Tuesday, March 6, 1984

I must find a job, although there aren't any, and I have no one to financially help me. I know there aren't any full-time jobs, but maybe there are some part-time jobs. If I am lucky enough to find a part-time job, even though it will cost $5.00 a day in gasoline to get to the job and home, my food stamps, unemployment benefits, ADC or Welfare, will be reduced. Last year I was able to draw partial unemployment and to make up to half of my unemployment benefits, but my food stamps were reduced by a like amount. Considering that it costs me $5.00 a day to drive back and forth to work, I ended up in the hole.

I was shocked to see my child so thin at the hospital visiting Mom. I've found out why. My child, spouse and their two children are trying to live on $378.00 a month take-home pay, and $148.00 of food stamps. There's not any money allowed for driving to and from work. Before food stamps arrive every month, my child is eating bread and vegetables. When the first borne was three years old, the Women's Children and Infant program, WIC, no longer supplied milk for the eldest, and now there isn't enough milk for the family either. Their rent is $230.00 a month for a two bedroom apartment, which is not an excessive amount for this area. In fact, it's dirt cheap. They must pay our Great Gas God, Cilco, and their telephone. They have no insurance and make too much money for a medical card. There's no money or program for medical, dental, Pap Smears, hyperactivity testing for the four year old or to find out why the three-year-old isn't talking yet.

My county had twenty-three percent more people on welfare in 1983 than in 1982. Our area is rising in new unemployment benefit claims. The state of Illinois states that a total of $632.o00 is needed for a family of three to live in this area, but only $302.00, plus food stamps, is supplied by all the agencies helping families. I've worked since I was fifteen years old, and the people like myself, who have worked hard and raised their families, are allowed less than one-third of $632.00, although we have essentially the same expenses: rent or house payment, Cilco, phone, water, transportation, food, etc. Although my expenses are cheaper than someone with children, they aren't two -thirds cheaper, and my home is cheap by any one's standards, anywhere in this country. Even though my house payment is very cheap, the payment is $6.00 more than welfare allows for all expenses, except food. Since I'm alone now, I'm perfectly capable of living in my living room/kitchen combination room and blocking off the rest of the house. This has been a severe winter. It seems to me that the less gas and electricity used, the more per therm and/or kilowatt Cilco charges. I'll winterize more this year, much more than ever before, just in case I'm wrong about Cilco.