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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