What I Learned as a ‘Banker’ in a Poverty Simulation
Last week, I stepped into the role of a banker in a poverty simulator. How did I end up here you ask? It was part of an exercise with Leadership Troy, hosted by Partners in Hope at the Miami County Board of Developmental Disabilities in Troy, Ohio. A poverty simulator is designed to help us understand the harsh realities faced by those living in poverty. And while I thought I understood what it meant to struggle, this experience opened my eyes in ways I never saw coming.
I thought I was an empathetic person. I thought I understood hardship. But for a few hours, I got a taste of just how desperate, chaotic, and exhausting life can be when you’re constantly fighting just to survive.
Desperation Isn’t Just a Feeling, It’s a Reality
As the ‘banker,’ I watched families come in, desperate to pay their bills, protect their children, and cling to some sense of security. I saw the reality of parents who weren’t absent because they didn’t care, but because they were scrambling to make ends meet.
And I realized something uncomfortable: The desperation to get things done can become a barrier to actually being there for those who need you.
“Dad, I’m hungry. Do something.”
“Just get us into the homeless shelter. At least it’s safe.”
“Sometimes jail is the best option we’ve got.”
So what is a poverty simulator, its a role-playing exercise where participants take on the roles of individuals and families struggling to make ends meet. They have to navigate everyday challenges like paying bills, feeding their families, finding work, and dealing with unexpected crises. Individuals are provided a role to play, some mothers or fathers and some even play the children. Community volunteers (like me) play the roles of service providers: bankers, employers, landlords, and more.
The goal is to create a safe but eye-opening experience, one that helps people see just how exhausting and complicated it is to live in poverty.
A sign against the wall that participants used to know the bank’s location. I sat right in front of the sign.
Health Comes Last, Even When It Should Come First
One of the most striking truths I saw was that health is often the first thing sacrificed when you’re struggling to survive. When you’re choosing between groceries, gas, or medication, self-care doesn’t even make the list.
It’s easy to say, “Take care of yourself.” But when every dollar is stretched and every hour is spoken for, health becomes an afterthought.
Generational Poverty: A Cycle That’s Hard to Break
This experience made it clear that generational poverty is not just a financial struggle, it’s a learned behavior. You work hard to make money, but the moment you’re even slightly above water, you lose assistance. You try to feel normal, so you buy something unnecessary, like cigarettes or new shoes, just to be seen. Just to fit in. And then you’re judged for it.
“Owning a home is the American nightmare, not the American dream.”
“They just want to be accepted into society.”
It’s a constant cycle of being told you don’t belong, of trying to look like everyone else, and of getting knocked down just when you start to stand up.
Am I Really Empathetic?
I’ve always prided myself on being empathetic. I thought I understood hardship because of my own experiences. But after this simulation, I have to ask myself: am I really as empathetic as I think I am? Do I truly understand why people make the choices they do? Or have I been looking at everything from a comfortable distance?
The first time someone gets burned, they become jaded and I saw that happen today. Both to the families struggling in the simulation and to me. The urge to help, to fix, to save. It fades when you’re overwhelmed, even when your job is just to be the banker.
Only a couple of the families had accounts at my ‘bank’. I was supposed to turn them away if they tried to cash their check with me without an account, but many times I ended up accepting their check for a fee. If I had done this in real like I most definitely would’ve lost my job. They could attempt to open an account, but when your week is broken down to a 15 minute interval in a simulation, the time it took to fill out that application was way to presious to lose. Plus, I knew that if they applied I had to immediately deny them.
The Puzzle That Doesn’t Fit Together
Watching people rush from one crisis to another, I realized that for those struggling in poverty, the puzzle pieces never seem to fit. Survival is a game you’re always losing, and hope is a feeling you’re always chasing.
There’s a cruel irony to it: The harder you work, the more the system seems to push back. Even trying to feel “normal” can become a trap.
After the simulation depicting one month in poverty, we all sat around a circle and shared things we noticed, experiences we had or thoughts on how to help.
So What Do We Do?
Maybe I’ll write a children’s book one day where Percy the Pickle meets a family struggling with hunger, or where they make a friend who can’t always come out to play because they’re helping their parents.
But one thing’s for sure, this experience taught me more about myself and my community. It reminded me that empathy isn’t just about feeling sorry for someone. It’s about listening, learning, and being willing to admit that you don’t know everything.
If you’re struggling — whether it’s with poverty, health, or just feeling overwhelmed — please remember you’re not alone. And if you need help, there are places to turn:
Partners in Hope (Troy, Ohio)
If you want to keep following my journey — the highs, the lows, and the in-betweens — you can always find me here.
