Social Workers
I am going to have to go to the social worker in W. to try to set myself up with them and I am afraid. They are not the easiest people to deal with.
In Maine they had me set up with Food Stamps, Cash assistance, and heating assistance, as well as medical, until my disability came through, then the food stamps and cash assistance fell through, as expected, and the medical changed to secondary coverage, but they were covering my medicare premiums and the first year I did get heating assistance.
The heating assistance worker made a substantial error calculating the household income last year and I had to pay for all the heat last winter, and it pushed me over the edge. I was headed there anyway, because every year I was going deeper and deeper into the abyss of debt, spending more than I was taking in, but not getting heating assistance pushed it there so much faster that I knew I couldn't make it through another year.
I took care of the car insurance today, and that is going to cost me 2 times as much down here, but they don't take that into consideration as an expense, nor do they consider your level of debt.
So I have to go in there and explain myself to them, and I don't quite understand it myself. I came down here expecting to stay here for a little while, looking for an apartment, then starting fresh, but now I'm living here, rent free, but with additional expenses I was not anticipating.
I have to pay for school lunches here. I did not have to pay in Maine. Even though the standard of living is much higher in RI, they consider the percentage of the poverty level that you need to be above less to qualify for free lunch.
Taxes and insurance on the car are higher. I was paying about $500 per year and now it is over $1000 for insurance. Food prices are higher, but it cost less to go and get the food. It was 10 miles to the Hannafords and 20 miles to the Walmart or the Food City in Maine, but it is 2 miles to the Stop N Shop. The Stop N Shop also has gas, and the more you spend there the more you get off on gas.
Many things are very close here, so I'll save a lot on gas, as well as wear on the car. I just hope that this makes up for other things a little, because once I do go to get an apartment, I don't know that I'm going to be able to afford it.
Best to get on a waiting list now.
In Maine they had me set up with Food Stamps, Cash assistance, and heating assistance, as well as medical, until my disability came through, then the food stamps and cash assistance fell through, as expected, and the medical changed to secondary coverage, but they were covering my medicare premiums and the first year I did get heating assistance.
The heating assistance worker made a substantial error calculating the household income last year and I had to pay for all the heat last winter, and it pushed me over the edge. I was headed there anyway, because every year I was going deeper and deeper into the abyss of debt, spending more than I was taking in, but not getting heating assistance pushed it there so much faster that I knew I couldn't make it through another year.
I took care of the car insurance today, and that is going to cost me 2 times as much down here, but they don't take that into consideration as an expense, nor do they consider your level of debt.
So I have to go in there and explain myself to them, and I don't quite understand it myself. I came down here expecting to stay here for a little while, looking for an apartment, then starting fresh, but now I'm living here, rent free, but with additional expenses I was not anticipating.
I have to pay for school lunches here. I did not have to pay in Maine. Even though the standard of living is much higher in RI, they consider the percentage of the poverty level that you need to be above less to qualify for free lunch.
Taxes and insurance on the car are higher. I was paying about $500 per year and now it is over $1000 for insurance. Food prices are higher, but it cost less to go and get the food. It was 10 miles to the Hannafords and 20 miles to the Walmart or the Food City in Maine, but it is 2 miles to the Stop N Shop. The Stop N Shop also has gas, and the more you spend there the more you get off on gas.
Many things are very close here, so I'll save a lot on gas, as well as wear on the car. I just hope that this makes up for other things a little, because once I do go to get an apartment, I don't know that I'm going to be able to afford it.
Best to get on a waiting list now.
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