A simulation at a Bellevue church on March 8 will help 80 people understand what it might be like to live in a typical low-income family trying to survive from month to month by assuming the roles of up to 26 different families facing poverty.

The goal is to sensitize participants to the realities faced by low-income people.

Some families in the simulation will be newly unemployed, some recently deserted by the “breadwinner,” some homeless, and others recipients of TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, formerly AFDC), either with or without additional earned income. Still others will take the roles of senior citizens receiving disability or retirement or grandparents raising their grandchildren.

The task of the “families” is to provide for basic necessities and shelter during the course of four 15-minute “weeks.”

The simulation is conducted in a large room with the “families” seated in groups in the center of the room. Around the perimeter are tables representing community resources and services for the families. These services include a bank, super center, community action agency, employer, utility company, pawn broker, grocery, social service agency, faith-based agency, payday and title loan facility, mortgage company, school, community health center, and child care center.

The experience lasts from two and a half to three hours and includes an introduction and briefing, the actual simulation exercise, and a debriefing period in which participants and volunteer staffers share their feelings and experiences and talk about what they have learned about the lives of people in poverty.

The event will take place from 4-7 p.m. at Newport Presbyterian Church, 4010 120th Ave. S.E., Bellevue. Those who wish to participate are requested to pre-register at http://tinyurl.com/nuf7q2f. Walk-ins will be allowed as space permits.