Justice in Real Life: Wendy

Emporia, VA

Wendy Maryland has lived in Emporia her whole life—and she’s been coming to the Remote Area Medical (RAM) Clinic for years to get the care she can’t afford anywhere else. This year, it was a broken tooth.—and she’s been coming to the Remote Area Medical (RAM) Clinic for years to get the care she can’t afford anywhere else. This year, it was a broken tooth.

“I don’t have dental insurance,” she said. “These are bad times. It’s sad.”

Wendy works full-time in manufacturing, earning just $12 an hour. But with rent now $900 and the cost of groceries, utilities, and daily essentials rising, there’s barely enough to cover the basics. She makes too much to qualify for food assistance, but not enough to make ends meet.

She also worries about how hard it is to find safe, stable housing when so many places are in disrepair. “Things just get patched up,” she said. “There’s not much real fixing going on.”

Her message to lawmakers is simple.

“We’re all struggling, everyone except the millionaires,” she said.

Wendy’s story is all too common—earning too much to qualify for help, but not enough to keep up. It’s a gap created by policy, not personal failure.

Virginia Poverty Law Center works to close that gap—by challenging unfair housing practices, advocating for consumer protections, access to affordable healthcare, and pushing for policies that reflect the realities working people face every day. The system may be broken, but it can be fixed—and stories like Wendy’s are where the change begins.

Justice in Real Life is a photography and storytelling campaign launched by VPLC in 2025. It shares real stories from Virginians facing poverty and injustice, highlighting their struggles and the changes we’re advocating for. Want to tell your story? Contact VPLC Communications Director Connie Stevens, connie@vplc.org.