Students can play role in war on poverty, area activists say

Harold Barrow was once a homeless heroin addict with an 8th grade education living in an abandoned house. Now he is a college graduate and social worker for Philadelphians Concerned About Housing. Barrow, along with Kira Strong, volunteer coordinator for the People's Emergency Center homeless shelter, and Terry Guerra, also of PCAH, spoke yesterday at the "Making It Real Panel" addressing the problems of poverty. The panel, sponsored by Civic House, was one of several events that have taken place on campus for Poverty Awareness Week. Barrow explained that his escape from the cycle of poverty began when he became the father of a crack baby. In search of living arrangements for his child, he found a shelter. After rehabilitation, he found work and later earned a degree from Drexel University. "I don't think anything was actually as terrifying as being homeless," Barrow said. He described the vicious cycle of homelessness, addiction and despair that plagues so many victims of poverty. Strong talked about several of the programs the PEC has implemented to assist those like Barrow, including an emergency shelter, transition housing, parental education and job training. The goal of the PEC, she said, is to put people back on their feet. Guerra reinforced some of the fundamental problems that lead to poverty and homelessness with several statistics: 46 percent of shelter residents have no high school diploma, 12 percent are victims of domestic violence, 26 percent are substance abusers and 46 percent are unemployed. The speakers emphasized the importance of education and job skills many times during the evening. "Education gave me something people couldn't take away from me," Barrow said, pointing out that finding a well-paying job with limited literacy is nearly impossible. The panelists also discussed potential problems with welfare reform. Although many former welfare recipients have found jobs, the speakers argued that they are often low-level, dead-end jobs on which one cannot support a family. Another problem lies with Section 8, a state-funded program designed to assist victims of poverty with housing costs. The program requires that the recipient set aside 30 percent of his income for rent while the state pays the rest. However, the waiting list to become a Section 8 recipient is over 15,000 people long in Philadelphia alone. The speakers also talked about what students at Penn can do to help alleviate poverty. Guerra encouraged those in attendance to increase awareness by having discussions about poverty in their classrooms. Additionally, she emphasized the importance of being politically active. Volunteering is another way the panelists said students can help. Many groups on campus, including Civic House and several fraternities and sororities, have organized volunteer programs. Strong encouraged students to volunteer at PEC. Civic House also organized several other events for Poverty Awareness Week, including a food and clothing drive, which will run all through the week after Thanksgiving, and several social action programs. One of those programs involves student participation in a Poverty Awareness Walk in Washington, D.C., this Saturday.