A Monday course will allow people a glimpse at the everyday challenges those living in poverty in the greater Williamsburg area experience.
The program is called “A Day In Their Shoes.” It’s a poverty simulation that puts participants in the role of families as they navigate obstacles lower-income earners can face trying to balance work, childcare and accessing assistance. It runs 9 a.m. to noon at the James City County Recreation Center.
“Their experience is sometimes stressful, fast-paced, frustrating,” said April Melton, Williamsburg-James City County Community Action Agency board member. “You kind of start realizing all these little, small setbacks — like a missed bill — sometimes can just make life a little bit harder.”
The course has room for up to 75 participants. After an introduction, they’re sorted into families living with different circumstances; some are older adults living on pensions, some are experiencing homelessness, some are newly unemployed or single parents. Participants then have to accomplish a list of tasks in four 15-minute periods, each meant to simulate a week. After, everyone reconvenes to debrief and share what went well and what was a struggle.
The simulation is co-organized by the agency and Virginia Cooperative Extension, which owns the course curriculum. Sheree Press is the extension’s Family Focus specialist, helping run education programs for young children and families. She said the important thing is to remember people actually go through what participants experience in the course.
“People can be so stressed out because of all the little things that happened, but they couldn’t get that one thing done, and then it spirals one day at a time,” Press said. “Then you have to start all over again.”
Bee Darrow, Family Focus coordinator, works closely with Press. She said the simulation’s purpose is to broaden awareness of what it means to experience poverty and to get people to look at it not as an individual failure, but a societal one.
“Poverty is prevalent,” Darrow said. “The big picture is for people in every community to have some insight into what it might be like to live even a few hours in the shoes of someone who is living in poverty.”
Williamsburg, Poquoson, James City and York counties collectively had a nearly 7% poverty rate in 2024, according to the latest U.S. Census data. Numbers forJames City County were not much less than that, though Williamsburg’s rate surpassed 18% in 2024. The localities all experienced increases from the previous year.
Despite lower rates in Poquoson and the counties, Melton said pockets of poverty still exist in each locality. James City County residents are grappling with high housing costs and jumping property values. Peninsula-wide, affordability issues are projected to cause year-over-year increases in homelessness.
In many cases, Melton said, the simulation is an eye-opener for community members and even government officials who go on to get involved with groups trying to make a difference.
“I think there’s been more acknowledgment, more people opening their eyes to say, ‘OK, it is here, so what can we do to help?’”
The course had room for more than 30 more participants as of Tuesday. Organizers also ask that people coming out bring non-perishable food items and disposable diapers for the community action agency’s pantry in Norge. Sign-up can be done online while space remains.
