Speaking the Loudest & Longest

I am in an interesting situation now at work. I am a low-income person providing a vital community service to other low-income people.

My agency offers free / affordable counseling for those who are un / under-insured. These families are often in crisis and have no where to turn. They need help NOW.

I have SO been there and done that. I previously shared my experience in getting Aly on Healthy Families. I had to continually call and sometimes even demand to speak to a supervisor to get my case handled. I never received the return phone calls I asked for. It was a mess.

Of course, that was a government agency. It's their duty to provide the services assigned to them. The agency I work for is a non-profit trying to help the community as much as it can. We can simply turn people away if we need to.

At my office, we perform "intake" over the phone - figuring out what kind of help someone needs, their availability, how much they can pay, etc. Then we fit them in when we can. If they are waiting for a "free spot," they may have to wait a while until one opens up. We are overwhelmed with those in need.

I have been warned that people will "march in and try to take advantage" of us. There really isn't anything we can do for a walk-in client, except tell them to call the Intake Line. We cannot HELP NOW, as some ask for or demand.

But I have also spoken up to fellow staff and shared my own experiences in needing low-income assistance of one kind or another. There are some people who take advantage of programs, who take what they sometimes don't even deserve, but there are others like myself too.

I've learned that the only way to get some of my family's needs met is to be speaking the loudest and the longest. A lot of systems are accidentally set up to only "reward" people like me: who don't give up, who demand answers, who ask WHY?

Most agencies, governmental and non-profit, have more people asking for help than they will EVER have time or money for. It's about patience, persistence, and paying attention to all the little rules - and traps.

Just remember that when you're calling in to talk to someone like me, you'll "catch more flies with honey than vinegar." You'd be suprised how far a nice attitude and a simple "Can you please help me?" can get you.