There is a growing awareness, finally, that the social safety net is broken. The recent diaries on the rec list can attest to that. Here is my idea, since this site is monitored by those in Washington D.C. we should outline what it takes to gain these benefits in each state since they apparently have no clue what a arduous task it is to get the meager scraps thrown to us by our state by state welfare systems. And yes, scraps are an appropriate term considering how difficult most states make these benefits accessible and how low they are. What I need from you below the fold.
I need those that have applied for food stamps and/or cash benefits in each state to write a diary detailing what it took to get food stamps and cash aid. Leave out your personal information of course but list how much time you stood in line, how much time you spent in the lobby waiting to be seen, what personal information they asked of you; ie: for getting required child support information I was once asked how often the other parent and I had sex;, did they photograph and fingerprint you?, what sort of seminars they made you attend, what sort of work requirements there are, and whether they covered day care if they did require you to find work. How much did they really help in finding work and how much of it was wasted time so they could lecture you, and if so what about? Did you qualify for aid after going through the system and if so how much? How much did you have to start earning before they started cutting benefits? And if you can think of more pertinent questions please bring them up in the comments.
We need to let those that are making the decisions about our social safety net know what a mess it really is. It has been my experience that it is barely there and what there is lacks any way of actually helping those that need help the most. Please use the following in the title “ So called safety net” if you have a better idea for a title for the diary series please put it in the comments and I will go by the number of rec’s it has. Here is a list of states that I will use to document whom is willing to diary on this subject. Please chose the appropriate state and I will edit your name in accordingly.
Here I have a link to all the food stamp online applications or information on a state by state basis.
If you have a child under eighteen here is a link for a state by state access to those programs.
If you are disabled then here is Social Securities web site SSA they will start your application but it is up to the whims of the local state agency for you to proceed.
If you are an adult and you have no children under eighteen and are not disabled, welcome to the ownership society. You may be eligible for food stamps but the only cash aid you might get will basically be a loan granted by some states that you are expected to pay back. Usually within a few months of beginning to work in most cases their repayment schedule starts.
Here are the list of states where we need diaries of first hand experiences with gaining these social services. As we progress I would like to add to these diaries that explain the cash aid situation an estimate of the cost of a one bedroom apartment in those states to gain better understanding of what one is expected to live on.
AL-
AK-
AZ-
AR-
CA-
CO-
CT-
DE-
FL-
GA-
HI-
ID-
IL-
IN-
IA-
KS-
KY-
LA-
ME- commonmass
MD-
MA-
MI-
MN-
MS-
MO-
MT-
NC-
ND-
NE-
NV-
NH-
NJ-
NM-
NY-
OH-
OK-
OR-
PA-
RI-
SC-
SD-
TN-
TX-
UT-
VT-
VA-
WA- Angie in WA State
WI-
WV-