My friend just lost her food stamps.

[leftyladyfrommo]

She is 67. She gets $800 a month from SS. She works part time for $8 a hour. I think she takes home about $120 a week.

She used her food stamps to eat.

She makes too much money. So now she has to find someplace else to cut back. I think her rent is about $600 a month. She might be able to find a cheaper apartment somewhere but it would be a dump.

Life can get really tricky as you get older.

[JI7]

1. does she now make more than she got in food stamps ?

can she cut some hours to keep the food stamps if that helps her more ?

[leftyladyfrommo]

7. I don't know.

She's pretty good at figuring all that stuff out. I think you get good at it after trying to live right on the edge for a long time.

I worry about her. She's one of those people who just can't seem to get a break. She was a hair dresser and then as she got older her clients just kind of drifted away.

I'm not sure how food stamps work. I think she was expected to look for a job if she was on food stamps. So she finally found this job - and she likes it and they like her. But it is just $8 a hour and probably will always be a very low amount. She helps out in a grocery store stocking and just doing what needs to be done. But now she lost her food stamps.

[Hekate]

21. One of my retired friends uses the Food Bank

She also lives in subsidized senior housing, for which she was on a waiting list at least 3 years.

Another retired woman friend lives in shared housing -- always has, probably always will. In this town that is expensive for a nice place, but a lot less than living alone.

I don't know what kind of resources your area has, but you could start by looking up Area Agency on Aging, same name everywhere. In our county copies of the guide are in a free booklet you can pick up at the public library. In my brother's county (same state) they put the whole shebang online, no hard copies. I asked them what about seniors who don't have computers, but "a decision was made." Anyway, since you do use a computer, you might start the ball rolling for your friend by looking it up online and seeing what you can scope out.

Best of luck. The biggest demographic for abject poverty used to be old people, and it looks like we are heading that way again.

[Yo_Mama]

28. If her take-home is about $120 a week

That's way more than she would get in food stamps, so she may be doing better overall.

Of course there are also working costs, such as transportation.

When she gets too old to work, hopefully she will get food stamps back. Imagine trying to live alone on $800 a month.

[undergroundpanther]

57. I live on$798 a month. I'm disabled and it sucks.

[Yo_Mama]

61. Do you have subsidized housing?

Because that just doesn't seem doable. Do you get food stamps?

It's hard to live on $1,200 a month, much less $800!!!

[still_one]

2. Can she appeal?

[Hekate]

22. I'm sure she can, and she certainly should.

[still_one]

26. I hope she does and gets it reinstated

[txwhitedove]

3. Poor old dear. Recommend local food pantries, churches, and Meals on Wheels if

it's still running in her area.

[leftyladyfrommo]

10. She might be able to do that.

She has a car. But it's hard for her to even make her insurance payment. She just constantly has to rob peter to pay paul.

Meals on wheels aren't very good. At least not around here. I was helping at a house where an older lady got the meals and they were horrible. I would hate to be stuck trying to live solely on Meals on Wheels food.

[No Vested Interest]

82. Meals on wheels is intended primarily for

people who cannot get out of the house to purchase food items, though that may be relaxed in some areas.

In my area (SW Ohio) , those who deliver are provided a meal, and sometimes one for a spouse as well.
I understand they are tasty, though I can't verify that myself, never having had one. I think tastiness (or not)depends on the local provider.

[leftyladyfrommo]

83. The meals I saw from Meals on Wheels were pretty terrible.

That probably varies a lot from place to place.

[FSogol]

69. ^^^^Good Advice^^^^^

The County/City might have a supplemental food program too. Looking for a food bank at a local Lutheran or United Methodist Church would be a good place to start. The program that me and my kids help out at: (Facets) http://facetscares.org/
provides bags of groceries to a lot of needed people. Perhaps there is a similar org near you?

[wryter2000]

4. She should look for a food bank

This really sucks. Reminds me of Romney's 49% who think they have a right to food.

[Half-Century Man]

18. on disability, family of four, on food stamps

and visit 5 food pantries a month. Lost time per visit averages 2 hours each for a couple sacks of canned good without labels.

One bright side...the "What the hell is in this can?" game..once after opening the third can, I announce to the kids we were having Sauerkraut, apple-pie filling, and corned beef hash for dinner.

[alphafemale]

5. Looking to rent a room in a home from Craigslist might be an option.

Some people renting rooms are retired folk. Might be a good fit. Someone should help her out on that search though.

[chillfactor]

56. I posted a room I have for rent on craigslist....

never never again..nuts come out of the woodwork and made my life hell...

[SammyWinstonJack]

6. What a rotten country this is.

[Sherman A1]

8. +1

Precisely......

[Ilsa]

29. All this wealth. All these hungry people.

Fuck the GOP. Lincoln would be ashamed.

[timdog44]

33. It is a rotten country

that lets its people go hungry and have to live hand to mouth. Are we not the richest in the world. It is a sin. I am not a practicing Christian anymore. Dad was a minister and I drifted away. I always remember though, "what you do to do the least of these, you do unto me". And there were many more like that that only made the most of sense. And the 40 some odd percent of people who voted against Obama are professed Christians. I am ashamed. Is there anything I can do?

[awoke_in_2003]

36. Yes...

It is criminal that we treat our people this way, while the wealthy are trying to outdo each other with yacht size.

[CrispyQ]

67. Yeah, they keep telling us we're broke,

but there's money for wars & spying, just no money to take care of citizens.

Totally fucked up priorities.

[Glimmer of Hope]

9. Good grief. We need to feed people. What have we become?

[leftyladyfrommo]

11. It's hard to try and live on $1200 a month.

It sounds like enough. But by the time you pay for just the basics it's gone.

The good thing about her little apartment is that she can still do hair there. I still go to get my hair done and I always just pay cash. It's never a lot but it helps her buy some little things she needs.

[Hekate]

23. Excellent. She's resourceful -- should keep doing that as long as she can.

[RebelOne]

25. Tell me about it. I am collecting $1400 a month in SS benefits.

Fortunately, I have no credit card bills, live in a mobile home and no car payments, but it is not easy to live on that amount. I have some ssvings, but I am having to dip into that lately.

[southernyankeebelle]

12. A nation of I got mine so fuck off. That is what this country has become. Sadly people

like this woman and people in low paying jobs are the ones paying the big portion. It isn't fair. Its depressing. They want people to turn to churchs and the churchs can't help everyone and besides that if you go to some church they want something in return. It has to get better or your going to see alot more seniors and middle age citizens killing themselves because they don't know where to turn.

[DesertFlower]

13. that really sucks. mom mom who is no longer with us

didn't get much in SS either. thankfully her daughters were able to help her out.

[n2doc]

14. Austerity strikes again

Of course, we can't cut any of the military toys, or farm subsidies, or big oil subsidies. Or tax hedge fund income and capital gains like ordinary income. Because that would make a rich person sad. And making a rich person cry is about the worst thing that can happen, ya know?

[AAO]

31. Man, you choked me up!

[texanwitch]

15. All the food stamp money goes back into the system again, creating jobs.

I know several older people who get food stamps, younger ones also.

They are buying food they wouldn't have bought without food stamps.

[Trajan]

32. So ... Nobody actually needs Food Stamps ...

Because they just buy better food than the porridge they should be buying ?

Hmmmm ....

[texanwitch]

35. They are buying food to eat period.

None of them are getting very much to begin with.

The food stamps are making a major difference in their lifes.

They might buy ground turkey inside of dried beans.

[awoke_in_2003]

37. I think you misread that post...

He is saying that food stamps allow them to afford decent food instead of porridge.

[Trajan]

38. I did misread this ... I apologize ...

"All the food stamp money ( saved from cutting off food stamps) goes back into the system again, creating jobs."

Yeah ... that would have beena pretty crappy thing to say, but you didn't ... sorry

[texanwitch]

39. That is Ok.

I had food stamps for a short time years ago.

It made a difference.

Food stamps is a great program.

I would increase the amount of food stamps people get.

[SammyWinstonJack]

44. Should increase the amount of food stamps people get and also

double the SS benefit amt.

Imagine the economic growth from those increases alone.


How to pay for these increases?


Tax the $hit out of the greedy one-percent.


That's for starters.

[texanwitch]

54. I know someone who is a checker at at grocery store.

She tells me she has seen a big increase in the Lone Star Card( food stamps in Texas) in her store.

The money goes right back into the system helping to create jobs.

[Honeycombe8]

16. That sucks. What state is she in? nt

[leftyladyfrommo]

62. We are in Missouri

At least we aren't in Kansas. Pretty soon the Kansans will be getting rid of the poor with a fireing squad.

[babylonsister]

17. I'm really sad to read this-

we could all be here; it's not so farfetched.

I hope your friend finds the help she needs.

[leftyladyfrommo]

63. Oh, this could happen to anyone.

She worked her whole life as a hair dresser - and she was a good one. But when you get older no one wants you to work for them. And she never really made enough to save much. Granted, she could have been more frugal but really she never was a big spender.

I'm in pretty much the same boat but I worked for companies for all those years so my SS will be quite a bit higher.

[byronius]

19. So absurd. So wrong.

Austerity-heads must be certain there's no hell.

[Liberal_in_LA]

20. k&r

[xmas74]

24. Where is she at in Missouri?

I know of a few who have had their FS cut here.

Has she applied for senior housing? I know the ones here in Warrensburg are being renovated in one section and another is only a couple of years old. Maybe she could apply? The rent would be much cheaper and I believe most take anywhere from age 55-60 as their starting point.

[totodeinhere]

47. That's a good idea but often there are long waiting lists for senior housing. n/t

[dflprincess]

49. The waiting list are long

but the waiting time may be shorter for senior housing as it has a faster turnover rate that family units.

I found that out my mom needed housing assistance It took forever for the list to finally open up to even get her name on it, but once we got her on it, it was less than a year before she got help. She was also able to stay in the same apartment. (Then, just to disprove the theory of faster turnover, she stayed on section 8 until she died 20+ years later.)

[xmas74]

59. That's why I wanted to know how close she lived to me.

I know we're in the same state but I don't know exactly where. I know that locally our senior housing is actually renovating and they are opening the list as we speak. We have almost no family housing to speak of and section 8 just won't open, not even for applications. But we do have senior housing and it is income restricted.

[xmas74]

58. That's why I asked where she was at.

We live in the same state. If she was somewhere near me I know there are openings that they are looking to fill, even if it meant a move to another town.

[leftyladyfrommo]

64. We are in KC.

I don't know if she has looked into senior housing. I don't know if she could do hair in a place like that. Right now she still has her chair in a corner of her living room - she is able to make a little extra that way.

[xmas74]

88. Hawthorne in Independence usually has units available

It's low income. I don't know about her still doing hair but she'd just have to ask.

[Brigid]

27. Somebody please tell me again . . .

What a great country this is. I keep forgetting.

[Cha]

55. It's good in some ways and obviously

bad in many ways, Brigid.

[midnight]

30. K&R...

[nineteen50]

34. Just got to keep

the poor from hoarding their money. In whose pocket does food stamp money end up? Who is really subsidized by this program follow the money.

[4 t 4]

42. Well sure, they haven't gotten everything

they can from her. They Want It ALL ! With food stamps she might actually survive - barely; they don't want that, they want it all. Thin the Herds ! Resources are finite. This is by design !! Not really sure who "they are" but I have a few guesses ? Gates, Buffet ,Winfrey who doesn't care about the south side of Chicago because she tried that already and they aren't grateful

[Arugula Latte]

40. She can take comfort in the knowledge that the transnational corporations in the military-industrial

complex are having a great year!

[4 t 4]

48. yep!

[MadrasT]

41. This makes me so angry

It is not right

[4 t 4]

43. Who was it a while back that Buffet

stood up for but shouldn't have ? You know they had a triple A rating, got in trouble but Warren stood up for them ?? Moodys?

[snappyturtle]

45. The Senate farm bill that passed this week calls for cuts in food assistance of

$4 billion. The House version $20.5 billion. How ever these bills are meshed, I fear we're going to have many, many more in dire food circumstances.

I am so sorry to hear about this lady. Why does a rich country like ours even have food shelfs etc. It's absurd....and so sad.

[4 t 4]

50. again : I'll say "They want it all"

all, not just a little , the want it all and more.

[totodeinhere]

46. Not to be making light of her situation, but some people are even worse off than that.

Where I live you can't get a modest one bedroom apartment for less than $1,200. But if she is living in a one bedroom, she might save by getting a two bedroom and getting a roommate. Usually splitting the rent of a two bedroom is cheaper than living alone in a one bedroom, and perhaps they could also share utility and food expenses. I realize of course that moving costs money and they might have to pay an up front deposit on the apartment so my suggestion may or may not be practical, but it's a thought.

[4 t 4]

52. see, so nice of you trying to help

we do try and help each other but it's no use. They are closing in and winning. this woman doesn't want to live with a stranger at her time in life, would you?

[totodeinhere]

53. It wouldn't necessarily have to be a stranger. Perhaps she could team up with a friend. n/t

[graywarrior]

51. She needs to find senior housing with Housing Authority

That way she can get her rent adjusted to pay 1/3 of her income. She also needs to save all medical receipts she's paid for out of pocket. What state does she live in?

[leftyladyfrommo]

65. Missouri n/t

[graywarrior]

68. Try this

http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/states/missouri

http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/states/missouri/renting

[kestrel91316]

78. Poor folks don't get the luxury of itemizing deductions, even charitable donations and medical care.

We just get to take the standard deduction.

If you have a home mortgage, then it pays to deduct all that stuff individually because of the mortgage interest being such a huge deduction.

[graywarrior]

80. If you live in senior housing, you can deduct medical expenses from your rent.

Rent is based on 1/2 of your income. Plus utilities are included and you're surrounded by other people in the same situation who can assist with rides, etc.

[rucky]

60. Not just older. Same thing happened to my SIL (in her 20's)

Single mom. She works part time - usually 15-20 hours a week - but last summer she picked up more hours to cover people on vacation. Lost her benefits, had to reapply, and was denied again. Even though she's back to working sparse hours, the standards changed and now she's just out of the range.

Fortunately we had a condo available for her to live in.

[leftyladyfrommo]

66. I had a weird discussion with a right winger about that.

She was upset because a woman she works with turned down a $.10 an hour raise because if she took it she would lose her child care benefits.

Would you take a $.10 an hour raise under those conditions? I wouldn't.

[Puzzledtraveller]

70. Here is how it works.

$120 a week using the formula SNAP uses to determine gross monthly income is $520, add $800 for $1320. In this case her unearned income is more than her earned income which uses a net income scale which is lower than the gross income scale for eligibility. If she is the only person in her household she cannot earn more than $931 a month. Expenses are considered only if you are income eligible first. She would be over the income limit even if she was on the gross income scale as that limit is $1211 for a one person household. I'm a SNAP and Medicaid worker.

[leftyladyfrommo]

71. I wish everyone in Congress had to live for 1 year on $1200 a month.

Had to find a place to live, buy food, pay expenses.

Their attitude toward lower income people is absurd.

[penultimate]

73. $931 and $1,200 both seem ridiculously low...

[Puzzledtraveller]

75. It is

I think a new system is needed to determine not only eligibility but also alottments. In some situations you have families who are receiving the maximum amounts of benefits because they have little to no income, what SNAP does at that level is basically replace the households income, or lack of entirely with food stamps. Now that doesn't sound like a big deal but these are massive amounts, in many cases the family cannot even spend them all yet we have a situation like in the OP, or even some clients I see who received the minimum allotment possible of $16 yet are no better off than the family who has no income. It is very complicated, most lawmakers don't have a clue either.

[duffyduff]

77. The only expenses they count are rent and utilities

If you have anything else, like car insurance or the like, they don't count.

Since I don't pay rent and utilities at my brother's place because I don't HAVE any money to pay it, they think my $300-a-month pension will pay for food, even though I have NOTHING left over after having to pay storage unit rent, insurance, and so forth.

That's why I can't get more than $142 a month, and it's often as low as $90 a month if I work as a substitute.

[penultimate]

72. I always thought it was BS how these services punish people

for basically doing the right thing. I'd rather have people who work whatever they can get support, rather than people (like my loser brother) get it for not doing anything. Well, I wouldn't want to see my brother lose his support, because that would only serve to hurt my nephew. But still, it's messed up how we punish people for doing the right thing in their attempts to survive.

[closeupready]

74. She should get an MBA, and become a consultant. They make good $$.

There. No more need for welfare.

K&R

[leftyladyfrommo]

84. Honestly, I don't think she graduated from High School.

She came from a pretty awful family of drunks so she left at 16 and got married.

[SummerSnow]

76. Damn...it sucks when you have to decide to eat or pay rent..

A while back I was homeless and my sister owns a building.She said if I wanted to move into her building she would charge me $1400 a month. I told her that was way too much money and wouldn't be able to feed my children if I paid her that.She didn't care so I stayed in the shelter until I found a place.Still don't talk to her greedy ass

[pansypoo53219]

79. have they adjusted the CAP FOR INFLATION YET???? why isn't EVERYTHING TIED TO INFLATION?

the rules need to be adjusted.

[Worried senior]

81. We are fortunate

to have a little better SS income because of my husband's SS and small pension. My SS is only $615.00 so I'd be in bad shape if I was alone.

Even doing a little better than your friend and many more on here it's still hard. Our living expenses are low but we have insurance etc. and living rural every where you go you pay more for gas so there is no easy living for people that are struggling to make ends meet.

Something has got to change but I believe too that the powers that be figure the sooner we all die off, the better it will be for them.

[leftyladyfrommo]

85. the Cost of gas is a really big deal

when you are trying to make ends meet.

One of my senior friends buys 4 gallons of gas a week. That is as far as she goes each week.

Doesn't make a lot of difference because her car is old and in such bad shape she is afraid to get more than about 5 miles from home.

[Enthusiast]

86. But the government can WASTE billions on NSA surveillance and faked up wars.

Priorities are askew.