Showing posts with label poverty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poverty. Show all posts
some thoughts for the holiday
i am home for lunch today.
i just returned from two "home visits". i do a lot of driving for my job as i work with folks living in three different counties. i don't mind the driving; especially on days like today.
i find that the drive helps me to clear my head. often when leaving visits with folks i am overwhelmed with the amount of information gathered, or the staggering barriers to improving outcomes. i spend my time with clients being centered and focused; not revealing the internal chaos of my brain trying to formulate a realistic plan. these folks have more than enough chaos and don't need to worry about mine.
being that it's the holiday season, there's a lot of extra effort and coordination. there are donated gifts from local churches. there are bags of toiletries. our volunteers go out of their way to bring a little festivity to folks who would otherwise be alone and without celebration. we also have food baskets that are put together by the local salvation army.
this is all fantastic, but there is also the logistics of getting these things to the people they were intended for. spread out over three counties and most without their own transportation, this becomes a major headache. an additional paradox is the fact that activities not linked to medical outcomes (i.e. delivering holiday gifts or food baskets) are not approved ways for a medical case manager to spend her time. in other words, it's not something i am supposed to be doing (per the omnipotent folks who run MEDICAID). so i have to "hide" these "deliveries" inside other "true" case management activities.
all of this brings an air of dread to something that should be a heart-warming and humbling activity.
but then you actually meet with your client....
and all of that apprehension goes away.
my first visit was with a gentleman who is currently homeless. he is substance addicted and has been "banned" from the local shelter. he is being sanctioned by the local DSS and cannot receive cash grants, food stamps or emergency housing. he currently has no health insurance. he is completely without. i brought him a new winter jacket and a basket of food and toiletries. he has nowhere to keep these things so i brought him to his sister's home. his sister lives in public housing. this particular public housing development is in a city known for it's rich folks and posh summer sport, Thoroughbred horse racing. the public housing apartments are old and run down. the parking lot is not plowed and there is over a foot of old snow. the concrete steps are all covered in thick ice. it's a hazard, but my client would be eternally grateful to live in a government funded dump like this. it's sure better than the streets.
my second visit was with a woman who is the best example of a survivor i have ever seen. she has been chronically homeless and substance addicted all of her adult life. she has been beaten to near death many times. she's been in and out of multiple rehabs and psychiatric hospitals since being a teenager. she is currently recovering from yet another assault from a former "lover". for the holidays she will have a drain in her scalp from the contusion which is abscessed. she is unstable on her feet and couldn't help me carry her food and gifts because of the concussion she suffered when her head was slammed multiple times against a tile floor.
these are people who are grateful for any shred they are given. they are completely overlooked by most of society; if not discriminated against (did i happen to mention that all of my clients have HIV/AIDS?).
so on my drive back to the office i have a head full of things...
i think how sad it is that there are people who feel they have nothing to celebrate. they are so demoralized they cannot see a way out. i think about the contrast of this richy-rich town and how they treat their poor. i think about how nice it would be if my folks could just have a "day off" from their lives-to just be able to relax and not worry about their next meal.
but most of all i think of the explosion of pure joy that happens when i get to be the one to bring these folks the only gifts they may receive all season (if not all year).
i get the privilege of showing them that not everyone has forgotten about them.
it kind of makes me want to get back to work...
i just returned from two "home visits". i do a lot of driving for my job as i work with folks living in three different counties. i don't mind the driving; especially on days like today.
i find that the drive helps me to clear my head. often when leaving visits with folks i am overwhelmed with the amount of information gathered, or the staggering barriers to improving outcomes. i spend my time with clients being centered and focused; not revealing the internal chaos of my brain trying to formulate a realistic plan. these folks have more than enough chaos and don't need to worry about mine.
being that it's the holiday season, there's a lot of extra effort and coordination. there are donated gifts from local churches. there are bags of toiletries. our volunteers go out of their way to bring a little festivity to folks who would otherwise be alone and without celebration. we also have food baskets that are put together by the local salvation army.
this is all fantastic, but there is also the logistics of getting these things to the people they were intended for. spread out over three counties and most without their own transportation, this becomes a major headache. an additional paradox is the fact that activities not linked to medical outcomes (i.e. delivering holiday gifts or food baskets) are not approved ways for a medical case manager to spend her time. in other words, it's not something i am supposed to be doing (per the omnipotent folks who run MEDICAID). so i have to "hide" these "deliveries" inside other "true" case management activities.
all of this brings an air of dread to something that should be a heart-warming and humbling activity.
but then you actually meet with your client....
and all of that apprehension goes away.
my first visit was with a gentleman who is currently homeless. he is substance addicted and has been "banned" from the local shelter. he is being sanctioned by the local DSS and cannot receive cash grants, food stamps or emergency housing. he currently has no health insurance. he is completely without. i brought him a new winter jacket and a basket of food and toiletries. he has nowhere to keep these things so i brought him to his sister's home. his sister lives in public housing. this particular public housing development is in a city known for it's rich folks and posh summer sport, Thoroughbred horse racing. the public housing apartments are old and run down. the parking lot is not plowed and there is over a foot of old snow. the concrete steps are all covered in thick ice. it's a hazard, but my client would be eternally grateful to live in a government funded dump like this. it's sure better than the streets.
my second visit was with a woman who is the best example of a survivor i have ever seen. she has been chronically homeless and substance addicted all of her adult life. she has been beaten to near death many times. she's been in and out of multiple rehabs and psychiatric hospitals since being a teenager. she is currently recovering from yet another assault from a former "lover". for the holidays she will have a drain in her scalp from the contusion which is abscessed. she is unstable on her feet and couldn't help me carry her food and gifts because of the concussion she suffered when her head was slammed multiple times against a tile floor.
these are people who are grateful for any shred they are given. they are completely overlooked by most of society; if not discriminated against (did i happen to mention that all of my clients have HIV/AIDS?).
so on my drive back to the office i have a head full of things...
i think how sad it is that there are people who feel they have nothing to celebrate. they are so demoralized they cannot see a way out. i think about the contrast of this richy-rich town and how they treat their poor. i think about how nice it would be if my folks could just have a "day off" from their lives-to just be able to relax and not worry about their next meal.
but most of all i think of the explosion of pure joy that happens when i get to be the one to bring these folks the only gifts they may receive all season (if not all year).
i get the privilege of showing them that not everyone has forgotten about them.
it kind of makes me want to get back to work...
inside a case worker's head
here's a few uncoordinated thoughts on the federal poverty level, the criteria used to determine eligibility for most forms of state and federal assistance.
the federal poverty level is a income threshold that is re-evaluated annually based on inflation. the formula for calculating poverty has not been significantly changed in over 40 years. it is based on the cost of food and how much of one's income the US Dept of Health and Human Services assumes one spends on food. the basic idea is that a person spends about a third of their income on food. the govemment makes an assessment on how much food would feed a person for a month, estimates what it would cost and then multiplies it by three.
the main issue i have with this is that it doesn't make sense. think about it, do you spend a third of your income on food? i don't. what about your housing cost? the cost of housing has increased faster than the rate of inflation. much faster.
if your monthly income is $850 or below in 2007 you are in poverty. if you are unlucky enough to be at or below this place, you will hopefully be eligible for multiple types of assistance like Medicaid or Food Stamps.
lets say that you work a minimum wage job.
(i am going to use the federal minimum wage because we are looking at the federal poverty level. each state has the ability to create their own minimum wage)
you make $5.85 an hour and you probably work about 37 hours weekly because your employer doesn't want you to be eligible for company health insurance. you gross about $11,255 annually. you are over the federal poverty level of $10,210 annually for a single person.
based on the way the goverment looks at it you spend about $312 on food. that leaves you $626 for rent, utilities/phone, transportation and health care (because you are over the income threshold for Medicaid). considering the median rent in 2000 was $602 monthly, you're screwed. what are you going to go without? you certainly cannot afford a car and insurance, so how do you get to your job? how do you pay for public transportation? what happens if you get sick?
how much of a difference in comfort is there between the person who has an annual income of $10,000 and $13,000? not much from the way i see it. but the goverment doesn't see the latter as being in poverty.
certainly this definition of poverty is helpful for the purpose of statistics. in my opinion the current federal poverty threshold is very low, and in turn it looks like we have less poor people in our country.
what happens to all the folks just above the poverty level? there is an enormous amount of people that exist between the poverty level and the 'middle class'. these folks work hard and pay taxes. they often don't have health insurance and can't afford stable or safe housing. they have unreliable forms of transportation. they work jobs with no security and feel invaluable and overlooked. they don't vote because no one is talking about things they experience, or maybe they are just too busy 'surviving' to care.
at a time when we are cautiously hopeful for real change in the united states, i would certainly like to hear more political conversation in this area. although the idea of universal health care is optimistic, it is only one small piece of the larger puzzle. are there any politicians creating a comprehensive solution to poverty in the united states?
if so, please let me know.
the federal poverty level is a income threshold that is re-evaluated annually based on inflation. the formula for calculating poverty has not been significantly changed in over 40 years. it is based on the cost of food and how much of one's income the US Dept of Health and Human Services assumes one spends on food. the basic idea is that a person spends about a third of their income on food. the govemment makes an assessment on how much food would feed a person for a month, estimates what it would cost and then multiplies it by three.
the main issue i have with this is that it doesn't make sense. think about it, do you spend a third of your income on food? i don't. what about your housing cost? the cost of housing has increased faster than the rate of inflation. much faster.
if your monthly income is $850 or below in 2007 you are in poverty. if you are unlucky enough to be at or below this place, you will hopefully be eligible for multiple types of assistance like Medicaid or Food Stamps.
lets say that you work a minimum wage job.
(i am going to use the federal minimum wage because we are looking at the federal poverty level. each state has the ability to create their own minimum wage)
you make $5.85 an hour and you probably work about 37 hours weekly because your employer doesn't want you to be eligible for company health insurance. you gross about $11,255 annually. you are over the federal poverty level of $10,210 annually for a single person.
based on the way the goverment looks at it you spend about $312 on food. that leaves you $626 for rent, utilities/phone, transportation and health care (because you are over the income threshold for Medicaid). considering the median rent in 2000 was $602 monthly, you're screwed. what are you going to go without? you certainly cannot afford a car and insurance, so how do you get to your job? how do you pay for public transportation? what happens if you get sick?
how much of a difference in comfort is there between the person who has an annual income of $10,000 and $13,000? not much from the way i see it. but the goverment doesn't see the latter as being in poverty.
certainly this definition of poverty is helpful for the purpose of statistics. in my opinion the current federal poverty threshold is very low, and in turn it looks like we have less poor people in our country.
what happens to all the folks just above the poverty level? there is an enormous amount of people that exist between the poverty level and the 'middle class'. these folks work hard and pay taxes. they often don't have health insurance and can't afford stable or safe housing. they have unreliable forms of transportation. they work jobs with no security and feel invaluable and overlooked. they don't vote because no one is talking about things they experience, or maybe they are just too busy 'surviving' to care.
at a time when we are cautiously hopeful for real change in the united states, i would certainly like to hear more political conversation in this area. although the idea of universal health care is optimistic, it is only one small piece of the larger puzzle. are there any politicians creating a comprehensive solution to poverty in the united states?
if so, please let me know.
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