Two more podcasts of stories of poverty in the first person have been added to the WISE podcast 
channel. Episodes 15 and 16, per all the other episodes, are taken from chapters of the book 
Policies of Exclusion, Poverty and Health: Stories from the front, a project which was done wholly by 
and for women living at the bottom or teetering close to falling into the poverty well.


Episode 15 - Nancy:

"I have always belonged to a church and emotionally it’s important to me… It is so sad that now 
they are even taking Christmas out of the schools. In time of need, the church did and has stood 
behind me. They helped with the children with food in time of need. They helped me get my 
Driver’s Licence, in order that I had transportation. They gave enough money to me as a Christmas 
gift to get my licence and a friend gave me the car."

Nancy is a senior in her 70s who, having been widowed twice, now lives with her third husband. 
They have their own home, with the mortgage paid off, and a van for getting around town and 
taking road trips. While having lived a life of hard work and pinched purse strings, Nancy has been 
fortunate in having the support of family, friends, church and community.


Episode 16 - Olivia:

Olivia was one of several children in her family. Raised on a 60-acre farm, she attended a one-room 
schoolhouse until Grade four.

Those wide spaces in which to roam and learn, in a home which was generally loving and 
supportive, shaped her common sense view of life and appreciation of diversity. Unfortunately, it 
didn’t protect her from experiencing one abusive relationship after another.

"My future? I know what’s to come, so it doesn’t bother me… Death is the least of my fears. There 
are worse things, like living on Social Services. Death is a natural process of life. On the other hand, 
death by Social Services is an unnatural death."

These and other stories in the series help demonstrate that strict income measures of poverty can 
be misleading, since they fail to capture the uniqueness of circumstances in which each of us, also 
unique, find ourselves. The variety of circumstances in which people live, all below a particular 
income line, present one argument against a policy such as guaranteed liveable income rather than, 
for example, a policy of guaranteed liveable lifestyle.

I am not arguing on behalf of either policy here, but pointing out a difference, one which perhaps 
should be considered.

WISE Book - Policies of Exclusion, Poverty & Health: Stories from the front
Podcast Channel: http://bcseawalker.podbean.com/
Personal Blog: Challenging the Commonplace - and other irreverent activities
http://challengingthecommonplace.blogspot.com/

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