Each week we will begin class with a general welcome and introductions of any guests. Then we will provide any announcements for the group. We ask that you also share any announcements you may have about community resources and upcoming events. Finally, we will share achievements you have made in the last week. These achievements should be steps you have made toward your goal of self-sufficiency. For example, if you had set a weekly action step of connecting with the local university and you completed that step, simply announce to the group that you completed your commitment and any new information or goals this step may have created for you.
Each of you completed a Self-Sufficiency Assessment prior to starting RISE. This assessment includes many of the assets an individual must achieve or improve to maintain oneself without the financial aid of a public source (SNAP or HUD) or from a family member. We will use this assessment throughout
the classes to help you set goals and move toward a safe and secure future. The assessment also includes health and wellbeing measures, as research has shown that chronic stress affects the brain’s development and functioning. The trauma associated with financial insecurity and stress related to social bias change
the way your brain functions—decreasing self-affirmation and executive function—meaning you may have difficulty setting goals and taking steps to complete complicated tasks. But don’t let this worry you. You can improve these skills through practice. This program helps you practice steps that improve your self-affirmation and executive function , (focus, attention, long-term planning, problem solving). ¹ ²
Group Discussion: Share your experiences with stress and its effects on your decision making. Have you ever known the steps to take, but simply felt paralyzed and unable to take the first step?
People who are self-sufficient are thriving. People who live paycheck-to-paycheck or cannot budget their expenses are simply surviving. This program was created to help you move from surviving to thriving. When you are able to meet your basic needs of food, shelter, and safety you are capable of
doing things differently. Your brain begins to function differently, allowing you to feel confident about the steps to take. Breaking the cycle of survival-mode thinking occurs when you achieve the 16 Assets of the Self-Sufficiency Assessment. You completed a Self-Sufficiency Assessment to determine where
your current state is in each assessed area. This Assessment will help you create goals in areas where you are surviving (score of 1-3), while helping you maintain and strengthen areas in which you are stable and thriving (score of 4-5). Refer to your scores as we discuss this chapter.
Small-Group Discussion: Discuss your Self-Sufficiency Assessment and identify areas for growth.
Poverty, low-income, under-resourced, surviving — these are all terms that are used for individuals who are not financially self-sufficient. In the United States, about 15% of people live at or below the 100% poverty line, as defined by the government in 1963. The Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG) were
developed by assessing the cost of food for varying family sizes. Today, we continue to use these same food-based evaluations without consideration for increased housing prices, rising healthcare costs, and other increases for basic needs. To address the rising costs of housing and other basic needs, many
programs use 200% FPG as the goal for reaching self-sufficiency. Use the FPG levels above to determine how much your household may need to earn to reach 200% of the FPG. Then circle that amount as your household goal.
Small-Group Discussion: Discuss where you currently are on the FPG chart. How does the financial gap between what you earn and what you need to earn to be self-sufficient make you feel?
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Group Discussion: Share the answers you discussed in your small group. Are there common themes?
Your weekly action step: _______________________________________________________________
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¹ Babcok, B. (2013). Using brain science to create new pathways out of poverty. TEDxBeaconStreet ² Doebel, S. (2018). How your brain’s executive function works and how to improve it. TEDxMileHigh ³ Health and Human Services. (2021). Poverty guidelines for 2021. https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty-guidelines