This morning at the outreach center I spoke to a woman who I've known for the 5 years I've been employed.  She is a strong woman, a mother herself, who shared her young son just had a baby.  The baby was born 3 weeks ago and her son and his girlfriend were not prepared but have her to help support them.  This woman also has three other children living in her home that she is caring for.  These other children are not her biological children, but those of "acquaintances" she met while working as a deli manager for countless years and befriending customers.  Two customers asked her to babysit their children and never returned. 

In further emphasizing the previous post from yesterday regarding the woman who left her children in the car during a job interview, many people rely on others they don't know well to help them "get by" as support systems are minimal, if existent. The lady I am referring to above happens to be compassionate and wants these children to have stability despite her own struggle with little resources.  What would have been the outcome if that was not the case? What could have happened to these children in minutes could have had a different outcome all together and certainly making a choice to have your children wait in the car during a job interview must have been the only choice for this mom. 

Investigating poverty and the decisions a person makes differs greatly depending on your own circumstances, culture, and expectations.  Bridges out of Poverty written by Dr. Ruby Payne openly dispels the stereotypes and reveals the reality for families and individuals in need.  The outcome is to use the same language and have a better understanding of poverty. As one UP3 investigator illustrated poverty in a drawing with a noose around her neck to describe the feeling of being strangled by no opportunity nor choice, "Bridges" further emphasizes the untold truth.