And I care why?

Our clients like to panic. They watch the news and believe everything they're told but they were only kinda listening in the first place and then they talk among themselves and hear more half baked ideas. Lately the economy is the biggest news source for them. Now I agree that things are getting bad. We are seeing a WHOLE lot more clients including more people who have never been on assistance and were making pretty good money. Stylists, designers, golf pros, mechanics, and tons of construction workers and specialty construction workers.

The problem is they respond to panic and by calling me and demanding I help them. I am not a social worker. I do not empathize with you. I do not sit around worrying about you. I do cases to get them the hell off my desk. I will try to refer you to people who can help you and will hold your hand and cry with you but when I do 99% get mad and tell me how food boxes are filled with gross food and they aren't THAT desperate for help to go to such and such a place. And of course when I don't jump fast enough then I'm a bitch. If I deny the case because you aren't eligible I'm a bitch. If I can't drop everything and do your case right now because your kid has an ear infection I'm a bitch.

Now how is that helping you to get your case done? Do you really think I'm going to get all fired up to get your case done now? Do you really believe my supervisor is going to do anything at all to speed your case up? I will gladly transfer you over to her voice mail and she call you back in a few days to tell you the same thing I just did. Or you can tell her how I don't care and when she comes to chat about the case we will call you a bitch and laugh at you. Regardless, the outcome is the same: your case is moved to the very last day to be completed. Honestly, the whole office works like that. Piss us off enough and your case will be done on the due date and not a day earlier.

Now you may read that and think I'm harsh for not caring. Here's the thing though, when someone comes in for help, let's say in July, we ask them when they last worked. They answer February. OK how did you pay rent in March? Savings. OK, and how did you pay rent in April? My mom paid it for me. And May? My mom. And June? My mom. And July? My mom. OK and how will you pay rent in August, September, and October? Gosh I don't know. I guess I'll still ask my mom to help. I hope I find a job.

At the end of the interview I will ask the client to bring back the last 30 days of activity on her bank account. Without fail I will have a bank account statement showing debits for things like AMC Theaters, fast food places everyday at lunchtime, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and Fry's all for over $100. You knew you were in trouble. You had your mom paying your bills. Yet, you still find time and money to shop, shop, shop!

Its even worse when we get a brand new client who was making really good money. They come in and we see they've been making $50,000 a year for last few years but have lost their job. You feel for them right up until you find that they have 2 mortages, 2 leased cars, and no savings. Where did they money go? Oh, to the $50,000 Visa bill. Sorry, we don't count credit card debt.

I'd like to say the senarios above are rare but they aren't. We get several people every day just like them. Why is it someone else's job to save them? Why am I suppose to care when they're over the income limit but are stressed because they have ARM of $2500/month? We all make choices in life and we all have to live with the consquences of those choices.