Finding Help

Hello Folks!

Sorry I’ve been very remiss in posting since my initial one, I hope you’ll forgive me. It’s certainly been a bumpy ride for an out of work Rennie, but I guess for me, at least, that’s nothing new. In my “Surviving After” post, I said I would share some of my experiences while trying to “make it” in the world on-the-grid, so this will be the first in what is hopefully a series. The topic today is: Available Government Aid.

When I first landed in Louisiana, one of the first things I did was apply for food stamps, or SNAP, as they are called here. I already knew from previous extended stays in the area that this type of aid is relatively easy to get in this state. You can fill out an application online, talk to a case worker on the phone, and email any relevant documents needed. Honestly, for SNAP benefits, the process is relatively streamlined, so the hardest part, for me, was proving residency. To take care of that, I simply had to get my friend, who is renting me a room, to write a letter stating that I am renting from her, and how much I pay her each month.

Having no gainful employment, My friend is letting me pay what I can, as I go, and I help with groceries each month. I also do some work around the house, like vacuuming, and some heavy cleaning with chemicals she isn’t able to use due to her asthma, as well as being a live-in dog nanny when she needs one. This works out pretty well for both of us, but I don’t like to just sit around doing nothing, so I started trying to get more help from any government agency, so I could pay her what was stated in the “rental agreement” she sent to the SNAP office.

Fast forward another month or two, and I discovered that it’s pretty easy to sign up for Medicaid in this state as well. Once I started getting some doctor’s appointments, I realized that my chances of actually getting a J-O-B were going to be pretty S-L-I-M! First, I discovered that not only do I suffer from arthritis, but also carpal tunnel syndrome. This makes standing, lifting, and bending (pretty much everything you do as a cashier or clerk at a store), difficult, and pretty painful, now. I also realized that without a Driver’s license or a State ID, no one was going to (or really could, for that matter) hire me to work for them. I also had trouble getting any form of ID because my Birth Certificate was destroyed in the 100 Year Floods back before I left Louisiana the last time. Since I had no income, coming by even the $30-50 to get a new birth certificate sent from Ohio, was problematic.

Other than the SNAP and Medicaid, however, the only other real aid in the form of finances, is try to qualify for disability through the Social Security Administration, but this will take months, if not longer, and I needed something that was going to get me financially independent NOW! Well, I still don’t have an ID, but I’m starting to earn some money now, and in the next post, I’ll tell you how!

Love and Light, Kiddos, and wash your hands!

#problemsolving #timemanagement