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Faces
of Welfare | The
Increased Cost of Household Items
| States that have Raised
the Welfare Grant | Comparisons
of the Shelter Allowance and HUD Fair Market Values
Faces
of Welfare:
Trinisha
McGriff
Trinisha
McGriff, who has been on welfare only since this past March, tries
to work with social services to achieve the best possible outcome
for her and her daughter, but she repeatedly finds obstacles in
the system. The cheapest two bedroom apartment that she found was
$175 more than her shelter allowance could cover. Denied permission
to live there by social services because it was too expensive, she
now lives at the YWCA women’s shelter. Though she is satisfied
with the facilities, Trinisha wants her independence back, something
that was much easier for her to have before she went on welfare.
read more >
Doris
Stone
Doris Stone just wants those who are in a position to determine
the amount of assistance she needs to spend one day in her shoes.
Feeding three teenagers and herself this summer will be no easy
feat on the $397 a month she receives in Food Stamps. “The
boys come home after sports and go straight to checking what is
in the refrigerator,” she laughs, finding humor in what is
an everyday struggle. Additionally, her daughter, who lives with
her father during the school year, is living with Doris during the
summer months though the amount in food assistance does not change.
Doris’ family is trying to work with what they have; sometimes
her kids go to the rec. center to have lunch. On Saturday mornings
they go to a church for breakfast, where they also volunteer, an
example of how Doris finds ways to provide for her family when there
isn’t enough. read more >
Datwanna
Stenney
Health
problems have caused more than the usual headaches for Datwanna
Stenney--given that even the shelter that Datwanna and her one year
old son, Yaden, live in has been jeopardized. Every month, Datwanna
and her son are entitled to $140 in a cash grant, $150 in child
support ($50 of which she actually sees), $287 a month in Food Stamps
and another $287 paid to the shelter that she and her son have lived
in since February. read more >
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