Poverty of Opportunity
September 1, 2000
GETTING TO WORK
LACK OF RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION CAN BE ROADBLOCK TO BETTER LIFE FOR RURAL RESIDENTS
Page 2 of 2
Advertiser

 

go to the doctor. All because she couldn't drive.

 

 

"I could either pay someone to take me," Dillon said, "or go on the

 

weekend," when her trucker boyfriend could drive her. The 22-year-old from

 

the isolated Lincoln County community of Spurlockville felt like she had

 

to depend on other people for everything.

 

 

"Even as a mother, I felt like I couldn't take care of Jonathan," she

 

  • aid, talking about her 2-year-old son. "If I couldn't find a ride to the

    •  

    doctor, he couldn't go."

     

     

    When Dillon needed to take her son to the doctor a month ago, she

     

    couldn't find anyone to take her, not even the people who charge $7 for a

     

    trip to the county seat of Hamlin.

     

     

    Then, she found out about the bus.

     

     

    "A boy who lives up holler told me about the bus," she said. She took

     

    her son to the doctor on the bus. She learned that the bus would travel

     

    the half-mile off the main road to pick her up at the door, and that it

     

    ran on the hour, every weekday. She could finally do STORY INCOMPLETE

     

     

    In the area
  • Whats is the most effective way to buy and sell locally?
  • Are you looking for a new job? Let us help.
  • There are more homes for sale or rent than you might think
  • A reliable car is not a far off as you might think.
    • The Gazette now offers Facebook Comments on its stories. You must be logged into your Facebook account to add comments. If you do not want your comment to post to your personal page, uncheck the box below the comment. Comments deemed offensive by the moderators will be removed, and commenters who persist may be banned from commenting on the site.
    Advertisement - Your ad here
    Poverty ties in with all kinds of social ills - low grades in school, poor nutrition, violence, even asthma and shorter life expectancy. But poverty is about more than money. Poor people can't get at the opportunities and services middle-class Americans take for granted. So the poor often sink into a cycle of day-to-day survival, which often ensures that their children will be poor too. In West Virginia, that's one of every five people. This year's Kids Count Databook compiled a list of opportunities and services from which poor families are often excluded. Inspired by the Kids Count report, the Gazette chose five of these topics to explore in coming weeks in the Community section.
    Advertisement - Your ad here
    More Poverty of Opportunity
  • UNEVEN STARTING LINE
  • ACTIVATE
  • OFF LINE
  • BANKING : SOME TAKE IT FOR GRANTED
    • Advertisement - Your ad here
    Inside wvgazette.com