Public Assistance
For the first time in my life, I have had to go on public assistance. Never knew what it was like until I moved up here to Maine. Well, I saw what my daughter went through, but never had first hand knowledge of the situations until I became disabled and had to ask for assistance.
The social worker at the state office has cut me off three times. The first time, for 3 months, because I had found a part time job which netted me less than $1,000 in 4 months, and reinstated me after three months because she had made a clerical error. I made less money working than I could collect from welfare - which is a really sad state of things!! The second and third time, I was cut off because of another clerical error.
Naturally, when I got the notification that I had been cut off I had a panic attack - I do that. In person the social worker from the state is really nice to me, but the correspondance sent from their office is very condescending. Whenever I get a letter from her it takes me a week to calm down.
But that office only provides food stamps, medical coverage, and cash benefits. You have to go to another agency to apply for heating assistance, and as I live in Maine, and have almost nothing left, I need the help. When I went down to the wmca office the first few times I delt with a very nice woman who not only got me heating assistance, but assistance with my electric bill, and had a contractor come and insulate the house for me.
This year I had to go to reapply for heating assistance and they made me wait until March for an appointment (6 month wait), and gave me such a hard time about the application that I was in tears when I left the office. I'm sure that none of them would be surprised by that and probably just dismiss my upset because of my condition, but she didn't need to be so rude to me.
I find the people in this part of Maine to be very rude - the rudest that they are is when they think that you are being rude to them. I am rarely purposefully rude to anyone, but it seems up here I cannot help being perceived as such. A woman at my brother's church (who was butting her nose in to our family) sent me the rudest email I have ever received in my life accusing me of being rude to her because I didn't want her buying a freaking kyack for my girl!
I rarely have encountered such as miserable place as I am in now. I want so to go home to RI, where I can deal with people more easily because I understand them better.
The social worker at the state office has cut me off three times. The first time, for 3 months, because I had found a part time job which netted me less than $1,000 in 4 months, and reinstated me after three months because she had made a clerical error. I made less money working than I could collect from welfare - which is a really sad state of things!! The second and third time, I was cut off because of another clerical error.
Naturally, when I got the notification that I had been cut off I had a panic attack - I do that. In person the social worker from the state is really nice to me, but the correspondance sent from their office is very condescending. Whenever I get a letter from her it takes me a week to calm down.
But that office only provides food stamps, medical coverage, and cash benefits. You have to go to another agency to apply for heating assistance, and as I live in Maine, and have almost nothing left, I need the help. When I went down to the wmca office the first few times I delt with a very nice woman who not only got me heating assistance, but assistance with my electric bill, and had a contractor come and insulate the house for me.
This year I had to go to reapply for heating assistance and they made me wait until March for an appointment (6 month wait), and gave me such a hard time about the application that I was in tears when I left the office. I'm sure that none of them would be surprised by that and probably just dismiss my upset because of my condition, but she didn't need to be so rude to me.
I find the people in this part of Maine to be very rude - the rudest that they are is when they think that you are being rude to them. I am rarely purposefully rude to anyone, but it seems up here I cannot help being perceived as such. A woman at my brother's church (who was butting her nose in to our family) sent me the rudest email I have ever received in my life accusing me of being rude to her because I didn't want her buying a freaking kyack for my girl!
I rarely have encountered such as miserable place as I am in now. I want so to go home to RI, where I can deal with people more easily because I understand them better.
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