Welfare continued-How it all begins:

Here is how it begins: you go in person to the location for the county you live in, for me it’s Dekalb, so, I go in person to the Sam’s street address and find my way to the entrance. I was there ten minutes before they opened for the day, which is at 8:00am.  Once I entered the doors, I was asked if I could be helped by a woman standing at a podium, she was one of the people there to assist you, she was very frank and straightforward, her help was limited but genuine, she knew where I needed to go when I said, and “I want to apply for welfare money”.

Some already knew where they needed to be and walked on by the podium not needing any assistance, but me, I was asked how I could be helped. I suppose I looked lost, out of place, confused when I told her what I wanted I was directed to the area in the building where I she said I need to go to complete an application. I asked her, “How long does it take to receive cash” and she replied, “I don’t know, just go to the elevator at the end of the hall and go to the 3^rd floor.”

I finished the application and handed it back to the person I got it from and was then given an appointment sheet with a date to attend an orientation session for TANF on June 25, 2012. I arrived 30 minutes early, just to be, as we say, 100 and here is how it went:

At this orientation you are in a room with others who are looking for the same thing I was, temporary assistance for my needy family.

Some were there for the benefit of a program that included child care assistance this is help with childcare fees, the name of this subsidy is called CAPS, for your child or children while you look for work and once you find a job and begin work. My child is thirteen, but I wasn’t there for that part of the TANF program, but from my understanding from others who were, you are given a piece of paper to give to your child care provider that promises that they will receive payment for your child’s care. This is a great help to mothers with young children, initially you are given a promissory note that allows your child free childcare for up to five weeks, if during this time you get a job then you are still given some assistance with a portion of the payment of your childcare. The only validation is that you must work, at minimum, 30 hours per week.

Now, in many cases you may find a part-time job, but you are not given 30 hours per week, it is more like 15-20 hours per week, in this case you are not eligible to receive any assistance with the payment of your child’s care.  

Today’s employer’s….statistics about part-time employment

Most employers are not sensitive to the needs of the employee. They have no need for workers to be more than part-time workers that is, many of them only want part-time workers and the pay in this kind of work situation is minimum wage. When it comes to childcare, which is totally on you the employer is likely to not need you if you cannot get a sitter. I’ve heard it, “You not coming in cause' you can’t find a sitter!” Well, you know the rest, this person is not scheduled for many hours, if any at all, and soon they are let go for this very reason. So, it’s back to the TANF program they go.

What a nasty cycle of keeping the crop of part-time, minimum wage worker availability seeded. The women are young, have small children, feel no way out and are treated like scallywags because they need help, disgusting.  

Most of the employers are changing classification of workers to part-time. I’ve noticed many occupations that were once full-time positions are now just part-time, according to the labor department… Employers want you to hire you, but for as little cost as possible to them they need you to make them  look good not vise-a-versa. This is exploitation, simple exploitation.

Part-time employees in most companies are not given the same benefits as a full-time employee and that means that the employer, as long as he has you classified as a part-time employee is not liable for certain taxes for you.

Most companies’ payroll is bi-weekly so you may receive a check for 30 hours for working two weeks work, which breaks down to 15 hours a week. There is no healthcare insurance, vacation pay, sick pay, or any other benefit for you, but if you are eligible for the governments Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-SNAP or “food stamps”. The employer will receive a tax credit for hiring you. It is a sort of game and everyone besides the worker is benefiting from it.