Reply #179: Not Judgmental [View All]

[WVRICK13]

Just being factual. I do not blame the clients but rather I blame our system of welfare in this country. There was a time when people receiving public assistance went to work in order to get their checks in a public works system. Somewhere around the time of LBJ it was decided you cannot provide jobs or make someone work. This took away the pride and work ethic of the less fortunate. It also took away the role model of a parent working to bring home a check. After all of these generations we have families who have been receiving checks for so long and not working that they think you get money for nothing. They have lost sight of how much better their lives could be if they did not settle for a check and started demanding more from society and themselves. I actually had a client tell me she had a job, "I go to the mail box and get my check that is my job." That is some statement. The question is how do we restore their drive and desire to have more in life and the willingness to work toward that goal? How do we make these victims feel a sense of self worth? It certainly isn't by giving them a substandard allowance once a month. We have created our own problems and ingrained them into entire sectors of our population.

My agency has a very short and simple Mission Statement. We operate and advocate programs that remove people from the cause of poverty. That is a great goal and one I never forget when I try to assist a client. I don't want to pay their bills I want to make it so they can pay their own bills.