Government Programs, Agencies and the Single Person (Can We Find a Way?)

Our government has many programs to help people in need. There is General Relief/Food Stamps , programs for people who have Aids/Cancer, medical conditions whether mental or physical, for families who have children, the elderly, alcholic/drug users and woman who are being abused by a man. I am none of these but still find myself to be in a never ending cycle of struggle. I did have a corporate job in 2003 but was very unhappy there, yes I am told most people are unhappy. I get that but it was obvious to my employers and I was looking for work. I got asked about once a month if I was happy at my job and lied until one day while in a meeting with my boss and he asked again. I blurted out no I am not. From there the cat was out of the bag…now where do we go. I was already worried they would fire me because they knew I was unhappy and didn’t like the work they were giving me (which was not part of my original duties). We mutually agreed for me to leave in a month or so. I continued my job search and registered with temp agencies who told me I had excellent test scores and it should be no problem finding me work. The time for me to leave and I still didn’t have work but luckily was eligable for unemployment. fast forward to a few years later….I have worked some temp jobs, last year I had 25 interviews but no jobs. Agencies get me work from time to time. I would love to no longer be an EA but I have to work, and pay bills and hopefully someday pay off the creditors who call me all the time. When I get work, I end up spending my money catching up on bills. I have borrowed money from almost everyone I know. I want to go back to school and learn Graphic design or be a painter/photographer but money doesn’t allow this and most of the time I am in survival mode. If I get a job paying minimun wage I will barely be able to pay my basic needs and that is it. My pay range for my skill level is between 38 and 55,000 a year. I need help so I decided to contact some of these agencies that are there to help others. I went to SOVA today and got food, this was wonderful and I am so grateful. I was given a list of referrals for Financial Assistance. I came home and started to contact them only to find that because I don’t have any of the fore mentioned conditions I can’t get help. I have previously applied for General Relief but decided not to do it because they only give a single person 215.00 a month…. this is barely enough to pay my phone, gas/electricity, and gas for my car, and then what do I do for rent plus the Social Security office sends letters stating things like, your claim will end if you do not provide the following information -see below. I go to the section that is supposed to show what is needed and there is nothing written and I call my worker and they have no idea what the heck is going on.

I contacted 7 agencies so far. I was given this website for resource information: http://www.lafn.org/~kg6gcz/SOVA/SOVAsubset.htm. I clicked on community resources like I was instructed to do and went to the Financial Assistance where I was lead to organizations like Design Financial Solutions (Which is really Consumer Credit Counseling Services) who are great for helping someone who has work clean up there credit or manage there money but that aren’t able to help with financial assistance. Mainly there were organizations that will help people with Aids, Cancer and other medical conditions. I went to the General Section and there was an interesting organization whom I am not sure I am eligable but I did submit my information. They are called Change a Life Foundation. They State: To significantly help individuals and families who, through no fault of their own, have experienced an injury, illness, disability, or catastrophic life event, and who are suffering financial hardship, by providing support for critically needed direct services that promote their self-sufficiency and improve their quality of life. I haven’t really experienced injury but what I have been through I consider to be pretty much hardship. I am figuring they won’t consider me a consideration but it was worth a shot to contact them. I then went to the renters section and it lists help for seniors and counseling on what to do when you get an eviction notice.

Where is the prevention or helpful for those of us single people who are going through a difficult time and want to get out of the catch 22 they are in. I am attempting to prevent myself from getting an eviction notice but most agencies won’t help you until you are homeless or given an eviction. Prevention is not important or so it seems.

I have thought of filing bankruptcy but it used to be you could file for bankruptcy and your slate was wiped cleaned but no with the new laws, you have to pay back your money from a bankruptcy, then what is the point? I don’t get it.I desire to get more skills so that I can have a job I like and not get laid off, work temp work or get fired because of obvious discomfort. Are the single people of the world lost in the shuffle of those who are diseased, have children or are in addictions? I am not saying those people aren’t important or don’t need to be helped but it raises the question of our society about the single person. Those that have someone or something are helped but those that need a helping hand are not. I wonder if there are others out there who feel the same or are going through the same thing. Is this how a person gets to be homeless because they weren’t able to get help or maybe they didn’t help themselves enough? I go round in circles and beat myself up at a time like this, which I then realize won’t do any good. I want to believe that I can transform my life and create the possibility of abundance through creativity. Meanwhile I ask for a prayer, a good thought and any resources that may help and for me to keep hearing the little voice of God that says, Yes You Can, Hang On.

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