Ever wonder how people on welfare get along? Many assume that once someone is in the welfare system, all their needs are taken care of.
Well, not quite. Talk to Grace Bouchard of Cook County Social Services and she will explain to you how families can be devastated by simple occurrences which others would grumble about, and then move on from. A refrigerator dies and a family with children is overwhelmed. Tires become smooth and where is the money for a new set? How do you dare to drive your kids to school knowing you could have a flat or blowout at any moment?
The fuel-aid allotment that you have applied for has not yet been approved. It’s only October, but it’s cold and someone in your family is ill. An elderly person pines to see family, but cannot drive and the family cannot take time off to visit, nor do they have the money to send for her. Trash is piling up and the landlord is angry, and you can’t find the money for trash removal. You work hard, you have a job, you have some county aid, but there is no “wiggle” room in your budget for these unforeseen “extras.”
Bouchard of Social Services points out that the people she helps are not out for all they can get for “free,” but are humble, hesitant to ask for help, and very appreciative of any help they do receive. They work with each client to create a financial plan. Programs and funds are available, but all have restrictions.
The social workers try to fit these programs, rules and restrictions to the needs of their clients, but there are always needs and emergencies, which fit into no category, no program, or no “slot” in the government welfare system.
To address some of these needs, Spirit of The Wilderness Episcopal Church has set up a “Good Samaritan Fund” to which they contribute 10 percent of their operating budget from the previous year. The fund is administered by the social workers themselves, who know the clients and are familiar with their needs.
We pray, as does everyone, that things will get better. In the meantime, as a caring community, we want to reach out to these, our neighbors, believing that while we enjoy living in this wonderful, beautiful community, we should take care of our own.
To join this effort, a check made out to Cook County Health & Human Services, marked Good Samaritan Fund in the memo, and sent to C.C. Health & Human Services, 411 West 2nd Street, Grand Marais, MN 55604 will go a long way toward easing the burdens of the most vulnerable of our neighbors.
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