Saturday, December 20, 2008 11:40 PM EST
Unemployed in RI
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Struggle to get by hits home throughout our area
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 Tim Phaneuf is one of many Rhode Islanders who are seeking a job or unable to work. DANIEL HYLAND / THE SUN |
 Deb Phaneuf, left, and her husand have struggled with seeking work. They have been helped by Hopkinton Director of Public Welfare Marjorie Rekowski, right. DANIEL HYLAND / THE SUN |
Over the years, George and Denise DiScuillo have offered their home to help a half-dozen people get back on their feet.
Now, unable to work for medical reasons and behind on their bills, the Westerly couple faces eviction with nowhere to go.
In Hopkinton, Deborah and Tim Phaneuf cope with a dilemma on a Friday night. They have two daughters to feed and only cereal to offer. The town’s director of public welfare searches her home cupboard for food for the couple, who are out of work.
Across town, a woman in her 40s turns to the Jonnycake Center for help after being laid off twice from local plants. In the past, she frequently donated to the non-profit.
The woman — who asked not to be named to avoid harming her chances for future employment — and Tim Phaneuf are among the 9.3 percent of Rhode Islanders who are unemployed.
The number of unemployed is actually greater than 9.3 percent when you add families like the DiScuillos and Deborah Phaneuf who are unable to work, and as a result, are not included in the reported jobless rate.
Rhode Island continues to have one of the country’s highest rates of people who are unemployed and actively seeking work, according to statistics released Friday by the state Department of Labor and Training.
November’s jobless rate remained unchanged from one month earlier, although the state lost about 4,000 payroll jobs.
The Ocean State exceeds the national average of 6.7 percent and is only trumped by Michigan, where 9.6 percent of residents classify themselves as seeking employment.
State and national rates have been seasonally adjusted, meaning factors like weather and holidays are considered. The percentages are also typically considered to under-represent reality as people have given up actively seeking work.Of local towns, Charlestown has the highest rate at 7.8 percent, followed by Hopkinton at 7.2 percent, Westerly at 6.9 percent, and Richmond at 5.1 percent. All town unemployment rates — which are not seasonally adjusted — have nearly doubled in one year.
For the families that find themselves a part of these statistics, the past months have been full of worry and navigating social services.
Nowhere to go
The DiScuillos never imagined they would face eviction from their Beacon Street home. George DiScuillo, 57, said he was raised to work hard and help others. He took his first job as a dishwasher at 14, and cooked at several local establishments before spending 37 years on the road as a truck driver.
His wife, Denise, worked five years as a medical assistant and held jobs cleaning houses and at a day camp.
In the past year, the couple has been crippled by a spate of terrible luck.
Denise has been out of work since March, following rotator cuff surgery. In August, she fell on the stairs and broke her ankle. She also developed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which makes breathing difficult, and requires oxygen 24-7.
In October, George blacked out and flipped his truck in Ohio. He suffered a broken jaw and a bleed in his brain. Denise was riding with him and broke her wrist.
Also a diabetic, George has been instructed by his neurologist not to drive. Today, he suffers dizzy spells and does not drive for fear he will injure himself or another person. And just two weeks ago, George had a pacemaker put in, limiting his movement.
George has been denied worker’s compensation based on a finding that he had a heart attack. He said his doctors denied the cause and he has enlisted a lawyer.
They have applied for Social Security disability insurance and hope to hear if they have qualified for state general public assistance, which provides a weekly $50 stipend. They do not qualify for unemployment benefits because they are unable to work.
As they wait, the DiScuillos have gotten by with food stamps and help from the Jonnycake Center and WARM Shelter. Their two adult sons have helped by buying essentials like toilet paper and soap, but the sons struggle to make ends meet for their own families.
A proud man, George said he does not want his children to provide for him.
Three months behind on rent, the DiScuillos received notice from their landlord that, as of Dec. 5, they had to be out of the home they share with their 22-year-old daughter and toddler granddaughter. Their daughter, who is unemployed and seeking work, gets by on food stamps and aid from the state’s Family Independence Program (FIP).
They do not know where to go, so they wait for the court to force them out. Denise said she will not be able to treat her four grandchildren this Christmas, but she did put up a tinsel-trimmed tree for her granddaughter.
In the past, the couple had the means to take in six people in need and care for Denise’s mother for eight years.
“There’s many people that I brought into my home who were down and out,” Denise says, tearing up. “I was able to help them out. Now that it’s my turn and [there is no help]. I’m going to be 57 years old and I’ve never had to go through this.”
“I’ve never been this down and out,” George says. “I’ve always had work. I’ve always made sure a roof was over my kids’ heads.”
“I keep telling you, it’s not your fault,” Denise tells her husband.
George described the process of calling state and local agencies depressing, and is angered as he watches the federal government bail out the banking and auto industries.
“I’m just here trying to survive,” he said.
George manages to hold out some hope for the future, however, adding, “You have to look over the horizon. There’s got to be something better coming.”
A community pitches in
Tim Phaneuf wants to work.
“He’s one of those handymen,” his wife, Deborah, described the carpenter fondly.
However, a carpal tunnel injury has kept him out of a job. He was scheduled to have surgery in September, but could not get to Providence to see his doctor. The couple has been unable to replace, or fix, their broken van.
Tim has been seeking odd jobs, but has had no luck yet, said Hopkinton Director of Public Welfare Marjorie Naylor Rekowski.
He offered to fix a gutter at her house, but Rekowski said her husband declined because of Tim’s injury. If he were healed, they would hire him.
Rekowski first met the family when she gave them food from her cabinets on that Friday night three months ago.
After hearing about the occurrence, Deputy Town Clerk Lorraine Arruda initiated an ongoing non-perishable food drive at Town Hall “because even after Christmas, they’re still going to have to eat.”
So far, three bins of canned goods have been collected. Rekowski said she’ll use the food for emergency meals if a resident calls her when food pantries are closed.
The town also gave the couple’s school-aged daughters two winter jackets, collected in a coat drive led by Recreation Director Mary Sawyer, Arruda said.
Rekowski has also steered the family to the First Baptist Church in Hope Valley for help with groceries, and to Wood River Health Services.
The family coped with one of its biggest challenges this fall. Their landlord initially told the Phaneufs they could stay for a year, but with two weeks notice he ordered them out earlier than expected, Deborah and Rekowski said.
Now they reside in a motel in Richmond where they have a mini-fridge and a small freezer, but no stove or telephone. They have run out of minutes on their prepaid cell phone.
“It would be cheaper to live in a house, but we couldn’t find one,” Rekowski said.
Deborah said she receives supplemental disability benefits from the federal government intended to cover food, shelter and clothing costs — but she is worried about receiving the check in time to pay the weekly rent at the motel.
She has tried to turn the room into a home, posting Christmas decals of manger scenes and snowmen in the window. Her Christmas wish is “a home for the girls.”
Should they find one, Deborah said it is important to live in the area so her daughters can remain in the same school. The family stayed with a relative in North Kingstown when they moved from Pennsylvania 2½ years ago, before living on their own while Tim worked in Connecticut.
Although the family now lives outside Hopkinton, Rekowski said she feels compelled to help them through the holidays. Standing with Deborah outside the motel, she commended her for always smiling.
Deborah admitted times are dire, but said, “I can’t [show it] with the kids and all.”
Plant closure casualty
After losing her job at Bradford Dyeing Association last year, the unnamed woman interviewed by The Sun used her perfect attendance, appetite to learn and work ethic to land a job at another local factory — only to be laid off again this fall.
Finding employment had never been an issue for her. Before working at BDA, she held three jobs for nearly 20 years and volunteered at places like the former Mystic Oral School.
She said she hasn’t lived extravagantly. And whenever there had been a question of survival, her solution was to work more, but “now there isn’t anything.”
The woman keeps a folder filled with information on state and local assistance programs and notes dated with when she called each one.
“I’ve got a list of resources, but no direction to go in,” she said, admitting, “It’s not just me.”
After she telephoned the state’s unemployment office repeatedly each day for two weeks, a worker answered her call.
She learned her prior claim from BDA had yet to expire. She received one check before the claim lapsed, then waited three weeks for a payment after she had re-applied under her last employer.
When she began to receive checks again, her husband was laid off.
She has yet to receive a reply from the state’s food stamp program after applying last month. A representative told her the program has 30 days to answer, at which time it would schedule an appointment to determine her eligibility.
She heard back from South County Community Action about heating assistance about two weeks after making contact. The agency scheduled a mid-January appointment to review her case.
By then, she likely will not meet poverty requirements for the assistance programs, because she expects that both she and her husband will be collecting unemployment. What she really wants, of course, is a job.
The woman acknowledges such programs, especially those run by the state, are overwhelmed, but added, “It’s discouraging. It’s really sad.”
Some local agencies have turned her away from their Christmas programs, she said, because her two sons — in their early 20s and teens — do not live with her and are considered too old.
She and her husband face losing their medical insurance this month. Her eldest son has also seen his work hours significantly cut and is without health care. She said she does not qualify for RIte Care, the state’s Medicaid health care program, which targets uninsured pregnant women and parents with children up to 19 years old.
“I think they try to keep most of the focus on the younger children, which is great… but it’s all age groups” that need help, she said.
As difficult as it has been, the woman credits food pantries run by the Trinity Lutheran Church in Ashaway and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul at the Immaculate Conception Church in Westerly.
“If it wasn’t for all of the little churches and stuff, I don’t know how I would make it,” she said.
And she said compassion shown by Cindy Gardiner, social services manager at Wood River Health Services, has helped: “I really think that she truly cares… She gives you a hug when you walk in.”
She also seeks help at places like the Bradford Jonnycake Center, a trip that holds bitter irony considering she used to donate often to the center.
“I’m going to survive this, I know I will,” she said. “Just when is it going to end?”
Now, unable to work for medical reasons and behind on their bills, the Westerly couple faces eviction with nowhere to go.
In Hopkinton, Deborah and Tim Phaneuf cope with a dilemma on a Friday night. They have two daughters to feed and only cereal to offer. The town’s director of public welfare searches her home cupboard for food for the couple, who are out of work.
Across town, a woman in her 40s turns to the Jonnycake Center for help after being laid off twice from local plants. In the past, she frequently donated to the non-profit.
The woman — who asked not to be named to avoid harming her chances for future employment — and Tim Phaneuf are among the 9.3 percent of Rhode Islanders who are unemployed.
The number of unemployed is actually greater than 9.3 percent when you add families like the DiScuillos and Deborah Phaneuf who are unable to work, and as a result, are not included in the reported jobless rate.
Rhode Island continues to have one of the country’s highest rates of people who are unemployed and actively seeking work, according to statistics released Friday by the state Department of Labor and Training.
November’s jobless rate remained unchanged from one month earlier, although the state lost about 4,000 payroll jobs.
The Ocean State exceeds the national average of 6.7 percent and is only trumped by Michigan, where 9.6 percent of residents classify themselves as seeking employment.
State and national rates have been seasonally adjusted, meaning factors like weather and holidays are considered. The percentages are also typically considered to under-represent reality as people have given up actively seeking work.Of local towns, Charlestown has the highest rate at 7.8 percent, followed by Hopkinton at 7.2 percent, Westerly at 6.9 percent, and Richmond at 5.1 percent. All town unemployment rates — which are not seasonally adjusted — have nearly doubled in one year.
For the families that find themselves a part of these statistics, the past months have been full of worry and navigating social services.
Nowhere to go
The DiScuillos never imagined they would face eviction from their Beacon Street home. George DiScuillo, 57, said he was raised to work hard and help others. He took his first job as a dishwasher at 14, and cooked at several local establishments before spending 37 years on the road as a truck driver.
His wife, Denise, worked five years as a medical assistant and held jobs cleaning houses and at a day camp.
In the past year, the couple has been crippled by a spate of terrible luck.
Denise has been out of work since March, following rotator cuff surgery. In August, she fell on the stairs and broke her ankle. She also developed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which makes breathing difficult, and requires oxygen 24-7.
In October, George blacked out and flipped his truck in Ohio. He suffered a broken jaw and a bleed in his brain. Denise was riding with him and broke her wrist.
Also a diabetic, George has been instructed by his neurologist not to drive. Today, he suffers dizzy spells and does not drive for fear he will injure himself or another person. And just two weeks ago, George had a pacemaker put in, limiting his movement.
George has been denied worker’s compensation based on a finding that he had a heart attack. He said his doctors denied the cause and he has enlisted a lawyer.
They have applied for Social Security disability insurance and hope to hear if they have qualified for state general public assistance, which provides a weekly $50 stipend. They do not qualify for unemployment benefits because they are unable to work.
As they wait, the DiScuillos have gotten by with food stamps and help from the Jonnycake Center and WARM Shelter. Their two adult sons have helped by buying essentials like toilet paper and soap, but the sons struggle to make ends meet for their own families.
A proud man, George said he does not want his children to provide for him.
Three months behind on rent, the DiScuillos received notice from their landlord that, as of Dec. 5, they had to be out of the home they share with their 22-year-old daughter and toddler granddaughter. Their daughter, who is unemployed and seeking work, gets by on food stamps and aid from the state’s Family Independence Program (FIP).
They do not know where to go, so they wait for the court to force them out. Denise said she will not be able to treat her four grandchildren this Christmas, but she did put up a tinsel-trimmed tree for her granddaughter.
In the past, the couple had the means to take in six people in need and care for Denise’s mother for eight years.
“There’s many people that I brought into my home who were down and out,” Denise says, tearing up. “I was able to help them out. Now that it’s my turn and [there is no help]. I’m going to be 57 years old and I’ve never had to go through this.”
“I’ve never been this down and out,” George says. “I’ve always had work. I’ve always made sure a roof was over my kids’ heads.”
“I keep telling you, it’s not your fault,” Denise tells her husband.
George described the process of calling state and local agencies depressing, and is angered as he watches the federal government bail out the banking and auto industries.
“I’m just here trying to survive,” he said.
George manages to hold out some hope for the future, however, adding, “You have to look over the horizon. There’s got to be something better coming.”
A community pitches in
Tim Phaneuf wants to work.
“He’s one of those handymen,” his wife, Deborah, described the carpenter fondly.
However, a carpal tunnel injury has kept him out of a job. He was scheduled to have surgery in September, but could not get to Providence to see his doctor. The couple has been unable to replace, or fix, their broken van.
Tim has been seeking odd jobs, but has had no luck yet, said Hopkinton Director of Public Welfare Marjorie Naylor Rekowski.
He offered to fix a gutter at her house, but Rekowski said her husband declined because of Tim’s injury. If he were healed, they would hire him.
Rekowski first met the family when she gave them food from her cabinets on that Friday night three months ago.
After hearing about the occurrence, Deputy Town Clerk Lorraine Arruda initiated an ongoing non-perishable food drive at Town Hall “because even after Christmas, they’re still going to have to eat.”
So far, three bins of canned goods have been collected. Rekowski said she’ll use the food for emergency meals if a resident calls her when food pantries are closed.
The town also gave the couple’s school-aged daughters two winter jackets, collected in a coat drive led by Recreation Director Mary Sawyer, Arruda said.
Rekowski has also steered the family to the First Baptist Church in Hope Valley for help with groceries, and to Wood River Health Services.
The family coped with one of its biggest challenges this fall. Their landlord initially told the Phaneufs they could stay for a year, but with two weeks notice he ordered them out earlier than expected, Deborah and Rekowski said.
Now they reside in a motel in Richmond where they have a mini-fridge and a small freezer, but no stove or telephone. They have run out of minutes on their prepaid cell phone.
“It would be cheaper to live in a house, but we couldn’t find one,” Rekowski said.
Deborah said she receives supplemental disability benefits from the federal government intended to cover food, shelter and clothing costs — but she is worried about receiving the check in time to pay the weekly rent at the motel.
She has tried to turn the room into a home, posting Christmas decals of manger scenes and snowmen in the window. Her Christmas wish is “a home for the girls.”
Should they find one, Deborah said it is important to live in the area so her daughters can remain in the same school. The family stayed with a relative in North Kingstown when they moved from Pennsylvania 2½ years ago, before living on their own while Tim worked in Connecticut.
Although the family now lives outside Hopkinton, Rekowski said she feels compelled to help them through the holidays. Standing with Deborah outside the motel, she commended her for always smiling.
Deborah admitted times are dire, but said, “I can’t [show it] with the kids and all.”
Plant closure casualty
After losing her job at Bradford Dyeing Association last year, the unnamed woman interviewed by The Sun used her perfect attendance, appetite to learn and work ethic to land a job at another local factory — only to be laid off again this fall.
Finding employment had never been an issue for her. Before working at BDA, she held three jobs for nearly 20 years and volunteered at places like the former Mystic Oral School.
She said she hasn’t lived extravagantly. And whenever there had been a question of survival, her solution was to work more, but “now there isn’t anything.”
The woman keeps a folder filled with information on state and local assistance programs and notes dated with when she called each one.
“I’ve got a list of resources, but no direction to go in,” she said, admitting, “It’s not just me.”
After she telephoned the state’s unemployment office repeatedly each day for two weeks, a worker answered her call.
She learned her prior claim from BDA had yet to expire. She received one check before the claim lapsed, then waited three weeks for a payment after she had re-applied under her last employer.
When she began to receive checks again, her husband was laid off.
She has yet to receive a reply from the state’s food stamp program after applying last month. A representative told her the program has 30 days to answer, at which time it would schedule an appointment to determine her eligibility.
She heard back from South County Community Action about heating assistance about two weeks after making contact. The agency scheduled a mid-January appointment to review her case.
By then, she likely will not meet poverty requirements for the assistance programs, because she expects that both she and her husband will be collecting unemployment. What she really wants, of course, is a job.
The woman acknowledges such programs, especially those run by the state, are overwhelmed, but added, “It’s discouraging. It’s really sad.”
Some local agencies have turned her away from their Christmas programs, she said, because her two sons — in their early 20s and teens — do not live with her and are considered too old.
She and her husband face losing their medical insurance this month. Her eldest son has also seen his work hours significantly cut and is without health care. She said she does not qualify for RIte Care, the state’s Medicaid health care program, which targets uninsured pregnant women and parents with children up to 19 years old.
“I think they try to keep most of the focus on the younger children, which is great… but it’s all age groups” that need help, she said.
As difficult as it has been, the woman credits food pantries run by the Trinity Lutheran Church in Ashaway and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul at the Immaculate Conception Church in Westerly.
“If it wasn’t for all of the little churches and stuff, I don’t know how I would make it,” she said.
And she said compassion shown by Cindy Gardiner, social services manager at Wood River Health Services, has helped: “I really think that she truly cares… She gives you a hug when you walk in.”
She also seeks help at places like the Bradford Jonnycake Center, a trip that holds bitter irony considering she used to donate often to the center.
“I’m going to survive this, I know I will,” she said. “Just when is it going to end?”
Tennessee wrote on Dec 22, 2008 12:35 PM:
" Tennessee has it right. When charities are the primary provider of "charity" then individual feel like they are part of the charitable process and actually become personally involved with helping the less fortunate. When we start thinking the government is the solution they most people forget what they can do figuring paying a huge tax bill is charity enough. Plus, the government doesn't let us pick and choose where our money goes. Because of this government programs exist whether they work or not. When we give our money to charity to help, then we are more likely to pay attention to whether those charities actually help or not help. Family and charity with government being a last resort. Back to the values which made us a great country. "
RE: Family wrote on Dec 21, 2008 11:42 PM:
" I too would express the same point that "Family" did if I were a republican. It is comments like this that come from the Westerly stereotypes that "thankful" discussed.
It is important that the readers recognize that we are hearing one side. We did not hear from the "families" that you suggest they call upon. It may not be that they are just ill equipped, there could well be a history that was passed over in the interview. Point being, there are two sides to every situation... "
It is important that the readers recognize that we are hearing one side. We did not hear from the "families" that you suggest they call upon. It may not be that they are just ill equipped, there could well be a history that was passed over in the interview. Point being, there are two sides to every situation... "
So tell me..... wrote on Dec 21, 2008 10:45 PM:
" Why do Republicans insist on cutting social programs???? "
Re: If You Build It wrote on Dec 21, 2008 10:35 PM:
" I agree with "if you build it". Sadly our society has become so dependent on government they are blind to all the problems caused by government. Too many rules. Too many regulations. Too much paperwork. Too much taxes. I refuse to worship government and close my eyes to the damage government has done. Maybe if we stop taxing the hell out of businesses they would be more jobs? "
Read wrote on Dec 21, 2008 10:31 PM:
" If you read the article, one of the people specifically says he does not want his children to provide for him. Why not?
If someone in my family needs shelter, there is a place for them. If we have to sleep on the floor, so be it. It is only in recent times that so many have come to look upon government as a replacement for family.
Not only are families weakened by the government taking such a large role in getting people through lives' difficulties, but charities are also weakened as many people consider paying taxes to be charity enough.
Probably too late to turn it around and expect people to get back to valuing family before government, but it is a shame. "
If someone in my family needs shelter, there is a place for them. If we have to sleep on the floor, so be it. It is only in recent times that so many have come to look upon government as a replacement for family.
Not only are families weakened by the government taking such a large role in getting people through lives' difficulties, but charities are also weakened as many people consider paying taxes to be charity enough.
Probably too late to turn it around and expect people to get back to valuing family before government, but it is a shame. "
m in TN wrote on Dec 21, 2008 9:48 PM:
" I am from RI but now live in TN. Want you to know that this issue is not just in RI. It's everywhere. Everyone is concerned that they are next on the cutting block.
We have some local programs to help these families but here it's the churches that do 90%. Sad part is, the families that abuse the systems and get lots from all over. They need to wake up and take their share. We also now have a medical facility that is sponsored by churches for the working uninsured. Everyone there volunteers their time. It's a great concept and really helps people. KNow that you are not alone. Many of us are a paycheck away from losing everything due to our society. "
We have some local programs to help these families but here it's the churches that do 90%. Sad part is, the families that abuse the systems and get lots from all over. They need to wake up and take their share. We also now have a medical facility that is sponsored by churches for the working uninsured. Everyone there volunteers their time. It's a great concept and really helps people. KNow that you are not alone. Many of us are a paycheck away from losing everything due to our society. "
JAN wrote on Dec 21, 2008 9:30 PM:
" This is not the time to just write and say its sad on this blog; get up and bring some food and funds to these folks any thing you bring will be used and is needed. Gas money; cereal, fruit, turkeys, potatoes, veggies; bread, can goods, soups, soap detergent toilet paper, come on folks....these are your friends and neighbors. IT IS TIME TO GIVE FROM YOUR HEARTS AND YOUR POCKETS. "
Single mom wrote on Dec 21, 2008 8:52 PM:
" I am a single mom working 2 part-time jobs to try and make ends meet. BUT IT DOESn't WORK! I still do not make enough to pay the rent, let alone utilities and food. Oh yes, I get food stamps, $137.00 a month. Not that I am not grateful, but what about the other 3 weeks of the month? I know there are those maybe worse off than me, my point is there are many donaations in this town, WESTERLY, to the arts, and other social functions that is really nice, for the wealthy, but why not donate to the local working class, who no longer can work or make enough to provis=de for the basic needs. Our town has land and resources that we use for recreation, summer fun how nice, but is that really benefitting ALL THE TAX PAYERS??? WHere is the HELP when we need it? I have 2 degrees, yet can not find work. I am going to have to move elsewhere, but oh yeah, no money to move. Well Town Council, how do you fix this? Is it just the businesses in town that interest you? "
Richie wrote on Dec 21, 2008 8:23 PM:
" It is sad that so many local factories are leaving men and women without work!! BDA, Yardney , Charberts, Garrity, And many other places like the casinos and Amgen. You know the CEO and managment is still making out without care of their bills. I work and still struggle living pay check to paycheck. What do us common people do?? We all should unite and fight against the fat cats that profit way more than they should from our talent and labor!!!!!!! They dont respect or give us enough to live on. "
FaFACTS wrote on Dec 21, 2008 7:09 PM:
" Stonington has a real social service dept that extends a family a lifetime allowance up to $1000- to help the needy.
Hopkinton social worker receives $900-yrly to refer needy people to other agencies , she has no purse to assist needy. Passing the Buck ! Salvation Army gives her 10 Christmas Baskets to distribute.
Charlestown ,Deb Nigrelli, public asst. worker gave her $5000- to assist needy. Plus she has pantry located at ST Mary's there she has many grants to assist. They require all personal data copy of checks ,benefits,ss etc given to volunteers. Just be very careful not to accept any expired foods.
A medical van visits this location call them for more inf. Plus a Christmas toy program,clothing & furn.
Richmond also has Deb Nigrelli as their public asst worker there she disburses monies from two funds left by a local husband and wife for the needy. Utils. ,heat food, Christmas they use to provide a $100 Stop & Shop gift cert at Christmas.
Westerly hm Turo has told needy to go to Churches ,agencies etc. New animal shelter at $2million .
"
Hopkinton social worker receives $900-yrly to refer needy people to other agencies , she has no purse to assist needy. Passing the Buck ! Salvation Army gives her 10 Christmas Baskets to distribute.
Charlestown ,Deb Nigrelli, public asst. worker gave her $5000- to assist needy. Plus she has pantry located at ST Mary's there she has many grants to assist. They require all personal data copy of checks ,benefits,ss etc given to volunteers. Just be very careful not to accept any expired foods.
A medical van visits this location call them for more inf. Plus a Christmas toy program,clothing & furn.
Richmond also has Deb Nigrelli as their public asst worker there she disburses monies from two funds left by a local husband and wife for the needy. Utils. ,heat food, Christmas they use to provide a $100 Stop & Shop gift cert at Christmas.
Westerly hm Turo has told needy to go to Churches ,agencies etc. New animal shelter at $2million .
"
women in 40,s wrote on Dec 21, 2008 2:34 PM:
" Yes... I am the third unidenified person in this article. I spent three hours with the reporter Vicky. I have a comment for the comment by 'family'. Turn to family???? Ok.. Mom is on SS and gets 455 a month. Dad was self employed and suffered a stroke .. no income. They live off there small savings. I would never burden them with my money issues.. never. So much has not been put into the article.. living with one unemployment check over a eight week stretch is hard... also in one of the comments, someone had typed in about how 'we' should have worked to put money in the savings account for such issues.. I was laid off 3 times in 16month period... try living on 265 dollars in a eight week period. Good luck... Our savings was drained last year in order to put on a Christmas and heat my home... I was layed off last Thanksgiving and was at the mercy of the unemployment office which took 4 weeks to contact me. It really is tough... so here I am 4 days from Christmas... no gifts but that's ok.. I still have roof over my head. "
If you build it they will come... wrote on Dec 21, 2008 2:07 PM:
" There is no reason why anyone should be without shelter, food and water. It seems the Government more so Hinders than helps a persons self reliant life. Example, most towns don't even let you put a trailer on your own land! or build a small home on it if theres water near it. Never mind Taxes! where taxed on every thing we do. You can not hunt or fish without a license. I can go on but I think I paint a clear picture. What I wish I could do Is build Small houses for anyone that need a home, I can build a small home for under $10,000 with my bare hands... we all can! But once again regulations kill our dreams, set backs, perk test, building permits, site plans... the list goes on... I think its time for people to take advantage of all this open space that the towns have been buying up with our tax dollars and squat there! I will be there with my hammer and saw. When spring comes we will plant the garden and work the land. Lets bring back the simple life, and just live. I am also unemployed. "
ginny wrote on Dec 21, 2008 11:31 AM:
" I am returing to RI after 8 years in CT and I am on SSI disability. I wonder about my move,maybe Not a good idea? Why is RI sooo poor? All the money going to big cities like Providence ETC? "
Merry Christmas wrote on Dec 21, 2008 11:29 AM:
" Sad story. They are not alone, there are so many more. For all of us that have homes, jobs, and their health. Be very thankful for what you have. If you can give to charity, please do. If you can not, then say a pray for those in need, and for better economic times. God Speed.
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US/RI CITIZEN wrote on Dec 21, 2008 11:02 AM:
" It is sad how our own govenor can't even help out his own people who put him in office. No child should be going without anything at Christmas! No family should be going without food! The goverment can give banks money for BIG Christmas bonus's and the rest of the US must go without. Thats not why the money was given to the banks. And the auto companies getting money another joke. Let them bring cars back down to 5000.00 for a new car. Soon we will be a third world country. Thanks Govenor Waste A Lot and Bush has always sucked as a president. The people of this state are going without and nobody cares. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. It is sickening. If I were rich I would spend my own money to help everyone in this state I could. No child should wake up with out Santa having visted them. "
Re: Family wrote on Dec 21, 2008 10:57 AM:
" Can you not read? The families of these people are barely making it themselves. The government is *not* ill equipped to handle this problem... the departments who deal with these things are just grossly underfunded. Imagine how many people could have been helped by the bail out money going to big business. "
Family wrote on Dec 21, 2008 9:51 AM:
" Goverment is ill equipped to handle situation such as described in this article. I was disappointed to read of reluctance to turn to family for help in bad times. Families have been greatly weakened by government intervention, and too many people now look to the government before looking to their family. If the current economic crisis results in a strengthenign of families, then in the end it is a good thing for the future of our society. Teach your children well. "
thankful wrote on Dec 21, 2008 9:14 AM:
" I'm glad this story has made the light of day (but it just barely scratches the surface, even though it must be hard getting people to open up about this stuff and then use their names. its embarrassing.) Here's my issue: why is it that Hopkinton, a smaller town than Westerly, has a human services department (like Stonington and other towns) and Westerly does not? Look at the unemployment numbers here! What about the $8 hr. Dad? Imagine being in his shoes! This backward town is only concerned about its IDEA of who lives here and who this town BELONGS to. You know, ones connected because of family and politics. To the rest: "Go to the warm shelter! WE DONATE ALOT OF MONEY THERE."
Westerly officilas have always said its best to leave the matter of the poor to the local churches and branch offices of state Social Service agencies. (the ones that are left!) The well-meaning but factionilized group called THE BASIC NEEDS (churches, some state or quasi-state agencies, local food pantries, etc.) group passes for Westerly Human Servces department. Its too big a job here now. Get it together Westerly. "
Westerly officilas have always said its best to leave the matter of the poor to the local churches and branch offices of state Social Service agencies. (the ones that are left!) The well-meaning but factionilized group called THE BASIC NEEDS (churches, some state or quasi-state agencies, local food pantries, etc.) group passes for Westerly Human Servces department. Its too big a job here now. Get it together Westerly. "
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