STANDING ON MY SOAPBOX: NOT EVERYONE WHO IS ON GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE IS LAZY
I guess this post has been a long time coming. (I know, that first sentence sounds really country. I owe that to my southern upbringing. *smiles*) I am so sick-and-tired of reading the ignorancy that surrounds people who accept government assistance. As with my other “standing on my soapbox” post, I like to write about things that I can relate to. Hence, the reason for this post.
What pushed me over the edge was stumbling across a blog post by a blogger who was “ashamed and appalled” that she had to accept food stamps. Wow. If it was so shameful for you, please explain why you number one, applied for them in the first place and number two, blogged about it?
Yes, there are people who do take advantage of the government assistance that is offered.
Believe me, I have seen generations of family’s that have been on government assistance their entire childhood. Only to grow up and apply for government assistance themselves. Only to have children who apply for government assistance when they become of age. Yes, it is a cycle that some refuse to break.
But the minority of people who abuse the system shouldn’t overshadow the ones that actually need the assistance.
I had my first child at 18 years old. (I wrote about it a little bit here.) I finished high school and busted my butt working a $5.15 an hour job at the time to take care of my family at the time. Still, working full time and going to school full time, there were lots of gaps and my money always fell short on a monthly basis. A lot of my spending went towards groceries, because at the time I had no idea how to use coupons. (I wish I knew then what I know now.)
I went and applied for both food stamps and W.I.C. When it came down to feeding my son healthily and just feeding him “enough to get by,” I opted for the first decision. Contrary to popular belief I wasn’t ashamed. I was relieved. Extremely. I no long had to worry about how I was going to afford his formula or feeding myself enough calories a day in order to produce enough breast milk for him. I didn’t take advantage of the system. I continued to work my full time, minimum wage job because I had other bills that I needed to take care of.
Of course there were other programs that I could have taken advantage of.
Like the EBT cash benefits for instance, but I didn’t. Why? Because I didn’t need it. I had a job and with the weight of having to pay for groceries lifted from my shoulders I was able to maintain a stable living environment for my son. I believe in applying for what you need and not being greedy.
I cannot stand it when people make the assumption that all people who are on government assistance is lazy and jobless.
Why take a few people/instances/occasions and stereotype the other people who truly are working to support their family but can’t honestly make enough money? Why try to pass laws that limit these families from receiving the benefits that are truly needed to keep their family afloat? Why try to be the word “ashamed” over their heads and make them feel like they are less-than-par because they can’t truly afford all of the things that they need?
I know of people who took a budget cut and stayed on their job when they were firing because they wanted/needed their job. Are these people lazy because they opted to work and apply for government assistance instead of getting fired and apply for both unemployment and government assistance?
When times get hard that is absolutely NOTHING that I WON’T do to take care of my children.
I am not above and beyond applying for assistance when I need it. I have been off-and-on government assistance since I was 18 years old. ONLY applying for it when I REALLY needed it and had no other choice. I had the option of having my children starving and possibly taken away from me OR applying for help when I needed it and accepting it gratefully.
I am not ashamed of this either and will let anyone know about the government programs that are out there to help them.
I just hate the stigmatism that is applied to people/families that take part in assistance. I believe that you shouldn’t really judge someone unless you have walked in their shoes, and that you shouldn’t talk about things that you don’t know. You’d be surprised how many people, or friends, that you have who are on government assistance but are too ashamed/afraid to talk about it to you because of being labeled.
Instead of making them feel worse about an already sensitive situation, how about lending an ear or a shoulder to cry on?
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I agree with you 100%! I’m currently a fulltime student studying Mortuary Science. I’ve been getting Link for years. I have three children and that money every month has helped us alot!!! I started working when I was 16; so I figure I can “take” from the government in my time of need. I will rejoin the workforce in a year or two and thus help the government help others, by paying my taxes. It’s a fool who don’t explore all options of survival; especially if you have children.
Dear Michelle,
I agree with you completely. I have been working since I was 15 years old. I only took an two year break to be a SAHM to my two youngest sons, but even then I made money online and file my taxes EVERY year after that, paying taxes and SSI. I would never let my shame stop me from seeking help when I know I needed it the most. I also have no problem giving back, and since couponing I have managed to donate to many different people. I feel like giving and receiving of assistance is a cycle.
Thank you so much for your response.
Take care,
Shynea
I see what your saying. Many people I know in my life are generational Government assistance users. And yes, despite the few who are taking advantage of the system, there are many people who do right by it. Its like with labeling all black folks for something a few may do. And those who aren’t on it shouldn’t look down on those who are. My husband has been able to provide for me since I was 19, enabling me to stay at home even without children…but we know it wasn’t us BUT GOD who made a way.
Now, although we never had to use it, we dont know what the future holds…so we just try to help those in need. My mom though had been on assistance FOREVER….literally. She refuses to get a job, so she rather be a burden on others. But I am a firm believer that GOD help those who help themselves…and thats what your doing Shynea.
I have read on different blogs/forum of how some people are ashamed of using them as well.
I hear you Shynea and I agree with you! I too, have worked since I was 15 years old. And this year, for the first time in my life, I applied for assistance with food and medical benefits. Sometimes life goes in a direction that none of us expect and you have to ask for help to get you through a rough patch. You should see how I’ve been treated at the grocery store when they see I’m paying with my EBT card. It’s absolutely awful. But what’s funny to me, is that when I’m working, I probably bring home a bigger paycheck than they’ve ever seen. But these people want to label me and categorize me without ever knowing my story. The assistance is temporary. But the way they’ve treated me is in my memory forever. Preach it girl. Some of these people need to wake up!
If a person or family truly needs the assistance, they should not be ashamed. We were in the WIC program for a few years when the kids were babies. If we didn’t have WIC, there is absolutely no way that we would have been able to afford the formula the babies needed. Heck, we were struggling to keep up with buying the diapers, even with WIC.
Nobody should feel less than anyone else for needing assistance. Things happen, situations change and if you need it, you need it.
I agree with you completely! I hear a lot of generalizaions, especially because I work with the homeless population. There are so few people that abuse the system, it’s sad that those stereotypes even exist.
Thank you for bringing light to this topic. No one can ever predict their future, or what one family may need. And I truly believe no one should judge, because you never know someone’s true situation.
I support you as a longtime reading, and I love your blog even more now!
~ Jeni
shynea, i def agree with your post. I have worked since i was 16 yrs and and being a single mom of 4 i had to apply for benefits to make ends meet. I had to do what i had to do! even as now im only able to work part-time because im n school and full time. right now i am a family of 9 and we have to suplememtal our grocery bill with food stamps to feed everyone. Im not afraid to say it!
I can relate, although my husband and I have no children yet. After we made a leap of faith move and found ourselves both jobless and our savings dwindling down to just a couple hundred dollars we decided to seek the help of food stamps. It ended up taking my husband 7 months to find a job as a dishwasher so once our 6 months of assistance ended we decided not to renew it since he did have a job (even though we could have gotten almost $100 worth of food stamps), we didn’t want to take it unless we truly needed it.
What a great post! You are so right! I think people are so eager to judge because it makes them feel like it will never be them. If those people are lazy and I am not lazy then I will never be like them, right?
When people need assistance they should get it. That is what it is there for. Do people abuse the system? Sure but that is the minority – not the majority.
hello, i had to leave a comment because this post actually touches close to home, i had a co-worker who learned that i received food stamps and made the comment that he would never stoop so low because he had pride and that he was able and willing to get a job. needless to say my temper did get the best of me and i gave him a very good piece of my mind. i started working as a housekeeper at the age of 14 and have held down a job ever since. and its hard to clothe, feed, keep a roof over your head, lights water and everything else when its only you working and your job wants to cut hours. people who cast judgement really need to step back and really think about what they say. i’m currently working at a job thats like a welfare to work program, that gives full time hours assists with child care, and more so that people who want to work can. i see so many young girls and older women just glow with happiness that they are finally able to take care of their families and get off the system.
***just realized that i accidentally deleted a part of my comment:( . i got on the system when i was pregnant with my son, my original intention was to work til my due date but my dr felt different and pulled me out early. my son did receive wic and for me that was a blessing because there were times that i didnt even have enough change left after paying bills to catch the bus to work. my son is a special needs baby so i did have to take off of work alot to take him to dr appts. in gainesville.
I agree with you also. I had my twin sons extremely premature, 26 weeks, and lost my job the same week they were born. I could not return to work with two extremely sick children and did not return to work for two year. The WIC was a blessing to us. My sons were on special formula which was extremely expensive and wic covered it all as well as other foods they needed as they grew older. We also received Medicaid and without it we would have hospital bill that we would never begin to pay with both boys bill totaling close to a million dollars. Without this assiatance I don’t know how we would have made through the toughest years with the boys.
gd am!
i want to first start off by saying that i have been looking at you r site for awhile now and i love it. keep up the good work!
i too was a recieved assistance from the government. and like you it was something that i had to do. because when i was about 4 or 5 months pregnat with my son i was taken out of work because i was high risk. so i started off with the wic and the food stamps. that also gave me the chance to stay at home with my son and bond with him for the 1st yr. then when i was ready to go back to work i was told by my worker that i had to apply for the cash portion of the program. and i didnt understand why because i just needed them to pay for the daycare while i returned to work. i complied and i turned a bad thing so i thought into a good. when i accepted the cash i had to go to a class for two weeks and thats when i learned that they would pay for me to go to school. that worked out in my favor because i was thinking about going to school but didnt know how i was going to pay for it. God IS AWESOME! long story short i went to school and took up medical billing and coding. the i now work and teh same place where my school sent me to do my externship. this coming august will be three years that i have been employed here. so government assistance isnt bad ITS WHAT YOU MAKE IT.
i love your website pls keep it coming! and congrats on your new little one….:)
Can you tell me how to do this? I’m a stay at home Mom and want to go back to school, but daycare is too expensive. I would appreciate any assistance and guidance you can offer.
God Bless all the wonderful Moms out there!
Since the economy tanked, I suspect there have been more families applying for food stamps/benefits than ever before. I think the stigma comes from the shame of not being able to provide for your family. Still and all, there’s nothing like a crappy economy to level the field, and those who turned their noses up now know what it feels like to walk in someone elses shoes. I suspect that those bloggers who said they were “ashamed” to use food stamps will have a different perspective before long.
sorry some of my words didnt come out correctly! i meant to say a long story short i went to school for medical billing and coding, and the place where i now work at is the same place that i did my externship at. this coming august will be three years that i have been employed here.
I agree with you! I’m out of work for the past two months (almost three now) and I had to go back on FS after being off for about 11 years. It sucks but it is what it is!
You are so right! I work on the other side of the desk as I am a supervisor who oversees caseworkers who determine Food Stamp eligibility. The real fact is that most of the people who receive beneifts do work! Over 50% of people on benefits are children. Sure, there is someone in every bunch that “works” the system, however that is not the general rule.
The food stamp program pumps money into the local area. For every $5 spent in benefits, over $9 is generated into the local area. Think about all of the jobs at your local supermarket, the warehouse, the trucker who delivered the food and the farmer! I know in my area, several jobs would be lost if not for the program. So, please keep a open mind. You never know when you may be in a place that may place you on the other side of the desk.
I just learned something new. I always wondered how the local community benefited from food stamps. Thanks!
Amen! There is nothing to be ashamed of. All people and I mean all people are in need of others. Help, love, relationship, education, fin asst and so on.
There is nothing wrong or shameful about being on food stamps or any other government assistance. I work a full-time job and go to school full-time and it is not always easy. I have been on food stamps and HUD assistance and was glad for it. Yes, i’m doing much better now, but every little bit helps. If I ever need any assistance from any agency and I qualify I am going to apply with my head held high. & I totally agree all people on government assistance are not lazy.
This article touch home, I had my first child as a teen also just out of high school. all my life I worked two full time job to support my family. Nov of 2007 I lost one of my job, I could have transfer but I decided to keep the job with the better income (WRONG MOVE) in less than a year the second job was gone, since then I have been trying to get a job and the rejection letters came in like the phone call for payment on the credit card. with the little I get in unemployment it can get you anywhere. People look down on you like you aree lazy and do not want to work, but they just won’t understand how hard it is to stay home. Like you said YOU HAVE TO BE IN THE SAME SHOE TO KNOW AND STOP JUDGING.
Living in the south I saw both kinds; those who needed assistance and were honest and those who weren’t. What I’ve learned is that generally the ones abusing the system are those who work within it! We needed assistance when we lived in New Orleans and we were able to get it & it was a blessing for us as a one-income family. In San Diego however, they had made the income limit so low NO ONE could qualify! It’s now being investigated. Can you believe it?!
It’s official.
I just now found you and I <3 you. I'm bookmarking your blog and will be back