**Solid Photo. Needs a caption formatted properly. Photo credit too**
Jenny Ridyard, a client service specialist and data entry worker for 7Hills Homeless Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas, experienced an extreme form of poverty. In fact, she and her husband were homeless for seven months before she landed her position with 7Hills.
According to statistics collected in the U.S. Census, there is a fewer percentage (SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT) of people Ridyard’s age impoverished in Washington County compared to the state and the country. (INTERESTING STATISTIC. NOT SURE THIS IS THE LEAD STAT WE WOUD USE TO TELL THIS STORY, HOWEVER. WE WANT TO KNOW RIDYARD’S STORY FIRST AND THEN GET INTO THIS STATISTIC, WHICH CONFLICTS WITH HER NARRATIVE. THAT’S FINE BUT FIRST WE NEED A BASELINE OF HER STORY.)
***Expand the horizontal axis, reduce font size a bit ***
Though it’s easy to get caught up in the statistics, there is still a large number of people in the county who live in poverty, Ridyard said.
***A short VO to introduce this clip would be good. I would also use this quote in the story***
****transition missing***At that time in her life, Ridyard’s income was ***AP style – just say zero*** $0. Her husband **name** has Parkinson’s disease, and he lost his job as a forklift operator when his ailment increased to a point where he could no longer operate the controls. ***since he was no longer able to operate the controls.*** The Ridyards applied for disability, but they had to wait a significant amount of time for that money to start rolling in. ***how did they go from applying for disability to living in a tent? several steps missing here. fill them in.*** They began living out of a tent, and 7Hills became an important resource for them, as they supplied needed medication and meals. **Explain a bit about 7Hills. a few sentences about what it is and how many peoopel it serves, and the services***
When Ridyard’s husband’s disease continued to accelerate because of his poor living conditions, he was fast tracked to a seven-month wait ***wait for what? unclear***, she said. During that time, the Ridyards ate at churches and continued to frequent 7Hills and the Salvation Army.
Around the same time Ridyard’s husband began receiving his disability checks, an intriguing opportunity opened up for her. Because of her familiarity with the homeless community and her good standing within the 7Hills community, she was asked to apply for an open job in the client service and data realm within the center.
Ridyard was hired, but when she looks back on it, a part of her never thought she’d make it out of the woods, she said.
***Interesting. Again, a brief VO introduction***
***We discussed this. You should find a position that is a better fit rather than speculating here. **** According to statistics from the BLS Occupational Employment Database, jobs listed under “Community and Social Service” make an average of $44,370 a year. Careers and jobs involving homeless outreach are at the low end of the totem pole, so one could speculate ***we never speculate in news stories*** Ridyard makes significantly less than that. If taken at face value, that type of job makes more than the average Washington County resident.
***A few issues with the data on this chart.
- You cited the OVERALL wage for community and social workers. But there are most specific occupations that would be a better fit and which pay less. Ridyard might be more accurately classified as a Social and Human Services Assistant which makes about $29,320
https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes211093.htm
https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes211093.htm#st
where did you get the $39,447 wage figure for Fayetteville?
If Ridyard’s supposed ***again, you don’t do this in news stories*** $44,370 salary was divided up, she’d make around $3,697.50 per month. If that were the case, she’d be making much more than what her rough monthly budget could be.
***caption missing: needs clear sourcing***
According to the Census ACS Survey conducted in 2015, Fayetteville’s average monthly gross residential rent is $749. She lives in a one-bedroom apartment, but she’s hoping to move into a house within the next year, she said.
***This is a better clip – easier to follow than the second clip. VO needed****
By opening up a savings account and actively saving with the intent to buy a small house, Ridyard hopes she can learn from her time in extreme poverty but never live in it again, she said.
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