People Don’t Know How Expensive It Is To Be Poor

Too Poor to Work, Too Tired to Explain

There’s a line in Straw that’s still echoing in my head days later:
“People don’t know how expensive it is to be poor.”

It was one of those lines that didn’t just land; it lodged itself in my chest. Not because it was new, but because it was true. Uncomfortably, painfully, undeniably true.

I remember this one day, just like any other day, I was scrolling through social media, aimlessly. I honestly can’t even remember which platform it was, but a video popped up. A man, clearly homeless, was being interviewed. You could tell people had already made their assumptions about him — that he must’ve chosen that life, or ruined his chances somehow.

He said something I’ll never forget: “I’m too poor to get a job.”

I’ll admit it, I scoffed. I thought, like so many others do, “That’s just another excuse.”

But then he explained: “No one wants to hire a homeless person. And even if they do, I won’t get paid until the first pay cycle. But to make it that far, I’d need bus fare, clean clothes, and something decent to wear. How do I get those things with nothing?”

And in that moment, everything shifted for me.

Because that is the trap, isn’t it? That’s the brutal, hidden cost of poverty. People assume it’s just about not having money. But being poor means paying more. It could be, with time, energy, dignity, and survival itself.

And when I heard that old lady say “people don’t know how expensive it is to be poor” in Straw, it struck that same nerve. That same ache. That same quiet truth I’ve lived, and one I’ve seen so many people ignore.

In the film, we watch Janiyah try, and I mean she truly tried to keep going. She’s chasing jobs, appointments, prescriptions, housing. But when you’re poor, one setback can cost you everything. One missed bus, one closed office, one wrong reaction from someone in power, and suddenly the whole fragile thing comes crashing down.

I’ve lived some of that. Not to the same extreme, no. But I know what it’s like to juggle bills and have to decide which utility you can afford to lose. I know what it’s like to smile through depression because you’re afraid of burdening others. To look "fine" because falling apart feels like a luxury you can't afford.

Straw hit hard because it doesn’t romanticise the struggle. It exposes it. It says: Look. This is what it costs just to survive when the world’s not built for you.

And I think more people need to see that.

Because until we stop blaming the poor for their poverty… until we stop asking “Why don’t they just...” and start asking “How can we make it easier?” … until then, we’ll keep punishing people who are already doing the impossible with nothing.

So if you’ve never had to wonder how you’ll get to work, feed your child, and hold your smile together in the same breath — be grateful.

And if you have… then you know.
You know how expensive it is to be poor.
You know how heavy it feels to carry that weight quietly.
And you know that what we need isn’t judgement, it’s compassion, dignity, and real change.

—HumanityECW