I see people from all backgrounds, all ages, all walks of life. From the mother of a newborn who resides in an intensive residential alcohol/drugs treatment facility who insists she has never had a problem with drugs/alcohol and is just there for low-income housing, to a 78 year old woman who doesn't understand why her food stamps are only $25 a month and the state wants her to pay over $400 a month to keep her medical card. I once met a homeless man with 7 children whose wife had died of breast cancer two years prior. Seven homeless children living out of his van.
All of these people are different, their struggles are different and yet they have one thing in common; they come to the public aid office to ask for help.
They also have something else in common. They come across disgruntled, apathetic workers whose caseloads are so overloaded they no longer have the capacity to respond with compassion and empathy.
It's a frustrating work environment, to be sure, and those of us who are new and still have a shred of hope and love (and not yet a full caseload) pray we can keep our attitudes in the long term. In my first week, a gentleman came in because he was waiting for his LINK card and he had no food in his fridge. I tried to help him find out when his link card would arrive and I cannot tell you the sincerity in his eyes as he thanked me and told me I must be new here. You have to be new to treat people with respect?
I don't really know where I'm going with this. I suppose I am recording it for posterity. I've only been working in this place for 4 months.
All I think most days is, this could be my mother, my brother, my cousin, my grandmother. How would I want my family members to be treated? This is how we should treat our "customers" at the public aid office. With respect, dignity and empathy.
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