Tara Jeffrey
Lauren Duncan wants people to have a little more compassion when looking at poverty in this community.
“I just want that whole stigma removed,” said the 25-year-old mother of two. “I want people to understand that everybody has a story and everyone is where they are for a reason.”
Duncan will share her own story at the upcoming Sarnia Speaks event, “Experiencing Poverty,” on Sept. 28 at the Sarnia Library.
“I talk a lot about my own journey out of social assistance,” said Duncan, who was raised by a single mother in Point Edward. Misconceptions about poverty came early, from not being able to afford school supplies for projects to missing pizza days because money was short, she said.
“A lot of my teachers thought I was lazy, and I would get low marks because of it,” she said. “Then came the teasing -- because I didn’t have the brand name clothes.”
Duncan became pregnant at 16 before going on social assistance and relying on the local food bank.
“Walking through those doors, over time, it starts to wear on you. People already have their own idea of what ‘low income’ people are -- how they look, how they act,” she added. “You’re made to feel ‘less than.’”
This is the 11th regular installment of Sarnia Speaks, a forum that includes a speaker panel followed by open dialogue with the audience.
Martine Creasor, a caseworker with the County of Lambton and Lambton Circles, will moderate.
“There is nothing more powerful than listening to someone’s lived experience or their personal story, in any situation, especially poverty,” said Creasor. “We have a lot of individuals experiencing poverty and there’s a lot of misconceptions -- it’s a lot more widespread than you think.
“People tend to look at the individual and say, ‘if they just try a little harder’ but that’s not always the case. It’s not as simple as getting an education and a career; a lot of things need to happen in order for somebody to exit poverty.
“It takes a whole community, really.”
New census data released this month indicates 14% of Canadians -- or 4.8 million people -- live in low-income households.
Lambton Circles matches low-income people (known as ‘leaders’) with community members, or ‘allies,’ to form meaningful partnerships across socioeconomic class lines, and help support them out of poverty.
The grassroots program was a lifesaver for Duncan, who started out as a leader, has come out of poverty, and is now transitioning to become an ally.
Last spring, she graduated from Lambton College, and is currently working as a caseworker with Ontario Works.
“As someone who started out on social assistance, not really having all that much hope, I put a lot of effort into working on myself and a bit of soul searching to find out what I wanted in life,” she said.
“Any way that I can give back to this community, because they supported me in so many ways, that’s my goal.”
She hopes the Sarnia Speaks event will dispel the myths that link low income with laziness.
“They’re not taking into consideration things like mental health issues, or the events that led them to being on social assistance, especially people who are there only temporarily,” she said.
“It doesn’t have to be forever, and there is never a reason to lose hope.
“I want people to dream big – it is possible.”
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: Sarnia Speaks: Experiencing Poverty
WHEN: Sept. 28, 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Sarnia Public Library
DETAILS: Event is free; open to public