interestingly enough, i came across this nyt article a few nights ago. i want to pay particular attention to the end of the piece:
"In particular, as the recession ends, able-bodied food stamp recipients who are not working should be required to work or prepare for work as a condition for receiving aid."i applied for food stamps back in february/march. after some initial bureaucratic nonsense on the state's behalf that involved spending some quality time in skokie, i was approved and there was a moderate amount of rejoicing. having money specifically dedicated for groceries was (and still is) a huge help, b/c that meant i was able to use babysitting money & the occasional donation for other things like rent and bills and such.
fast-forward to late july/early august, when i receive what's essentially a summons from the department in illinois that handles food stamps and such, saying i need to show up at their office to meet with a caseworker. keep in mind that i'd just recertified for my food stamps via an automated phone interview not even a month prior to this, and nothing about my situation had changed except the amount of money i owe various entities.
i show up at the office, i wait to be called, i meet with a woman wearing an ed hardy jacket and one of those pigtail wigs with a bandanna attached to the top, and she tells me that i either need to go to job/educational training (wtf IS it with people trying to get my overeducated and un(der)employed ass into a educational program?), or sign up for an earnfare program that wasn't really an option b/c the state of illinois is broke (duh) and therefore unable to accept new applicants, or do community service. i was a bit taken aback by this b/c i'd never heard of such requirements. seriously. there was nothing in the application process that told me that such requirements existed. i know family members & friends with link cards and not a one of them had ever mentioned needing to volunteer or do anything else to keep their benefits. but whatever. i had to ask the caseworker to explain this to me several times b/c my brain was just refusing to process what she was saying.
once the information finally settled, i opted for community service. my requirement is 20 hours of service a month, and i have to make at least 8 job-related contacts a month. if you've been keeping track of my job application tallies, then you know that applying for 8 jobs a month is the least of my worries.
after my first choice fell through (pro tip: don't put an email address on your site for folks to specifically contact you about volunteering if YOU NEVER RESPOND TO SAID EMAILS), off i went to the brown elephant in andersonville. they needed volunteers, i needed community service hours, everyone wins. the store manager was a bit confused by why i needed to volunteer, though - the store gets a fair number of folks with court-mandated community service, but leave it to me to be an extra-special case.
so that's what i've been up to since mid/late august. volunteering at the resale shop reminds me of just how fun retail can be and why i don't want to pursue it as a full-time career option. i'm exhausted (both physically and mentally) after just a few hours. kudos to those of y'all who manage to hold down full-time gigs in retail. it's not all bad, though. i've met some new people, i've introduced people to the wonder of bacon burgers from c&d family farms, i get out of the house for a little bit...all good things.
and next week i get to go back to the state office and meet with yet another caseworker (different caseworkers on every visit can't be all that efficient, and yet) and verify that yes, i did my hours and yes, i made 8 job-related contacts and no, i don't have a job yet. then i get to continue packing! whee! my life is amazeballs...and the amazeballs factor will only increase if you make a donation! ok, that was a bit obvious, but i have very little shame at this stage.
have a good weekend! :-)
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