Government Aid (Food Stamps and WIC)

chocolate moose

Wed, Nov 01 2006, 9:43 pm

Batya doesn't really understand how people live.

Let me paint a picture.

Couple gets married. With some help from var. charities. They work, but at menial jobs. They get preg. They work but aren't professionals. They rent an apt and live week to week. For Pesach and other holidays, they get clothes from Hefkar or other neighborhood places cheaply and eat out a few meals. No vacations or trips...no eating out.

These people don't have $2000 put aside. They might not have $200 put aside.

Batya, not everyone has family help, not everyone is a professional, and a LOTof frum women have a baby every year or so!

On a personal note - I can only say when I was paying down debts, I was told to keep three mos worth of expenses in the bank.

I never, ever had that much cash laying around. Not then, and not now!

And I got WIC baby, oh boy, did I get WIC...and I cried bitter tears when DD turned 5 and we were no longer eligible............

amother

Wed, Nov 01 2006, 10:13 pm

I live in NY and just signed up recently for WIC. They don't ask for how much you have in the bank, just how much you make.
My husband learns in Kollel and I work. Last month due to yomim tovim, a few days off, etc, I made less money than usual so I qualified. I also applied for Family Health Plus -- which is like Medicaid, but you can make more money and have more money in assets -- up to $2,500 a month in pay, up to $18,000 in assets for a family of 4! And I'm glad they have this option, otherwise, a large chunk of my paycheck would go to health insurance...it wouldn't even pay to work so much! You know what I mean?

I was completely honest on the applications and said this is what I made for last month. They only ask to see 1 month's pay stubs.
As long as you're being honest, I see no problem is asking for help if you need it. We all pay the taxes, as well.

shoy18

Wed, Nov 01 2006, 10:14 pm

amother wrote:

sorry hun, but thats not honest to pick the month you make the least amount of money and then sign up, did you not re-read what you wrote?????

batya_d

Wed, Nov 01 2006, 10:15 pm

Let me clarify. My husband is not a professional, I am a student, we have minimal help from our parents, and we are not rolling in money.

Because we have some stocks to our names, we wouldn't qualify for Food Stamps. WIC is another issue, as I see here. More people qualify for that.

Here is what prompted the tread:
What I noticed on Imamother is that when Government Aid comes up, lots of women reply with their personal experiences. I was trying to understand if ALL the women here who have been on government aid met these extremely stringent income requirements, if they are cheating, or if I misundrstood the requiments. That is all.

momontherun

Wed, Nov 01 2006, 10:25 pm

There are def. those that are on programs and totally qualify.
But there are more than plenty that lie, work off the books, etc to get gov programs. shame on them. don't they believe that hashem will give them the same (or more) when they are honest. isn't every persons income bashert? I really think hashem would rather have people earning it the straight way.

amother

Wed, Nov 01 2006, 10:54 pm

shoy18 wrote:

sorry hun, but thats not honest to pick the month you make the least amount of money and then sign up, did you not re-read what you wrote?????

I think it's totally legal -- they say if you qualify, you can apply and get it for a year, regardless of changes in income. I asked a Rov if I could make less one month to quality and he said it was fine.

cindy324

Wed, Nov 01 2006, 11:14 pm

Quote:

Batya doesn't really understand how people live.

maybe she does not understand how 80% of frum jews in Brooklyn are able to get all that gov't aid. I do. Come on , people! all of you jumping down batya's throat, maybe you ARE in a situation that you honestly need the help, but let's call a spade a spade! In fact , those amothers who are angry , because they are in a bad financial sitch, and CAN'T get everything they SHOULD get, they should rather be angry at all those cheaters taking it away from them.

And YES! They are cheaters, along with the employers who put the minimum amount on their paychecks , and give them the rest in cash, so that they can cash in on foodstamps, get free medical insurance, etc. Oh, and in case you didn't know , the employers benefit from this too, they pay less taxes on payroll. As far as total assets go Batya, did you really think they put money in the bank? Did you think they own a car on their name?

And yes, WIC does have an income limit. I know because I lost WIC a couple months ago when my DH got a raise.

Quote:

you have to be living on nothing to qualify for regular Medicaid,

Like I wrote, NOT hard to make it seem like you're living on nothing.

Quote:

How dare you amothers judge people like that?! That is disgusting of you.

HAHAHAHAHAHA! I got a good laugh out of that one! No , not the part where u say ur honest about it and really do need it, I don't doubt you for a second. It is people like yourself that SHOULD receive gov't assistance. But I live in Brooklyn, and all these people that I see one minute in Jacadi and Whoopi buying ridiculously overpriced baby clothes, and the next standing on line at the grocery paying with their foodstamp card. And let me NOT get into the people I personally know, who own a beautiful home and paying the mortgage with section 8! Het , as far as the gov't is concerned they're supposedly homeless.

amother

Thu, Nov 02 2006, 12:49 am

Yoyosma, it does seem that it is more prevalent in the NY/NJ area. I live OOT and there is a kollel here that attracts yungeleit from Lakewood. Apparently, at one point they were having a hard time finding new families to join here. One of the issues that people have is that the gov't benefits in this city aren't nearly as good as in the NY/NJ area. Meaning, even though this kollel provides a generous stipend, it's not always financially worth it for people to leave all their great "benefits." For instance, there is no section 8 housing in a frum neighborhood in my city.

One thing that totally bothers me: recently, there was an ad on a regular basis for an apartment complex in Lakewood. The apts. feature all sorts of luxury ammenities: in unit laundry, self cleaning oven, dishwashers, etc... Then it says, "Section 8 accepted!" I just don't get it..... Confused

Piper

Thu, Nov 02 2006, 1:31 am

SaraG wrote:

All right, after reading this post, my question is, if a couple is is having such a hard time financially, why in the world would they have a baby every year or so? How would they be able to care for so many children, with childcare expenses and then day school tuition? Does the $$ just magically appear?

mummy-bh

Thu, Nov 02 2006, 8:17 am

I haven't read through the whole thread properly, but I want to ask one question. Why is there such a stigma attached to receiving government help? I don't get it. If a family hasn't got enough to live on and they earn/own an amount below the threshold amount, then they are totally entitled to the financial aid. Good for them that there is this available to help them out. And all you amothers who don't 'approve', well find something else to worry about. Rolling Eyes

rainbow baby

Thu, Nov 02 2006, 8:39 am

Well said Mummy, why should people suffer so much that they are not only worried where their next meal is coming from but if they are going to have a roof over their heads next week. Finacial stress causes marriages to break up or for them to become strained. As someone pointed out previously not every couple has parents that can help them out. They need somewhere to turn and if the government is willing to help them out then so be it.
People on here should stop these people feeling so bad.

shoy18

Thu, Nov 02 2006, 8:41 am

jewishmamathebest wrote:

bec people cheat the govt and some people just either lie or not tell the whole truth and get WIC and others who really are struggling but make a smidgen over the limit and cant get it.

amother

Thu, Nov 02 2006, 11:41 am

New amother here. B"H we have a sizable amount of money in stocks. However our income is low. WIC and Medicaid do not ask about assets, so we are therefore eligible for both. I was completely honest on the application. I don't think we are eligible for food stamps, so I never even applied.
They do tell you that if you have a change in income you must let them know. And since you have to re-apply every year (more often for WIC), you need to send them the newest info. anyway.