Being poor, disabled, on public assistance always means a series of trade offs.
I don’t know why people worry so much about fraud. You have to give not only all your banking information, but also your social security number, so they can look up any other banking you do. You are audited. You trade your financial privacy.
You can never tell how their algorithm is going to work. You’d think that, being on SSI, moving into an apartment, and paying nearly 50% of your income towards rent before utilities, would qualify you for enough SNAP to at least eat for the month. The maximum benefit for a household of one is $194; it went down to $128. I regularly send that extra while shopping.
My case manager, and others, have asked about food banks. Well and good, for those who can reach them, or are healthy enough to walk and carry from them.
I was just advised to try to find another new residence, in a town with year-round public transportation, despite this apartment being set up for the deaf and walking-impaired. No mention was made of how I’d pay for those expenses (the place my case manager was pushing is famous for it’s apartment application fees, let alone moving fees). I know there are people who believe I don’t belong here.
I can’t go into the local DHHS with my paperwork anymore to talk face-to-face with the officers, make a connection, get help with my paperwork and documentation, and get things back to where they were. I used to do that. Now I have to try the phone line (because they haven’t fixed my information in the web portal over a year later), and that gets you put into hold hell if you aren’t hearing impaired. If you are, you’re extremely lucky to get an answer; if you do get a phone picked up, it’s transferred until dropped, or dropped immediately.
As my Section 18 (Brain Injury) Case Manager said, they aren’t doing Job Training for people without transportation anymore, so that’s not even an avenue to gaining access to more food and medication.
If I can find someone in the area who’s interested in doing high level home health care, they will be paid to be trained, and I believe get a bonus for doing so. There are several people like me who need help in their homes and yet there is no one available for Section 18 to hire.
I went grocery shopping on Sunday, and made bone stock last night. A rotisserie chicken on sale helps make about 12 meals, after soups and such are taken into consideration. And there are always rice and potatoes.
Sometimes your choices are out of your hands, for a little while, so you focus on the ones you can make.