Understanding the Challenge

A Poverty Simulation Experience

More about the simulation

The Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS) is a unique tool that local agencies are able to use to educate everyone from policymakers to community leaders about the day-to-day realities of life with a shortage of money and an abundance of stress.

CAPS is made available by the Missouri Association for Community Action to organizations that want to promote a greater understanding of poverty.

During a simulation that uses “play” money and other props, fictional scenarios and time limits, participants role-play the lives of low-income families, from single parents trying to care for their children to senior citizens trying to maintain their self-sufficiency on Social Security. The task of each family is to provide food, shelter and other basic necessities during the simulation while interacting with various community resources staffed by volunteers.

Learn more about CAPS: http://www.communityaction.org/poverty%20simulation.aspx

Program

Policymaker Workshop

Special Features

Get details on optional workshops, networking activities, special events, and other conference features.

Equitable Development

Healthy Food Systems

Speacial Features

It’s exciting that Baltimore is the site of this year’s New Partners conference because in many ways it is the embodiment of the long evolution of equitable development and the inclusion of environmental justice in these important disciplines – a fitting setting to continue that work by focusing on real-world implementation of equity and justice in the development of our communities.

Matthew Tejada
Director - Office of Environmental Justice Environmental Protection Agency