Tori Bland remembers when she realized her family was poor.
Her parents tried to protect her from the harsh reality — they always had food and shelter — but eventually she understood her family couldn’t afford the kinds of things girls her age needed.
Now, as an adult, Bland is stepping into the role of anti-poverty advocate. She’s determined to make sure other families in her community don’t suffer from policies that penalize poor people.
Two months ago, Bland started working at Humanity House. Her primary focus is to make changes to the City of Iola’s policies regarding past-due utility bills.
“I wanted to help people in the community where I grew up,” she said. “It would have been really helpful to have had resources like what Humanity House provides when I was growing up.”
On Saturday, Bland will organize a meeting to encourage members of the community to discuss Iola’s utility policy. She wants to hear about the experiences of Iola utility customers, including what changes they would like to see in the city’s policies.
The meeting is from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday at Humanity House, 110 East St. Childcare is provided and refreshments will be available.
Bland said she wants to hear from those who are most affected by the city’s utility policies before she develops a plan or approaches the Iola City Council about proposed changes.
“This is a community issue and people need help to make sure their voices are heard,” Bland said. “I want to hear what would be most beneficial to them, and we can collectively come up with ideas.”
Bland and other Humanity House leaders have some ideas to prompt discussion, such as policy change for both short-term and long-term assistance in the form of a “promise to pay.”
Short-term assistance would allow customers to apply for an extension of up to two weeks, such as for those who have a guaranteed source of income but won’t receive it until soon after the city’s deadline.
Long-term assistance would allow customers to set up a payment plan arrangement over a longer period of time.
BLAND has spent her first two months on the job researching utility policies in other Kansas communities, focusing on those similar in population to Iola.
So far, she’s obtained results from 26 cities. Most allow some sort of extension or payment plan option. Ten-day extensions are most common.
The City of Iola allows customers 42 days to pay a utility bill, but does not allow extensions.
“Right now, my main goal is to collect information and talk to people. And maybe there are people who don’t know how strict the city’s policy is because they haven’t been personally affected by it,” Bland said.
