When I was state worker back in my early 20s, one of my good friends asked me to help a young single mother who was having difficulty getting services through the state. She dropped out of school when she became pregnant. At the time I met her, she was living in public housing with 3 kids and truly wanted to improve her situation. I didn’t work for any agency that could help her but I did work in the state service center and I knew the Director who ran the service center.
When I spoke to the Director about the mother’s situation, I was surprised to learn there were different programs (i.e. child care, GED assistance, and Job placement) to help the mother. Even surprising to the Director was the fact the mother had not been informed about these programs. Of course, the Director asked for the name of the mother so she could identify the case worker who was not informing the mother. I didn’t know the mother’s full name but I did let the mother know about the Director’s concerns.
Fortunately, armed with information, the mother asked her case worker about all of the programs and was able to get set up with programs to assist her.
Aside from the fact the mother was NOT informed about these programs, I wonder how many people never realize all of the different programs that may be available to them.
With that, a few things to always remember:
Never be afraid to ask if there are any programs you qualify
If there is a program you qualify for, don’t be afraid to try it.
Government programs are designed for you so you never feel like you are burden for taking advantage of these programs.
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