Recently I twittered many small quotes from a workshop I attended in Memphis on the subject of, "A Framework for Understanding Poverty" by Ruby K. Payne.  37% of those in the US are classified in poverty.  That's 1 in 3.  It surrounds us and is something I believe all people, especially all people of faith need to engage in relationship.

Dr. Payne wrote a book under the same title that give a background to the mindset of those in poverty and how those outside of poverty can and should engage those in poverty.  Although my exposure to those in poverty is very limited, it has always been a challenging concept for me to comprehend.  I have so many questions and struggle to know how to best love those experiencing life unfamiliar to me.

Coming from a background of wealth/privileged I struggle to relate to those in poverty.  When Paul talks about winning all people, he specifically mentions changing who he is in order to win others to Christ.  Poverty to me has not been something I have been able to relate to and this workshop was eye-opening.

One of the key things I took away from the time was that to understand that it is crucial to learn that poverty is not simply just a lack of things (financial resources).  Dr. Payne defined poverty as "the extent to which an individual does without resources."  She lists these resources as:

• Financial - having the money to purchase good and services
• Emotional - being able to choose and control emotional responses, particularly to negative situations, without engaging in self-destructive behavior.
• Mental - having the mental abilities and acquired skills (reading, writing, computing) to deal with daily life.
• Spiritual - believing in diving purpose and guidance
• Physical - having physical health and mobility
• Support Systems - having friends, family, and backup resources available to access in times of need.  These are external resources.
• Relationships/Role Models - having frequent access to adult(s) who are appropriate, who are nurturing to the child, and who do not engage in self-destructive behavior.
• Knowledge of Hidden Rules - knowing the unspoken cues and habits of a group. (each class has hidden rules that are often silent, unspoken understandings that cue the members of the group that this individual does or does not fit in.)

Each of these resources are vital to success in this world.  She also described two different types of poverty:  generational poverty (more than 2 generations passed down) and situational poverty (when a death or some tragic event takes place and creates poverty).  I hadn't thought through these very well until the seminar and learned to look at these as unique in various ways.

One of the resources that she spent time on was the knowledge of hidden rules.  I never thought about this, but she quoted someone in poverty as saying, "When you grow up in poverty, you grow-up in a foreign country. People don’t tell you that you are under a different set of rules than everyone else.”  I found this to be very telling and worth keeping in mind.  Those in poverty, middle class and wealth all have different hidden rules established and are often only understood by those in each class.

One of the things I've struggled to come to grips with concerning those in poverty is how they spend there money on things.  Dr. Payne brought this to light when she shared how poverty is painful, and one of the first things people in poverty spend their money on is entertainment - because entertainment takes away the pain of poverty.  Don’t be surprised when those in poverty spend money on entertainment rather than necessities.  She used the example like if someone gave me a $1.5M Picasso painting - what would I do with it?  Easy, I’d sell it, because hey I’ve made it this long without a Picasso, why do I need it now?  I would already have ideas of how to better use that money.

Other tidbits I found interesting and wanted to share:

• Often those in poverty will laugh at discipline or hardship… simply because it is a way to deal with the pain.
• Two things that help move someone out of poverty:  Education and relationships.  Surprisingly not simply money.  Money doesn’t change thinking.  (80-90% of those who win the lottery are in worse shape than before they won, because their thinking is the same.)
• Poverty is relative.
• Poverty occurs in all races and in all countries.
• An individual brings with him/her the hidden rules of the class in which he/she was raised.
• Schools and businesses operate from middle-class norms and use the hidden rules of middle class.
• For those in poverty to be successful, we must understand their hidden rules and teach them the rules that will make them successful at school and work.
• To move from poverty to middle class or middle class to wealth, an individual must give up relationships for achievement (at least for some period of time).
• Four reasons one leaves poverty are:  It's too painful to stay, a vision or goal, a key relationship, or a special talent or skill.
• Time is a huge factor in understanding poverty.  Adults in poverty spend their time on:  agency time, cars, family and friends, crime and safety, jobs and money, illness, housing, food, children, entertainment.  These factors of time point to values in RELATIONSHIPS.
• Adult in middle class spend their time on hobbies interests, education, family and friends, clubs civic groups, careers, prevention, housing and assets, retirement, children, vacations. These factors of time point to values in ACHIEVEMENTS.
• Adults in upper class spend their time on oversight of corp property, charitable activities, charitable activities, media and political thinking, event sponsorship attendance, vacation, lawyers and accountants, national international advisers, board of directors, private clubs and travel.  These factors of time point to values in CONNECTIONS.
• How you spend your money differs across different classes.  Those in poverty spend greater percentages of their money on survival, relationships and entertainment.  The Middle class spend money on work, achievement and material security.  Those in wealth spend their money more on political, financial and social connections.
• Each class invest their children in various forms.  Middle class invest their children in education.  Wealth invest their children in connections.  In poverty you buy your child tangible proof / materialistic things to show others you care for your child.
• Money is communal in poverty.  Often those with education can’t strive to get a job and money, because they often share money.
• There are many things we should learn from those in poverty such as the sense of community often other classes reject.  
  

Should you give money into to poverty?  
“When one side is always the giver and one side is always the taken, then there is no mutual respect and they always end up hating each other.”

“No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship.” James Comer.  Often the way middle and upper class tries to get people out of poverty is horribly wrong because it does not involve a relationship.  With relationships it will often take two years to convert someone out of poverty.  That relationship is vital.
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It was a very helpful insight to loving and understanding those in poverty.  By God's grace I am considered a man of wealth located in a city of great poverty. Hopefully some of these notes will benefit you as well.  Sadly the presentation was not done from a Christian perspective, but I feel this can still add great value to those in ministry, especially those in ministry to the poor.

If you are interested in reading my notes from the day, I've combined them here. (roughly). 

Please feel free to leave comments if you want to continue this discussion.