This woman needs some assistance!!!

[sooner n houston]

http://media.macon.com/smedia/2010/12/15/22/20101215-221428-pic-125665235.embedded.prod_affiliate.71.jpg
WOODY MARSHALL/THE TELEGRAPH Showing her Georgia Power bills in the one warm room of her home, Raymeica Kelly explains how her mother, sister and herself were turned away from the Energy Assistance Program on Wednesday morning after standing in line for four hours. All three complained that the system the Macon-Bibb County Economic Opportunity Council uses to give out the assistance needs improving.

Read more: http://www.macon.com/2010/12/16/1379464/funding-cuts-leave-many-without.html#disqus_thread#ixzz18fsVtnDi

Funding cuts leave many without home heating assistance in Macon
By PHILLIP RAMATI - [email protected]

When Eugene Jenkins showed up at St. Paul AME Church at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, he didn’t know he would be one of the last people to get a ticket for assistance with his heating bill.

He waited in line until 7 a.m., when officials started to hand out the tickets, then went home for a few hours before returning at 10 a.m. By the time he had finished up his paperwork, it was 1:15 p.m., making for a long day.

Jenkins was one of the lucky ones in Macon, though. Other people were turned away because the Macon-Bibb County Economic Opportunity Council, which distributes the federal money, had its share of funding for the program cut by 44 percent this year.

“I don’t know what I was going to do without it,” Jenkins said. “It’s something that needs to get taken care of.”

Jimmie Samuel, executive director of the agency, said the need for assistance in Bibb County has spiked, while the available funds to fill those needs have been slashed.

“We’re close to being out of money,” Samuel said. “We’re going to assess to see what we can do, to see if we can do any more.”

That’s left people such as Raymeica Kelley frustrated. Kelley said she, her mother and her sister arrived at the church about 3 a.m. Wednesday, only to get turned away.

“We were already too late,” she said. “It’s like impossible (to get a ticket). It gets in the way of people who need it. ... If we’re there at 3 a.m. and it’s already too late, what time are you supposed to go?”

Kelley said she was unemployed for a year before recently landing a job. But her bills have stacked up while she was unemployed, and she needs the assistance.

Kelley and some of the others who were turned away said they thought about 350 people would get help Wednesday, but the line got cut off at No. 219.

Samuel said his agency did serve 350 on the first day, then made adjustments to the number of people they could serve based on the amount of money left.

Samuel said he’s heard the complaints from the community about the current system, but he said it’s the most efficient way the agency has found to distribute the funds during the year. That’s in terms of seeing the most people possible and in keeping records of where the money gets distributed.

“It’s been done in different ways, but this is the best way,” he said. “It serves the numbers we’re required to serve. It’s not perfect, obviously, but we’ve tried tweaking it in the past, and this is the best way. We’re open to looking at other ways of doing it.”

A few years ago, Kelley said, people who needed assistance were able to call the agency to schedule an appointment. But Samuel said his agency’s phones were overwhelmed when that system was in place, and that a third of the people who made appointments were no-shows.

The situation seems worse this year, he said, because more people need assistance, but there’s less money to go around.

City Councilman Lonnie Miley, who serves as president of the Economic Opportunity Council’s board of directors, said the agency is trying to do the best it can, given the circumstances.

“We’re trying to serve as many as we can.” he said. “It’s frustrating. We’re trying to serve as many as possible, but the need is so great.”

Samuel said his office is trying to determine if there’s enough funding left to have another session Friday. People who need assistance can call the council at (478) 738-3240 on Thursday to see if another session will be scheduled.

[Aldebaran]

Can't help noticing the photographer managed to get the huge TV nicely framed into the photo.

Is that what this is about?

[StoopTroup]

Notice it's not on. She's lost her power Bro. :D

[OULenexaman]

and plenty of gaming goodies for the kids...

[mgsooner]

I like the video game console in the background also. How can you play Call O' Duty without power???

[Aldebaran]

According to the NPR, video games will make your mind as sharp as a steel trap. We should be saluting her dedication to self improvement. True story.

[Sooner98]

This is the quintessential image of the "poor" in America. Good to know my tax dollars are going to subsidize her ability to watch American Idol in high definition on a TV screen bigger than what 80% of the rest of the country has. She's probably one of the downtrodden millions of people that the Democrats have championed for years who "can't afford health insurance", and needs a government-run system for their safety net.

The moral of the story: don't vote for Democrats. Ever.

[mgsooner]

This is the quintessential image of the "poor" in America. Good to know my tax dollars are going to subsidize her ability to watch American Idol in high definition on a TV screen bigger than what 80% of the rest of the country has. She's probably one of the downtrodden millions of people that the Democrats have championed for years who "can't afford health insurance", and needs a government-run system for their safety net.

The moral of the story: don't vote for Democrats. Ever.

Moral of the story: don't take anecdotal evidence and apply it to a huge swath of the population. I've worked with the poor in this state quite a bit and trust me, the VAST majority of them don't have widescreen HDTVs and XBox 360s.

[3rdgensooner]

Moral of the story: don't take anecdotal evidence and apply it to a huge swath of the population. Well where's the fun in that?

[Aldebaran]

Wow... I had no idea the photo had political implications. I'm shocked. Shocked I say.

[The]

Wow... I had no idea the photo had political implications. I'm shocked. Shocked I say.

Black people make Republican's blood boil. :texan:

[Aldebaran]

Jobless black people with big TV's trying to keep the power on in Winter is destroying america and makes the white baby Jesus cry.

[3rdgensooner]

Jobless black people with big TV's trying to keep the power on in Winter is destroying america and makes the white baby Jesus cry.All of which proves that Democrats hate Amerikuh.

[The]

Seems like some of y'all dun forgotten bout 9-11.

[NormanPride]

If they don't have power, how is the room warm/lit?

[The]

If they don't have power, how is the room warm/lit?

Black folk glow.

[JohnnyMack]

According to the NPR, video games will make your mind as sharp as a steel trap. We should be saluting her dedication to self improvement. True story.

I listened to that report. I thought it was interesting.

[Sooner98]

Wow... I had no idea the photo had political implications. I'm shocked. Shocked I say.

Yes, and false accusations of "racism" by others here are equally shocking.

[DIB]

Black people make Republican's blood boil. :texan:

Only the poor and uppity. The rich/middle class ones that know their place are fine.

Hey dyner, am I allowed to say uppity on the internets? What about "know their place?"

[The]

Yes, and false accusations of "racism" by others here are equally shocking.

Are you saying that you are comfortable around Jewish people?

[DIB]

Are you saying that you are comfortable around Jewish people?

I convert JAPs with my penis

[The]

I convert JAPs with my penis

So, your Penis is like a modern day Judas?

[Aldebaran]

This is the quintessential image of the "poor" in America.


Yes, and false accusations of "racism" by others here are equally shocking.

Funny that you put both "poor" and "racism" in quotes. It's like the two are tied together in your mind somehow.

[DIB]

Funny that you put both "poor" and "racism" in quotes. It's like the two are tied together in your mind somehow.

Whatever "Aldebaran"

[mgsooner]

:gary:

[Aldebaran]

I am the droids you are looking for.

[The]

I am the droids you are looking for.

We don't welcome their kind here. They'll have to wait outside.

[DIB]

I am the droids you are looking for.

Are you trying to get me to convert you with my penis?

[The]

Are you trying to get me to convert you with my penis?

Alde's Mongolian, not Japanese.

[Aldebaran]

Fact. I have never been converted by a penis.

[The]

Fact. I have never been converted by a penis.

How about a broomstick?

[DIB]

Alde's Mongolian, not Japanese.

Then I will use my penis to subvert him.

[OULenexaman]

being that every thread here turns into DIB and The talking about their penis I have come to the conclusion that both must be hung like a hamster...

[The]

being that every thread here turns into DIB and The talking about their penis I have come to the conclusion that both must be hung like a hampster...

Hampster? Is that like a hipster that lives in the Hamptons?

[DIB]

being that every thread here turns into DIB and The talking about their penis I have come to the conclusion that both must be hung like a hampster...

My penis is shaped like a hamster, but I am hung like a Congolese shaman.

[The]

My penis is shaped like a hamster, but I am hung like a Congolese shaman.

Odd, mine's shaped like a Congolese Witch Doctor, but I'm hung like ten hamsters on a string.

[NormanPride]

Hampster? Is that like a hipster that lives in the Hamptons?

Aren't all Hamptonites hipsters? Or is it hipster to hate the Hamptons?

[cccasooner2]

Seems like some of y'all dun forgotten bout 9-11.

So she had her flying lesson subsidy turned down also?

[The]

being that every thread here turns into DIB and The talking about their penis I have come to the conclusion that both must be hung like a hamster...

Your edit after being quoted is making me chortle like a tortoise basking in the sandy beaches of Vermont.

[Breadburner]

I thought most from the Hamptons went gay after a 6 pack.....

[stoopified]

Obama should take care of this

[Aldebaran]

The questions are as follows:

How long have DIB and The shared a penis?

[The]

Sharing is Caring.

[Leroy Lizard]

Moral of the story: don't take anecdotal evidence and apply it to a huge swath of the population. I've worked with the poor in this state quite a bit and trust me, the VAST majority of them don't have widescreen HDTVs and XBox 360s.

So which gaming console do they use? My vote is on Playstation.

[cccasooner2]

Moral of the story: don't take anecdotal evidence and apply it to a huge swath of the population. I've worked with the poor in this state quite a bit and trust me, the VAST majority of them don't have widescreen HDTVs and XBox 360s.

Glad you pointed that out. The majority of poor people pay their bills (and don't have widescreen HDTVs and XBox 360s).

[badger]

If you've never had the pleasure of volunteering at one, or the torture of needing one, here's what happens:

1- Big line forms early in the morning.
2- Doors shut, people turned away every day before noon.
3- Restart process the next day.

Assistance programs do this so that they can stay open every day, but if they assisted every single person that requested and needed help, they would have to close down for a few weeks before receiving enough funds (though donations, grants, etc) to reopen.

Programs want to be able to open every day. People want to know that these programs are available to them every day, so there is no alternative... the lines form early, the assistance centers close early every day to budget their funds to be able to open every day.

As for the big TV and vidya console (Xbox 360, judging on the white controller), they might have been gifts or second-hand purchases before getting unemployed. Don't laugh - there's some pretty outdated technology in big screen TV's and those Xbox 360s had to get refurbished frequently during their early days (Google "Red Ring of Death")

I honestly don't think that people would seek handouts/assistance if they truly didn't need it. Filling out excessive forums and getting up at the crack of dawn to wait in a boring line for hours is a lot more hassle than most people would put up with otherwise.

Anyways, if you adamantly against handing out monetary assistance, consider volunteering you time as opposed to your paycheck to non-profits.

[Turd_Ferguson]

Glad you pointed that out. The majority of poor people pay their bills (and don't have widescreen HDTVs and XBox 360s).I can tell you for a fact that the majority of people that have $1.99 a month phone service, do indeed have widescreens and XBox's.

[olevetonahill]

If you've never had the pleasure of volunteering at one, or the torture of needing one, here's what happens:

1- Big line forms early in the morning.
2- Doors shut, people turned away every day before noon.
3- Restart process the next day.

Assistance programs do this so that they can stay open every day, but if they assisted every single person that requested and needed help, they would have to close down for a few weeks before receiving enough funds (though donations, grants, etc) to reopen.

Programs want to be able to open every day. People want to know that these programs are available to them every day, so there is no alternative... the lines form early, the assistance centers close early every day to budget their funds to be able to open every day.

As for the big TV and vidya console (Xbox 360, judging on the white controller), they might have been gifts or second-hand purchases before getting unemployed. Don't laugh - there's some pretty outdated technology in big screen TV's and those Xbox 360s had to get refurbished frequently during their early days (Google "Red Ring of Death")

I honestly don't think that people would seek handouts/assistance if they truly didn't need it. Filling out excessive forums and getting up at the crack of dawn to wait in a boring line for hours is a lot more hassle than most people would put up with otherwise.

Anyways, if you adamantly against handing out monetary assistance, consider volunteering you time as opposed to your paycheck to non-profits.

Uh Baj, I disagree. in 2000 when we had the major ice storm down here
Electric service was out for weeks . I personally went 18 days with out service.

Any way the Gov. set up a food thingy for peeps who lost all the Food they had in their freezers. Guess what. Peeps who dint ever lose service were right there standing in line:pop:

[Turd_Ferguson]

Uh Baj, I disagree. in 2000 when we had the major ice storm down here
Electric service was out for weeks . I personally went 18 days with out service.

Any way the Gov. set up a food thingy for peeps who lost all the Food they had in their freezers. Guess what. Peeps who dint ever lose service were right there standing in line:pop:Not to mention that getting up at the crack of dawn to spend a boring day filling out forms is a helluva lot easier than getting up at the crack of dawn 5 or 6 days a week to actually work at a ****ing job.

[A Sooner in Texas]

Uh Baj, I disagree. in 2000 when we had the major ice storm down here
Electric service was out for weeks . I personally went 18 days with out service.

Any way the Gov. set up a food thingy for peeps who lost all the Food they had in their freezers. Guess what. Peeps who dint ever lose service were right there standing in line:pop:

But why didn't they just take the food from their freezers and store it outside? There was lots of ice, right?

[olevetonahill]

Not to mention that getting up at the crack of dawn to spend a boring day filling out forms is a helluva lot easier than getting up at the crack of dawn 5 or 6 days a week to actually work at a ****ing job.

Yup never underestimate the Laziness of people

A ouple i know here was in the convenience store the other day, crying cause he got laid off & wondering what they gonna do for Christmas for their kids, as they were buying beer and cigs :rolleyes:

[olevetonahill]

But why didn't they just take the food from their freezers and store it outside? There was lots of ice, right?

One thing most of em are to stupid to breath with out instructions . and the others just saw a way to get something free.

[StoopTroup]

If ya'll don't get her electricity back on she's gonna vote Obama in 2012.

You've been warned.

[mgsooner]

If I had a dime for every time I heard "I saw ol' Rex and Maud pull up to the Wal-Marts in their new Cadillac and then whip out their food stamp card" I would be a multi-billionaire. The problem with that logic is that to some just because they saw ol' Rex and Maud engage in this then that automatically means there are no persons anywhere that are actually in need and anyone receiving public assistance is a lazy bum that just doesn't want to work.

[olevetonahill]

If I had a dime for every time I heard "I saw ol' Rex and Maud pull up to the Wal-Marts in their new Cadillac and then whip out their food stamp card" I would be a multi-billionaire. The problem with that logic is that to some just because they saw ol' Rex and Maud engage in this then that automatically means there are no persons anywhere that are actually in need and anyone receiving public assistance is a lazy bum that just doesn't want to work.

No, IMHO there are those that DO NEED assistance. But there are also those who milk the system for all its worth. And if you dont think so then you are naive.

Rather than a Mindless bureaucracy trying to take care of every one who MAY be in need , it should go back to what it was years ago. Each community taking care of their own

[StoopTroup]

Each community taking care of their own

You hippies and your communes. :D

[mgsooner]

No, IMHO there are those that DO NEED assistance. But there are also those who milk the system for all its worth. And if you dont think so then you are naive.

Rather than a Mindless bureaucracy trying to take care of every one who MAY be in need , it should go back to what it was years ago. Each community taking care of their own

I am very aware that there are those that take advantage. In fact, I have seen it first hand. But I have also seen many middle class people not that much different from myself that were doing well but then had a catastrophic injury or other calamity and suddenly were faced with having to seek public assistance. These people certainly did not revel in living off of the public dime. In fact, they were humiliated by it.

As for communities taking care of their own, I'm all for it. In some ways that would be a much more effective method of assistance than government entities.

[olevetonahill]

I am very aware that there are those that take advantage. In fact, I have seen it first hand. But I have also seen many middle class people not that much different from myself that were doing well but then had a catastrophic injury or other calamity and suddenly were faced with having to seek public assistance. These people certainly did not revel in living off of the public dime. In fact, they were humiliated by it.

As for communities taking care of their own, I'm all for it. In some ways that would be a much more effective method of assistance than government entities.

This is the prob, Most of those who Go after the assistance have no self pride anymore

[badger]

Uh Baj, I disagree. in 2000 when we had the major ice storm down here
Electric service was out for weeks . I personally went 18 days with out service.

Any way the Gov. set up a food thingy for peeps who lost all the Food they had in their freezers. Guess what. Peeps who dint ever lose service were right there standing in line:pop:

Let me clarify - they think they need it, even if some think they don't.

I know it might seem as a lack of self pride to go after this type of assistance, but I seem to think that it is self-pride that holds people back from doing what others expect and demand of them. Their self-pride is a matter of not having to do what others tell them. Tell them they should have a job instead of a handout? No, thanks, I'd rather do things my own way.

A few years back a story on homeless woman in Tulsa caught my attention - she was formerly wealthy and was now begging on the streets for cash to keep her car running (it was a nicer car) during the night where she lived with her cat and dog. Why would she choose to live like that rather than seek assistance to get back on her feet and out of her cold car? Self pride and the need for independence. You might look at her and say "she's dependent on others for cash! how is that independence?" It's independence because it's doing what she wants to do, not what others expect and demand of her.

And THAT is why they need assistance in their eyes. It is also probably why you'd all rather see her hit rock bottom instead so she's forced to change her ways.

Not trying to justify her or others' similar actions, just an observation.