Chicago suburb's 'poverty simulation' event canceled amid backlash

Andy Koval
WGN9
Fri, 08 Sep 2023 19:22 UTC

© Alliance for Human Services

A participant in a previous poverty simulation faces choices during the event held by the Alliance for Human Services.

Highland Park has canceled its upcoming "poverty simulation' event amid social media backlash.

On Tuesday evening, the city announced on Facebook that they partnered with the Alliance for Human Services, Family Focus, Moraine Township and the Highland Park Community Foundation with the goal of increasing "residents' understanding and awareness of what it is like to live in poverty in Lake County."

"Participants in this immersive experience will begin to experience what a "month" in poverty feels like. Participants are put into situations in which they do not have enough resources and are forced to make difficult choices that can negatively impact them and their families. The outcome is increased awareness of the need for resources to support those living in poverty to create a more resilient health, human, and education sector in our local area," a description for the event, which was supposed to take place on Saturday, read.

The post amassed over 2,000 comments — with several people blasting the event for being "tone deaf."

The event was to be held at the Highland Park Country Club, which is a private event space that also houses a senior center.

It was canceled Thursday with no reason given.

Comment: Local Fox News5 reported:

The event quickly sparked reaction on social media.

"Wow. The privilege here is just beyond words. What a slap in the face to all of those who are struggling, especially in today's economy," one commenter wrote.

"I have to echo the tone-deafness of this. Held at a country club of all places," another user wrote. "You're literally holding an event to make rich people feel good about themselves and further stigmatize the experiences of people in poverty. It's not even a fund raiser? A food drive? Something that would give anything back to the people whose experiences you're pretending to care about?"

Highland Park is an affluent community located on Chicago's North Shore. In a report from 2021, the Chicago suburb was listed among the richest cities in the country, with a median household income that was "more than double the national figure," according to data analyzed by finance website 24/7 Wall Street.

The original story:

The City of Highland Park is hosting a "poverty simulation" event Saturday at a country club.

The city partnered with the Alliance for Human Services, Family Focus, Moraine Township and the Highland Park Community Foundation with the goal of increasing "residents' understanding and awareness of what it is like to live in poverty in Lake County."

"Participants in this immersive experience will begin to experience what a "month" in poverty feels like. Participants are put into situations in which they do not have enough resources and are forced to make difficult choices that can negatively impact them and their families. The outcome is increased awareness of the need for resources to support those living in poverty to create a more resilient health, human, and education sector in our local area," a description for the event reads.

A report on both sides of the event:

If "raising awareness" is the goal, why not take the participants out to meet real poor people to find out what they think.