I spent many years of my professional life in social services. At the time, I did not realize how much I was learning. I traveled around Indiana and met people I would have never met. Lots of people in little towns.
Traveling internationally broadened my horizons. Surprisingly, so did traveling all over the state of Indiana.
Small towns filled with working-class people are not talked about enough and are surely not valued enough.
I grew up on the Eastside of Indianapolis. Visiting small, rural towns was not at the top of my travel list, but I hit the road anyway.
North and south, east and west. I spent a lot of time in Elwood, Anderson, Marion, and other much tinier towns whose names I can’t even recall. I went to trailer parks and little houses surrounded by acres of farmland and not much else.
I experienced a cross-section of our state that many do not get to see. And many forget about when big decisions are being made.
I saw firsthand the devastation left behind when once-thriving industries moved out of the area. Communities built around manufacturing plants that relocated long ago left generations of families with little access to well-paying jobs. What remained were empty buildings, abandoned homes and memories of middle-class dreams.
Where others may see fiscal responsibility, I see the faces of families in little towns with few options. I see people who need Medicaid to survive or who need SNAP benefits to feed their children. Because of the people I met, I know these are not benign policies.
As policy decisions are made and numbers are crunched, I can’t help but think of their faces.
They’re not just numbers on a page; they are real people. I sat in their living rooms and on their front porches. I combed through their household budgets, looking for a few extra dollars at the end of the month, and often came up short.
I visited them in hospitals and nursing facilities. I think about what it would have been like for them if they couldn’t access the health care they needed. What will that mean for a family whose child needs multiple surgeries? Or a grandparent with dementia?
“About 39% of Hoosier children and 66% of Indiana’s nursing home residents rely on Medicaid for care…”
About 39% of Hoosier children and 66% of Indiana’s nursing home residents rely on Medicaid for care, according to a KFF report from May 2025.
Per the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, more than 69% of Hoosier SNAP participants are families with children. Overall, one in 11 Hoosiers use SNAP benefits.
It would be so much easier if I could ignore the people who are on the brink of losing these resources.
But because of my years working throughout the state in social services, I remember one family after another who depended on Medicaid, SNAP or both. Not because they were lazy, but because of all the other factors that contributed to their socioeconomic status.
For some, it was their education level or the lack of access to well-paying jobs with benefits in their area. For others, there was a family member with severe medical issues whose treatment cost much more than most Americans could afford.
Some would argue that poor people should just work harder, that they are taking advantage of entitlements that should be earned rather than given away.
With that logic, any person who is not already a millionaire just hasn’t worked hard enough.
But we know there’s so much more to this story.
“72% of people enrolled in Indiana Medicaid are working at least part-time…45% of Hoosier enrollees are working full-time.”
72% of people enrolled in Indiana Medicaid are working at least part-time, as reported by KFF. 45% of Hoosier enrollees are working full-time.
I have sat across from people who stole food to survive or who depended on food stamps to support their families. These were proud Hoosiers of all races who would rather not be dependent on anyone else.
We have forgotten about people in need and the working class for far too long. Too many people who climbed the ladder took out the rungs behind them and let others fall where they should have risen.
Every day, I remember another family I met in one of these towns. With each new budget cut announcement, I think of them and wonder how they will survive.
It is hard to think about what these policies will save the government when I can’t stop thinking about what they will cost everyday people.
Contact Editor-in-Chief Camike Jones at camikej@indyrecorder.com.
Camike Jones is the Editor-in-Chief of the Indianapolis Recorder. Born and raised in Indianapolis, Jones has a lifelong commitment to advocacy and telling stories that represent the community.
