The first thing we did when we got to DC was meet up with Naomi. Naomi is kind of like the SE DC missions tour guide. She knows every volunteer organization in SE DC, she knows who they are, what they’ve done, what they’re doing, and what they plan on doing. She knows the culture of the area like it was her child, she knows the people, the places, everything. I tend to be some what disillusioned with people in general. (I know- I’m working on that.) But Naomi truly impressed me.

Naomi being spun in circles by one of the kids at “Kids Konnection”

Naomi sped through the streets of DC in her silver PT Cruiser like a maniac. (ok, maybe that was an exageration. I’m no good as a passenger. I prefer that all the sharp turns and sudden stops be my doing.) All the while she casually chatted about the neighborhood and the people.
“I stopped for gas over there the other day. There was a group of 9 and10 year olds dealing drugs there. It’s sad- but I’m not surprised. There’s not much I haven’t seen by now.”

Naomi talked about the culture of the area like she was talking about her wacky family and the goofy stunts they’ve pulled. She was compassionate and loving. But what she was talking about was all so foreign to me. I don’t have drug dealers on every corner in my neighborhood. Nor are there murders, rapes and assaults on a nightly basis. Everyone I knew had a job or was actively looking for one. The place scared me. Not because I was afraid of getting mugged or something (ok, maybe a wee bit afraid) but because this was all so alien to everything I’ve ever known.
“There are two different kinds of poverty, situational and cultural.” Naomi must have sensed my ignorance, so she proceeded to educate us.

Situational poverty, as I understand it, is when circumstances in life have taken a bad turn, putting a person/ family in poverty. This isn’t always of their own making- for example: a father injures himself and can no longer work. He’s the primary money maker in the family and suddenly they can no longer pay for their car, house, food, etc. Most of the time, people in this type of poverty actively work to get out of the poverty. The mother and/or children do what they can to make money/ get jobs, etc.

Cultural, or generational poverty, is what occurs when no-one in the family or neighborhood hold jobs or have a legitimate way of making money. The Mom has never worked, neither has the Dad, the grandparents, the aunts, uncles, friends, neighbors, etc, have never worked legitimately. The children literally grow up not understanding the need for a salary, etc.

The people in SE DC, in large part, are in a cultural poverty situation. Naomi quickly illustrated this point by telling us about a program that she and a large group of volunteers attempted to start about ayear ago. They went door to door and told everyone who would listen about what they were planning on doing. They would meet weekly and teach anyone who was interested how to get hired and hold a job. They would get anyone who wanted to in contact with people who would teach them skills. Then they would get them in touch with businesses who were looking to hire people. They would do this for free for anyone who asked. Every where they went they got a positive response, but the night of the first meeting arrived and not one person showed up. Everyone who they talked to agreed that getting a job would be a ‘good thing’ but no one thought that it was a necessity.
That’s where the Little White House comes in, the first stop on our tour.