $16,628. If earning minimum wage, annual income is $13,094.
“The cards are stacked against low-wage earners,” Masterson said. The industries that pay the lowest wages also stay away from paying benefits.
“Too often, the general population is not aware of what lands and keeps people in poverty,” Masterson said. “They tend to think it’s their fault, that they are there by their own actions.”
Irresponsible lending practices by loan sharks, disreputable landlords who take advantage of tenants, and a lack of understanding of how the world works in general all work against those caught in the grips of poverty, Masterson said.
The Circles Campaign helps teach emotional intelligence.
“The mindset of someone in poverty is that they will work for someone only if they like that person,” Masterson said. “They think, ‘If I’m going to work for you, I’m going to like you.’ If things go bad with the boss, they walk out of the job.
“A middle class employee, on the other hand, knows their livelihood depends on their job. So they learn to take criticism constructively, or learn to not take the criticism personally.”
The Circles Campaign teaches participants how to construct a healthy mental attitude of what they want their lives to look like. Payne’s book, “Gettin’ Ahead in a Just Gettin’ by World,” is the guide for the upcoming workshops Masterson plans to kick off June 3.
“When people have a clear mental model of how they want their lives to operate, it helps them achieve those goals,” Masterson said.
She studied at Emporia State University to become a teacher, earning a degree in earth sciences, which she first taught in Emporia schools.
When she and husband, John, moved to Iola, she taught biology at what was then Iola Junior High School.
In 1976, she and John’s daughter, Jennie, was born and Georgia left the work force to take care of Jennie, who suffered severe birth defects.
When Jennie began school half-days, Georgia was approached by Georgia Rae Weast, director of Iola’s Social and Rehabilitative Services, to come work part-time.
“They needed someone who had a college degree and who wanted to work part-time,” Masterson said. “The job opened my eyes to a whole other side of life,” she said.
“I found out why my students in school were falling asleep in class or not getting their homework done. I was seeing the flip side of their lives, which were a mess.”
“The training for Bridges out of Poverty gave me a whole new understanding of why those conditions existed, and what a chaotic, moment-to-moment lifestyle these people live.”
Circles includes an element of spirituality, Masterson said. “We believe in a higher power,” she said.
People in poverty tend to be “much more fatalistic,” Masterson said, believing “We were born to this and can’t work our way out of it.”
Calvary United Methodist Church will host the meetings, which include child care and a meal. Wesley United Methodist Church has volunteered to provide meals once a month. Masterson is hoping other area churches and groups will step up to the plate to also furnish meals as well as volunteer to watch children. It’s suggested volunteers with children bring their children to provide positive peers for the children of participants.
The REACH Healthcare Foundation, Kansas City, is paying for the Circles program and Masterson’s position with about $66,000 in funding of a grant.
Masterson said she still needs participants on both sides of the aisle, those suffering in poverty as well as leaders wanting to work with them.
For more information, contact Masterson at 365-8128, or visit the Thrive Allen County office, 12 W. Jackson, where Masterson has an office.
Battling poverty, one family at a time
