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I'm a single father raising a 5 year old on my own. I work full time making just a notch above min wage here in Southern California where the cost of living is ridiculous. I manage to pay the rent, utilities, insurance and fuel for my vehicle. I have no cable TV. No luxuries of any kind. I have internet access because it is a necessity for work.
I receive 300 per month in EBT benefits. They re-evaluate cases every six months. They just re-evaluated mine and it turns out that even though I am only bringing home 1200 per month I will be losing my EBT benefits in January 2014. I barely make enough for us to get by with the EBT assistance. I seriously worry what I will do when the benefits stop. I can survive on tap water and cup o noodles. My 5 year old can't. I understand that receiving benefits is supposed to be temporary but there are no decent paying jobs that afford a decent living wage here.
Just as a side note to those who have SNAP/EBT benefits, you can use them to buy vegetable/herb plants and seeds to grow your own food if you'd like. A lot of vegetables and herbs can be grown in containers (even corn and dwarf fruit trees) that you probably wouldn't think could be grown in small spaces. Maybe that will help stretch out the benefits.
I definitely remember the judgements, lectures, dirty looks, etc. when I was on SNAP/food stamps. One of the worst ones I remember was when we were stationed at Ft. Knox, and I made the "mistake" of shopping with my three kids in tow in one of the grocery stores in Radcliff. Good lord, the lecture I got when I was at the checkout. I mean this lady was absolutely apoplectic about me paying in food stamps (actual paper coupons at the time). She was having a fit about how her tax dollars were "paying for the lazy bums who sit around and pop out kids all the time" or some such. I was in tears, but I did manage to tell her that my (now ex)husband was in the Army and as such, we also paid taxes. Didn't seem to shut her up. If anything, that made her even madder. No I wasn't buying junk food, soda, lobster, prime rib, etc. I had canned vegetables, hamburger, chicken, dried beans, rice, and a box of tea bags and various staples like flour, yeast, sugar, eggs, etc. I think it's a bigger problem that an E4 in the Army would qualify for food stamps in the first place.
For some odd reason I have yet to understand, people get all kinds of judgmental and feel they have the right to berate somebody on food stamps for "taking money out of my pocket to pay for your lobster and beer." They feel they have the duty to scrutinize every little purchase. If a person buys a couple of ears of fresh corn, they're berated for not buying canned, even though fresh is on sale and is cheaper than the canned corn. If they buy canned, they're berated for buying "junk food with too much sodium." Heaven forbid if they buy a cake mix for a child's birthday cake or just as bad, the ingredients to make the cake and frosting from scratch. Buying a bag of in-season apples got me into trouble because apparently the woman felt "it must be so nice to have money to burn on apples" (Yes these actual real-life examples from my past).
Judge me if you wish, but I have used food stamps at various times in my life, the most recent time was about 8 or 9 years ago. No, I'm not ashamed of it. No I don't care if somebody is using SNAP to buy groceries.
Another poster mentioned that Wal-Mart does not teach people how to apply for benefits, but the Sam's Club I worked at did have pamphlets in the break room explaining all what was available and where to apply for Chips, Medicaid, SNAP, etc.
I hear and read plenty of negative comments from empty talking heads on here and abroad who likely have never needed assistance to eat and moreover, have no idea that it might soon be their turn someday, to apply for public assistance. And if the House proposal is passed as proposed, new food stamp cuts would come primarily from eliminating "waivers", that is, 'opt out' provisions, that states used, during the current high unemployment, to ease a rule that limited SNAP benefits. This harsh rule restricted SNAP to three months of benefits out of every three years for people aged 18 to 50 who aren’t raising minor children and are unemployed (without a full or part-time job), regardless of how hard they are looking for work. Now they want to put this three month limitation into effect, without allowing waivers of the rule based on high unemployment.
In other words, if you do not work, you will not eat: if you are unemployed, and childless, you will be eligible to receive food stamps for only three months, and then you will have to wait almost three years, even if there are no full or part-time jobs available to you because of the high unemployment rates that are becoming permanent. And the people who will be mostly affected are those whose average income is just about $210 per month. Congress member Eric Cantor, was frank about the disqualification of the unemployed. “If they are able bodied people who can work, they ought to do that in order to receive a public benefit. That’s the proposal we are bringing forward.” But the implementation of this rule would have an overwhelming impact on many people, white black, young and older who are not working because they can’t find jobs. And no one is saying where these new jobs would come from, when the economy is generating only 150,000-200,000 new jobs a month – about enough to keep up with population growth.
Anyway, these aren’t necessarily jobs you can just walk off the street and get, especially if you are young, unskilled, or have some disability, some other strike against you. I for one refuse to agree that all people on public assistance are of no worth to society. I refuse to accept the idea that our nation, as a community, should take no responsibility for the care of millions of people who live in poverty. I refuse to accept that anyone should remain beyond assistance to return as full members of society.
The idea that someone in the military can be paid so little that their modest family needs food stamps to eat makes me fume to no end.
They are not paid too little, I would say many of them are among the most well compensated members of society; where else with even just a GED, you can walk into a job that provides the pay the military does, the full medical benefits, free housing, free food, free training, free college, and an excellent almost guaranteed advancement path, bonuses just for staying in the job, and retirement after just twenty years? Is there any civilian job that offers this?
If a military member takes on more obligations than they get paid for, that is not the fault of the military. The military already gives free housing (or a large housing allowance), as well as food allowance; just how much more you think they should give to someone who is irresponsible?
They are not paid too little, I would say many of them are among the most well compensated members of society; where else with even just a GED, you can walk into a job that provides the pay the military does, the full medical benefits, free housing, free food, free training, free college, and an excellent almost guaranteed advancement path, bonuses just for staying in the job, and retirement after just twenty years? Is there any civilian job that offers this?
If a military member takes on more obligations than they get paid for, that is not the fault of the military. The military already gives free housing (or a large housing allowance), as well as food allowance; just how much more you think they should give to someone who is irresponsible?
At the time I was a military wife, the housing allowance was around $350-$360 a month if you lived off base. We were required to live on base both at Ft. Knox and in Germany so we never received it. We did not receive a food allowance either. Also we didn't have any credit cards, furniture payments, car payments, etc. at the time, so we hadn't taken on more obligations than we got paid for.
Regarding enlisting with a GED, at the time the military required an actual HS diploma - NOT a GED. I'm not sure about how things are now with regards to accepting a GED, and I don't know current the pay structure, benefits (other than medical) or amounts though.
Also, unless things have changed, taking on more obligations than one can pay for is not used in the calculations as to whether or not one is qualified for food stamps. I'm guessing you're talking about credit card debt or something like that? If so, then that was not an allowable expense the last time I was on food stamps. Only housing (rent/mortgage), utilities, and possibly child care costs were allowed. If your car was worth over a certain amount, I think that disqualified you as well.
I'm a single father raising a 5 year old on my own. I work full time making just a notch above min wage here in Southern California where the cost of living is ridiculous. I manage to pay the rent, utilities, insurance and fuel for my vehicle. I have no cable TV. No luxuries of any kind. I have internet access because it is a necessity for work.
I receive 300 per month in EBT benefits. They re-evaluate cases every six months. They just re-evaluated mine and it turns out that even though I am only bringing home 1200 per month I will be losing my EBT benefits in January 2014. I barely make enough for us to get by with the EBT assistance. I seriously worry what I will do when the benefits stop. I can survive on tap water and cup o noodles. My 5 year old can't. I understand that receiving benefits is supposed to be temporary but there are no decent paying jobs that afford a decent living wage here.
Your situation is tough. Especially since you have a child. I know it is not my business, but do you have any contact with your sons mother? I hate it when only one parent has to take responsibility for it all. And how can they take away all your benefits? You work full time and still barely making it and you have a small child. It just don't seem right.
I know you heard this before but can you go to school and learn some kind of trade. It is never too late you know. My husband started at 36. Hee went to school to become an airline dispatcher. It required a certificate. At a community college it will take about 1 year. But now he makes pretty good money ( compared to before) .
I'm just saying, you don't have to be stuck at a dead end minimum wage job. I can't imagine being a single parent and support my child on my own. You are a good example of someone who should get financial help and I can't believe California will take it away from you.
At the time I was a military wife, the housing allowance was around $350-$360 a month if you lived off base. We were required to live on base both at Ft. Knox and in Germany so we never received it. We did not receive a food allowance either. Also we didn't have any credit cards, furniture payments, car payments, etc. at the time, so we hadn't taken on more obligations than we got paid for.
When was your husband in? Speaking only for the early 90's and after (and I was in the Navy); a person not living in the barracks received allowance for food called BAS (Basic Allowance for Substence), even certian people depending on their work schedule received BAS when livng in the barracks as the chow hall was only open at certain times.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pnc66
Regarding enlisting with a GED, at the time the military required an actual HS diploma - NOT a GED. I'm not sure about how things are now with regards to accepting a GED, and I don't know current the pay structure, benefits (other than medical) or amounts though.
In the early 90's and after, and just speaking for the Navy, a perosn could enlist with just a GED. I know the USAF required 23 college credits if a person had a GED.
Either way, even with just a HS diploma, the military compensation still exceeds the civilian. Heck, there are many people enlisted with college degress who found the compensaiotn the military gives much better than what they could find in the civilian world.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pnc66
Also, unless things have changed, taking on more obligations than one can pay for is not used in the calculations as to whether or not one is qualified for food stamps. I'm guessing you're talking about credit card debt or something like that? If so, then that was not an allowable expense the last time I was on food stamps. Only housing (rent/mortgage), utilities, and possibly child care costs were allowed. If your car was worth over a certain amount, I think that disqualified you as well.
I was mentioning more obligations in regards to the military paying more (the poster I was responding to); the military compensation is just fine, and the military does not need to increase their compensation due to some members being irresponsible and taking on more obligations than they can afford.
If someone is in the military, and they have free medical, housing, food, etc, and they still cannot manage their finances, they are just financially inept and need someone to teach them how to manage their money. Civilians in no way get the amount of compensation a no skilled, minimal educated military memeber gets.
In my home state there has been a lot of heated public debate lately about making major cuts to the SNAP/food stamps program, so there's been ample opportunity to learn the common perceptions and assumptions associated with the SNAP program itself and/or with people who receive SNAP funds. Though most Americans seem to hold a fairly strong position/opinion on this subject, it seems very few have actually received food stamps or stepped foot in a DSS office.
How did you acquire your own views about the SNAP program and people who use it? What are those views, in brief? I know the second question has probably been asked on these forums many times before, but I'm asking it again in tandem with the first as away to understand the public's thinking better.
This interests me because I am on food stamps myself. Don't let this little revelation affect your response in any way. Your questions are welcome, too, in any tone. I'm genuinely interested in whatever you have to say.
I volunteered for a time in a food pantry. Many of our clients were on food stamps and some other forms of assistance. I discovered that the users of food stamps are as various as those not on food stamps. But all of them struggled with various things. I started work during the teeth of the Great Recession. I interviewed many who probably never though they would be seeking assistance, but here they were. Later, I saw fewer of these people, and more of the truly poor. I heard all sorts of stories, as an intake interviewer.
Some of them had substance abuse problems. Many don't. Some struggle with literacy and lack of a H.S. diploma. A few had degrees. Some were working toward becoming self sufficient. Some obviously were not. I might have viewed some of them as lazy. But as I said, it was almost as if they were a cross section of society in terms of disposition, desire for a better life, intelligence, and luck.
[quote=silibran;31582847]I volunteered for a time in a food pantry. Many of our clients were on food stamps and some other forms of assistance. I discovered that the users of food stamps are as various as those not on food stamps. But all of them struggled with various things. I started work during the teeth of the Great Recession. I interviewed many who probably never though they would be seeking assistance, but here they were. Later, I saw fewer of these people, and more of the truly poor. I heard all sorts of stories, as an intake interviewer.
Some of them had substance abuse problems. Many don't. Some struggle with literacy and lack of a H.S. diploma. A few had degrees. Some were working toward becoming self sufficient. Some obviously were not. I might have viewed some of them as lazy. But as I said, it was almost as if they were a cross section of society in terms of disposition, desire for a better life, intelligence, and luck.[/quote]
And this is the whole truth of it. ^^^ They are definitely "a cross section of society" but there are too many people out there who refuse to see that. To them ALL those people will always just be lazy ne'er do wells who are content to let the gov't take care of them. I know too many people of the opposite persuasion to believe that.
I volunteered for a time in a food pantry. Many of our clients were on food stamps and some other forms of assistance. I discovered that the users of food stamps are as various as those not on food stamps. But all of them struggled with various things. I started work during the teeth of the Great Recession. I interviewed many who probably never though they would be seeking assistance, but here they were. Later, I saw fewer of these people, and more of the truly poor. I heard all sorts of stories, as an intake interviewer.
Some of them had substance abuse problems. Many don't. Some struggle with literacy and lack of a H.S. diploma. A few had degrees. Some were working toward becoming self sufficient. Some obviously were not. I might have viewed some of them as lazy. But as I said, it was almost as if they were a cross section of society in terms of disposition, desire for a better life, intelligence, and luck.[/quote]
And this is the whole truth of it. ^^^ They are definitely "a cross section of society" but there are too many people out there who refuse to see that. To them ALL those people will always just be lazy ne'er do wells who are content to let the gov't take care of them. I know too many people of the opposite persuasion to believe that.
To clarify, my meaning about a "cross section" is this: the people I interviewed were typical of everyday people you would meet anywhere, in terms of disposition, luck, motivation, intelligence, etc. I did not mean to indicated that the rich or firmly middle-class were visiting the pantry for food.
So often we hear people refer to "the poor" as the other, a wholly different class of people. I did not experience that otherness at all. And something else I learned, is that in my affluent exurb, even though I personally knew no poor people, they were all around. I had just not known how to look.
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