LMAO tanf

[transformed]

I am totally LMAO that we make "too much money" to qualify for tanf (cash assistance" right now.

my dh delivers pizza 25 hours a week.

[SeekingJoy]

I am really sorry, but glad you can see the humor in life's mysteries.

[AutumnMama]

: I'm sorry! You will probably qualify for food stamps though, if that helps.

Hope things pick up for you guys soon!

[1growingsprout]

In our state, due to budget issues, TANF is not accepting new applications and current clients recieved a 25% reduction in benefits a couple months ago.

At least they TOOK your application.

[transformed]

LOL, yeah....I mean - we have a roof over our heads - I like to look at it as "give us this day our daily bread" instead of freaking out. I mean, what can I really do in this moment but chill out about it.

oh and 3 kids.

I'd like to comment on the million dollar bonuses but I think it would be a UA violation.

Hey - does anyone know if I can collect some of our EIC or whatever that huge lump sum of money that we get with our taxes early? Dh starts fire academy in August and he wont e working at all then.

I am looking for work ut I dont know if it will e worth the extra I'll pay in childcare. (CDS sure doesnt cover much!)

[shayinme]

Originally Posted by SeekingJoy

I am really sorry, but glad you can see the humor in life's mysteries.

ITA w/this. Sadly TANF is generally only available when you have no money coming in at least that is how I have understood it to be.

[Amylcd]

Originally Posted by shayinme

ITA w/this. Sadly TANF is generally only available when you have no money coming in at least that is how I have understood it to be.

I agree.

[SunshineJ]

Originally Posted by shayinme

ITA w/this. Sadly TANF is generally only available when you have no money coming in at least that is how I have understood it to be.

Yep, and a couple years ago it amounted to a whopping $340 a month in our state. DH lost his job and was messed around on unemployment, I was a sahm. We got $340 a month TANF, zero housing assistance, food stamps and medicaid, and zero employment assistance. (We had to register at the unemployment place of course, only to have them cancel appointments, refuse to assist with things like resumes and interview practice when we approached them about it, and tell us they didn't "handle" our type of work. Didn't know IT was so specialized!) All in all it wasn't enough to even survive for more than one month by delaying and being late on everything!

[transformed]

cool. being homeless rocks. yea capitalism.::

oh eta: PS - and then banning the tent citys is the next best step.

We don't want "those" people around our citys.

[mysticmomma]

I love the tent cities. I'm sure the people living in them may not. We have nothing extra, but I'd gladly take stuff down or bring people in to shower if I had one near me.

[transformed]

Originally Posted by mysticmomma

I love the tent cities. I'm sure the people living in them may not. We have nothing extra, but I'd gladly take stuff down or bring people in to shower if I had one near me.

me too.

[Purple Sage]

Originally Posted by transformed

Hey - does anyone know if I can collect some of our EIC or whatever that huge lump sum of money that we get with our taxes early? Dh starts fire academy in August and he wont e working at all then.

Here's some info on the Advance EIC

http://www.irs.gov/individuals/artic...=96515,00.html


Good luck, mama!

[cravenab00]

yes, yoiu can get advance EIC. you need to have DH ask his employer for a W-5 form.
it wont be as much as you get with your taxes, but every little bit helps, right?

[pollyanna]

when I called to ask about daycare assitance last yr the state said I had tobe on cash assitance. then when I called them they told me if I made more than 900/month I didn't qualify for cash assitance, but daycare cost 200-250/wk depending on who i called. So really the only way I could afford daycare was if I quit working, but then why would I need it?

Pollyanna

[transformed]

thank you!

I wonder how much less....:

[Purple Sage]

Originally Posted by pollyanna

when I called to ask about daycare assitance last yr the state said I had tobe on cash assitance. then when I called them they told me if I made more than 900/month I didn't qualify for cash assitance, but daycare cost 200-250/wk depending on who i called. So really the only way I could afford daycare was if I quit working, but then why would I need it?

Pollyanna

:

This is so frustrating to me. Here there is a long waiting list to get child care assistance, AND you have to already have a job in order to get on the list. If I can't afford to pay for childcare in the first place, exactly how is this supposed to work?

[Purple Sage]

Originally Posted by transformed

thank you!

I wonder how much less....:

I think the max you can get in advance is something like $150 a month.

[Kristine233]

Originally Posted by pollyanna

when I called to ask about daycare assitance last yr the state said I had tobe on cash assitance. then when I called them they told me if I made more than 900/month I didn't qualify for cash assitance, but daycare cost 200-250/wk depending on who i called. So really the only way I could afford daycare was if I quit working, but then why would I need it?

Pollyanna

We did that cycle years ago, lol. I really don't understand the reasoning. When our oldest was born the cheapest daycare I could find was $400/wk for infants. Yup, $400 a week - $1600 a month. I had to be working in order to apply for child care assistance. BUT If I did work and made enough to cover ONLY the childcare, I made too much. But no job I could find even covered the childcare costs at the time. Then I decided to work AT that childcare, I had no other options and they gave discounted childcare. ($90 a week per child... but crappy wages)

The way the system is set up bites.

A hint for anyone who recently lost a job.. check out your state's dislocated workers program. My husband lost his job in February so its been tight. But since so many people lost jobs in our area he has not been able to find another one at all in his field, or any field. McDonald's isn't even hiring. After checking with the job center he qualifies for the dislocated workers program. They will pay for 2 years of college/degree in a new career field and if we need childcare to be able to do that, they pay for it along with transportation. He gets unemployment and I work as well, that program isn't based on what you make (although we're pretty low income anyways and couldn't afford for him to go to school any other way).

I will say this, our area is set up pretty well as far as resources to help low income families... if you know how to access them. Almost everyone in our area is pretty low income, its a low CoL area.

[p1gg1e]

Can you offer child care in your home? Its been helpful for us.

[justmama]

as someone who has been riding this system and all it's idiosyncracies for too embarrassingly long, i sympathize with you. i don't know how to fix it obviously but I didn't want to read and not comment. I'm there in that boat, obviously lots of us are. You have to wonder when that boat is going to start sinking ey?