Thc Scarlet a Black. April :l. mix—page tl

Poverty in Grinnell: the harsh reality

by Mary llcth George
and
Debbie \i‘cincr

Etist Street Park Street Broad
Strcel Main Street. This is what
comes to mind when many Grins
llell Students think about the town
oi Gl‘innoll. When wc make our
Sunday morning trips to the llorn
or our laic night bakery runs, or
wander up to him-rill Park on those
gorgeous spring tl' that arc too
good to wastc sitting in tho libra
we see the prosperous homes of a
prosperous community. But liicrc

moving frequently alld often
staying in small apartments u here
the children had Io sleep on the
floor, Bryan adds that both
children had ultnessed explicit
sexual beha\'ior between their
mother and her boyfriends Both
children became emotionally
disturbed. the six year old girl
displaying "exhibitionist sexual
behavior and masturbation ”
Both have 'ncc been removed

trom lrcnc's care by the County
Department of Social Services
bryan has helped her begin to

 

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is anothersldc lo Grlnrlell that few
students see or know‘about, There
is poverty in Grinnell It may not
be the same kind or poverty people
trom urban backgrounds know
about. bill there is still a problem
here.

According to the 1970 census
figures. 12 per ccni of the residents
orPowcshick County have incomes
below the poverty level. Grinnell.
which contains over half the
residents oi the county, contributes
its lair share to the problem. Poor
people in this area come fronl all
age brackets. although the pars
c'cntagc is higher among children
under M and older people, ac-
cording to Ginny Simpson, county
coordinator for Mid Iowa Coma
munity Action (MICA) The chief
causes of poverty in the area are
lack of education and job skills. she
says,

Low income, unemployment
and limited social skills are other
factors that constitute poverty.
according to Grinilell social
worker Margaret Bryan. shc
defines limited social skills as the
inability to use resources in the
community such as parks and
recreation. mental health
iacilities. and counseling Services
This may result from Such
variableS as lack of education.
which deprives children of iris
lellcctual skills and exposure to
community resources, social
isolation. a strong sense of pride,
or a lack of trust in other people

Bryan described the situation oi
an unmarried Grinnell woman
whose low income, lack oi prac
tical knowledge. and emotional
problems combincd lo crcatc
cxtremedlfflculties. Irenetnot her
real name) is "emotionally and
physically needy, and oi limited
intelligence," She has difficulty
holding onto a job. Until recently,
Irene and her two children had
lived with her various boyfriends,

 

Iabillze her life she must get up
in the morning. eat breakfast and
go to work, She cannot live with a
boyfriend if she wants the children
back (although Bryan comments
that it is not the usual practice to
regulate the client‘s sex lite),
Social Services is trying to teach
Irene to care for herself so she may
have the chance to again care for
her children.

BRYAN deals primarily with
families, and thus she irequently
must cope with the breakdown of
communication aggravated by
problems such as poverty. Family
problems manifest themselves in
poor marital relations, physical or
emotional neglect oi spouse or
children, and abuse of spouse or
children

The amount of child abuse has
gone up in the county during the
past iour years. Bryan notes,
although the increase may be due
in part to an increase in the
reporting of such cases. She
believes that children are often the
scapcgoats for parents who iecl
economic prcssurcs. or other
tensions and fears,

One such tension is Social
isolation A woman Bryan treated
“ho had abused her children
revealed that she was lonely, She
asked Bryan to come back once a
week because she needed the
company. The woman was relieved
to find another human concerned
about her welfare

('IlllsllltICN and old people are
the two age groups who feel the
crush of poverty most harshly. Old
people living on I .'ed iucomcs
tpensioiis or Social Security» arc
often caught ill a demoralizing
trap' their incomes arc too large
to qualify them for additional
welfare, yet are hardly enough to
livcon Many people sink below the
poverty level soon alter retiring in
1970. according to census iigures,
632 people (it) or older lived in

poverty in Powcshlck County. In
the 14-60 age bracket. all people
tell below the poverty level, and ost
children under 14 were classed in
this bracket,

Bryan stresses that the con
ditions oi poverty are in
(livitluﬂlizcdilhey vary from
lamily to lamily. Appearancs
often do not tell the whole story
Some homes she i'lSlts are
' igstys." “here the children run
2 ound in diapers or nothing. and
everyone is dirt including the
parcnts 0n the other hand, some
homes, such as those of many
single parent lamilics, are im»
maculate The correlation in most
people's minds between poverty
and filth is a fallacy, she believes,

MANY or thr pcople livmg in
poverty in Grinllell arc located in
the south part of town. However,
Bryan believes that the common
assumption that social problems in
Grillnell are found exclusively in
that part of town is another
misconception She does not deny
that there Is a real diVlsion in in-
come between the two sections,
though.

Most people deiinc the railroad
tracks that separate south irom
northGrinnellas being thedivision
between the town’s “good" and
"bad” areas According to Grins
llell College student and towns/
person Dale Lamb. ”there
definitely is a northrsouth spl't "
llc defines three zones the a
north ol highway 6. the “lransition
area" between highway 6 and the
tracks. and the area south of the
tracks 'l'ension has often
developed belucon the two sec-
lions over such topics as school
holld issues “People in the north
have lnisconceptiéns of what
people in the south want," believes
Lamb l‘hc south doesn't speak its
piece, ' he adds As a result. “the
south has been neglected in a lot of
\v vs he icels, _

DON'T think most people in
Glinnell are really cons ious of
poverty." Says Jim Stricklcr. a
Gl‘inncll College Senior and
resident oi the north part oi the
town, Ht: adds that he "never had
the feeling oi Griunell being dlf~
lerent from any other town" in the
area in regard to poverty.

According to Bryan, poverty in:
Grinncll is comparable to poverty
in other lowns of Powcshlek
County, The problems iound in a
rural area such as this differ from
those found in urban areas

 

,\l,1'lll)l‘(ill tllt‘ L'xtclit of
poverty is muchlcss lhan in cities,
Bryan lecls that there are some
problems peculiar to a rural area,
Pcoplc in small towns a islowcr to
iidmitthal a problem cxlb ‘. But. if
neighbors notice that a particular
home is strewn with garbage, for
example. they are more likely to
contact the authorities than people
who live in Slums in the cities

households on Iovi incomes Often.
these iamilics become involved
with loan companies. and end up
deeply in debt. nor 9 off than
bciorc Once they loam with the
assistance oi a social worker how
to budget. they can sometimes get
back on the ht track

liltYA S Ilillies Include in-
vestigating child neglecl and
abuse. rcicrring clients to other

Poverty in Grinnell does exist,

and is as much a part

of the Gritmell community

as Grinnell College is.

Teenage delinquency is not as
likely llizl town like (r'rlnncll as in a
big cit). simply because there are
lewcr opportunities. and places ior
lccnagers to congregate Also.
Bryan tools that lhe urban poor are
more intensely dissatisfied
ti use greater health is more
vlSlble in the CllleS.

Although ihcrc are many tlilr
terences between rural and urban
poverty. many oi lhe results. such
as breakdown of lamily coma
iuunications leading to abuse and
neglect, are the same,

HOW DOES a small loun like
Grinnell copc “lth its poverty"!
Poucshlek County‘s Department
of Social S ‘vices and l\llCA are
two organ' ations which provide
needed senices. Social worker
Margaret Bryan coordinates
various services for families with
problems She stresses that most ol
the problems she finds stem from
ignorance and lack ol com
munication with the rest of the
community. Services are aimed at
helping people learn to deal with
society. thus breaking down the
isolation that often eXiStS

Many iamilics need budgeting
adVice to help them manage their

 

such as psychiatric
clinic iid counseling lamilics in
the areas of family raismg and
relationships.

Organizations Such as MlCA
provide practical ‘lsslstance such
as helping to \icatherrproof a
house. providing sccds tor a
garden. providing a supplemental
l'ood program [or pregnant women,
and helping tinance inilial purr
chases of load Stamps, MICA also
runs many programs ior children
and teenagers Eighteen children

licipatc in ciinnoll's llcad
Start program. u inch also is under
the auspices oi hllCA

Within the. protective boundaries
oi Gl‘innell College. it is oiton easy
for tiidcnls to ignore the outside
w ‘ld, But poverty lll Grinncll does
exist and it is as eal as poverty in
(‘lii go or Now York or any other
area ltllral poverty has its own
peculiar characteristics, but its
effects are often similar to the
eiiects at its urban counterpart
Various services are provided to
alleviate poverly's extent through
practical education and calms
seling. But at present. poverty is
just as milch a part of the Grinnell
community as Grinnell College is.

Many people believe that the railroad tracks divide Grinnell‘s affluent and non-affluent residences.
Although there is some truth to this belief. poverty in Grinnell and the social problems it fosters are not

restricted to the south side of town.

(Photo by Chris Lower.)

 

