Kennett Area Community Service and the Chester County Partnership to End Homelessness are hosting a “poverty simulation,” an event that will have community members “experience” the challenges of having to live paycheck to paycheck, writes Kenny Cooper for the WHYY. 

“This is not a game,” said Cheryl Miles, community housing development director for KACS. “This is an opportunity for people to get a snapshot of what a person may experience.” 

The event will kick off with a half-an-hour orientation and end in a debriefing. The simulation will last an hour, and each 15-minute interval will represent one week. 

In each week, people will be assigned a role and given tasks they need to complete, like going to work or traveling to the bank. 

“They will be given responsibilities to take care of their families and resources — or not — to be able to meet the needs of their families,” said Miles. “And they have to use those resources with the various different systems and services in the area to be able to take care of their family.” 

The free event will take place on April 13 at St. Michael Lutheran Church in Unionville. 

Read more about the poverty simulation happening in Chester County in the WHYY. 

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