Down with Poverty: Catch-up

Wowzers. It's been a while since I've updated. I've been meaning to, but somehow never got around to it, so it's time once again for a cop-out catch-up post.

First, a story I've been meaning to tell.

A while back, I had a really frustrating training.

These two ladies basically contradicted everything written in the training manual. Whether from personal experience or the experience of someone they knew, they just shook their head and pronounced, "Nope, that's not how it happens" after every program description.

They were insistant that the book might be the way things are SUPPOSED to happen, but it's not how they happen in real life, and they wanted me to corraborate how it REALLY happens so they could tell their clients correctly.

Sigh.

It's hard to argue with someone's personal experience, like one woman's son who she said got kicked off food stamps when he enrolled in college, or the other woman's friend whose whole family got kicked off Ohio Works First (cash assistance/welfare) once she reached the 36-month time limit (kids are supposed to have no time limit).

But several of their statements just didn't add up. What's in the book ARE the rules. And if that isn't what happened, it's because they weren't telling the whole story OR they need to contact Legal Aid because something went wrong.

But regardless I felt kind of weak and helpless to adequately respond to their statements. But both of them were supernice and thanked me for the training, so, while it was uncomfortable experience, it could have been worse.

I definately understand the desire to know the ins and outs of how a complicated system "really" works so you can give clients accurate, helpful advice and information.

But one of the counselors especially made me a little nervous because she worked with reentry (ex-offenders coming out of prison) and seemed like she was basically prepared to advise people not to go back to school because they would lose their food stamps. A) Not necessary true and B) Don't encourage people not to go back to school just so as not to lose food stamps! For God's sake. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the greater improvement of life! Food stamps are not meant to be forever! Yeesh...

Plus, as my boss Gayle later pointed out, by all rights they shouldn't be trying to manipulate answers or even figure out what is going to happen. Their job is simply to simply enter accurate information and let the software and JFS caseworkers make the determinations.

Also,

I FINALLY finished the book I borrowed from Maureen and started back in January, an account of life in poverty-stricken North Philly during the welfare reform of the mid-1990s. As I said in this blog at the time, I tend to enjoy books written by journalists, and this was no exception.

And, after a few aborted efforts, I finally connected with the guy whose back taxes I started back when I did his 2009 taxes on April 15. We finished up his 2008 returns and he was super-grateful for the help and said it felt good to be squared away with the government again.

Also, I finally took some vacation days!

Went camping in northern Michigan.

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