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We have a woman who comes into the crisis center about every 2 weeks for help. We give her material items (some food, shampoo, new shoes) but wish we could do more. We don't have a cash fund. Any ideas?
Here is her background. She is widowed. About 17 years ago she and her husband refinanced their farm to buy some farming equipment. The farm has been in her family for over 150years. She has 2 years left on the mortgage at $1500 a month. Her husband died 9 years ago. She has been ok because she was getting social security due to her minor daughter (his daughter). Now the daughter is older and that has stopped and she is afraid she is going to loose her farm. b The daughter has left home and is in college on scholarships in another state. She has no other family--parents are deceased and she was an only child. Her husbands father is alive, but a ward of the state in a nursing home with no assets.
She is 46 years old and has heart trouble, but does not qualify for disability. She can not find a second job and her current job rotates her hours each week which doesn't help her any in finding a second job. She lives 1 mile outside of a town of 290 people. She carpools to work 36 miles away. Her employer does not offer overtime.
Her income is $2000 a month. ($500 week)
Mortgage is $1500 a month (includes taxes and insurance)
credit card bills total $300 a month
auto insurance $70 a month
water $17 a month (minimum bill that her town has)
electric $25 a month (minimum bill her electric co has)
food, gasoline, medicines---nothing left
She burns firewood for heat and cooking--her wood was given to her free. She has no phone, but during the winter we gave her a prepaid cell phone--she returned it to us with about 80% of the minutes still on it. She has no TV, no internet, and burns 2 lightbulbs in her home to keep her electric at the $25 mark.
She has not charged on these credit cards in years--this is debt from when her husband was alive for some of his medical expenses. He only had $25000 in life insurance and it is gone.
Also, she can not read--we are working on that-teaching her weekly but she was determined to be learning disabled in school and did not get help. Actually we think she acutally has dislexia, and has responded well to treatment that a volunteer is working with her on.
Her car is a clunker. We see nothing to downsize on. She has tried to advertise for a roommate or rent rooms out, but her town has nothing to attract anyone to it. She has some chickens (about 8) and uses their eggs as food and she fishes her ponds for food. We gave her some plants and seeds for her garden.
Oh--she also uses a cane--had polio as a child and has a limp.
She really has nothing of value to sell. To loose the farm that her great great grandparents had would crush her.
No one will refinance her due to her low credit scores as some months she has not been able to pay the credit cards.
Her daughter tries to send her some money once in awhile, but it isn't much.
Any ideas? I will see her again on Friday most likely.
Here is her background. She is widowed. About 17 years ago she and her husband refinanced their farm to buy some farming equipment. The farm has been in her family for over 150years. She has 2 years left on the mortgage at $1500 a month. Her husband died 9 years ago. She has been ok because she was getting social security due to her minor daughter (his daughter). Now the daughter is older and that has stopped and she is afraid she is going to loose her farm. b The daughter has left home and is in college on scholarships in another state. She has no other family--parents are deceased and she was an only child. Her husbands father is alive, but a ward of the state in a nursing home with no assets.
She is 46 years old and has heart trouble, but does not qualify for disability. She can not find a second job and her current job rotates her hours each week which doesn't help her any in finding a second job. She lives 1 mile outside of a town of 290 people. She carpools to work 36 miles away. Her employer does not offer overtime.
Her income is $2000 a month. ($500 week)
Mortgage is $1500 a month (includes taxes and insurance)
credit card bills total $300 a month
auto insurance $70 a month
water $17 a month (minimum bill that her town has)
electric $25 a month (minimum bill her electric co has)
food, gasoline, medicines---nothing left
She burns firewood for heat and cooking--her wood was given to her free. She has no phone, but during the winter we gave her a prepaid cell phone--she returned it to us with about 80% of the minutes still on it. She has no TV, no internet, and burns 2 lightbulbs in her home to keep her electric at the $25 mark.
She has not charged on these credit cards in years--this is debt from when her husband was alive for some of his medical expenses. He only had $25000 in life insurance and it is gone.
Also, she can not read--we are working on that-teaching her weekly but she was determined to be learning disabled in school and did not get help. Actually we think she acutally has dislexia, and has responded well to treatment that a volunteer is working with her on.
Her car is a clunker. We see nothing to downsize on. She has tried to advertise for a roommate or rent rooms out, but her town has nothing to attract anyone to it. She has some chickens (about 8) and uses their eggs as food and she fishes her ponds for food. We gave her some plants and seeds for her garden.
Oh--she also uses a cane--had polio as a child and has a limp.
She really has nothing of value to sell. To loose the farm that her great great grandparents had would crush her.
No one will refinance her due to her low credit scores as some months she has not been able to pay the credit cards.
Her daughter tries to send her some money once in awhile, but it isn't much.
Any ideas? I will see her again on Friday most likely.
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