<ckilgore>
09-26-2002, 02:49 PM
***MAYOR TOM MURPHY SENDS A TEAM TO INVESTIGATE THE HOMELESS***
Allegheny County Ranked #1 For Income Despair - says "WPXI NEWS" 09/25/02
"Allegheny County Families In Crisis"- What is our Government doing to Help!
There are thousands of families in financial crisis in Allegheny County today with and without children. If you have children you have no problem qualifying for any of the programs the state or federal government have to offer. If you are a family with no small children and your "Gross Income" is not within the poverty guidelines there are NO ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS for you. You either have to be homeless, in the process of eviction, and even then you aren't guaranteed assistance.
I am in one of those Allegheny County families in crisis with no children. My husband had a heart attack and is no longer working in the job he had for 26 years. I am now the sole provider of a family of three with no small children. I have called and applied for every assistance program out there; for food, assistance with utilities, rental assistance, and I do not qualify because again my "Gross Income" before any deductions does not meet the poverty guidelines and I have no small children.
My family and I are trying to avoid being evicted, avoid having our utilities shut off and just be able to buy food. Both my husband and I have worked all of our lives and paid our taxes to the state and federal government just like everyone else yet when a crisis arrived in our family and my husband had a heart attack and was told by his doctor to find a different career after 26 years at his job, because the physical stress of the job was too much stress for the heart, we are now minus one income. I am working full time, and my gross pay is $2130.00 monthly and my net pay after deductions is $738.00 monthly. Our rent is $495.00 + utilities, and food. Yet we qualify for "NO ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS" for food, rent, utilities or anything else for that matter.
There has to be thousands of families out here in Allegheny County that are in the very same situation looking for the same assistance that we are and being rejected for the same reasons. We cannot even get food from a food bank because of my gross income. What we are trying to avoid is becoming homeless, having our utilities shut off, and having no food. We already have no food in our home and are coming up on 3 months behind on our rent, more than 3 months behind on our utilities, and no assistance programs that will help us. Maybe if we had some programs to help hard working families in crisis in our Pittsburgh Communities, the number of homeless people would decrease every year instead of increasing. Just because we have no children doesn't mean that we are not a real family with real needs, a family in crisis.
How can our Government base the poverty guidelines on "Gross Income" which is money you don't have until your deductions have been met. Gross Income is not your take home or Net Pay which is the actual money you have to support your family. Maybe President Bush, the Congressional Leaders, the House of Representatives, or the Mayor of our own city should try to live on a "Gross Income" of $1252.00 for a family of three, which happens to be the FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL GUIDELINES set by our state and federal government.
The LOW INCOME GUIDELINES set by our Federal Government for a family of three is currently at $1878.00. Again these income guidelines are before your deductions, imagine what your actual take home or Net Pay would be for you to support your family.
I feel, as many of these families in crisis in Allegheny County, that if we had more assistance programs to help before the fact of becoming homeless, losing your electric and gas service, or not having any food to feed your family the economy would be much better off, and of course lets not forget, once you are homeless you cannot apply for assistance because you need an address to be able to apply for any assistance program out there.
What is happening to our State and Federal Government???? There are hard working families out here in Allegheny County that worked all of there lives and paid their taxes to the state and federal government every year and supported our own families, and now that we are in crisis, our own government will not help us. Where is the justice in that? What kind of Justice is this for all of us who have worked, supported our families, and paid our taxes??? How many more families in Allegheny County will stay in crisis because our own government will not help us???? How many of us will become homeless after supporting our families before our crisis??? How many of us out there are without food to feed our families???? How many of us have no utilities???? What will it take before our Government opens it's eyes to the Families in Crisis here in our Pittsburgh Community and all over the United States????? ARE WE JUST SUPPOSE TO TAKE "NO" FOR AN ANSWER??? I for one do not intend to take "NO" for an answer. I will do whatever it takes to help my family.
The Kilgore Family
232 Jasper Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15211
412-481-5949 Evening
412-232-3444 x3127 Daytime
ckilgore328********
Dear Christine,
Thank you for the information on this story. Your email has been included in our report.
CNN Public Information
Mpi
Z-Public Information(email)" Public.Information*t urner.com
Allegheny County Ranked #1 For Income Despair - says "WPXI NEWS" 09/25/02
"Allegheny County Families In Crisis"- What is our Government doing to Help!
There are thousands of families in financial crisis in Allegheny County today with and without children. If you have children you have no problem qualifying for any of the programs the state or federal government have to offer. If you are a family with no small children and your "Gross Income" is not within the poverty guidelines there are NO ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS for you. You either have to be homeless, in the process of eviction, and even then you aren't guaranteed assistance.
I am in one of those Allegheny County families in crisis with no children. My husband had a heart attack and is no longer working in the job he had for 26 years. I am now the sole provider of a family of three with no small children. I have called and applied for every assistance program out there; for food, assistance with utilities, rental assistance, and I do not qualify because again my "Gross Income" before any deductions does not meet the poverty guidelines and I have no small children.
My family and I are trying to avoid being evicted, avoid having our utilities shut off and just be able to buy food. Both my husband and I have worked all of our lives and paid our taxes to the state and federal government just like everyone else yet when a crisis arrived in our family and my husband had a heart attack and was told by his doctor to find a different career after 26 years at his job, because the physical stress of the job was too much stress for the heart, we are now minus one income. I am working full time, and my gross pay is $2130.00 monthly and my net pay after deductions is $738.00 monthly. Our rent is $495.00 + utilities, and food. Yet we qualify for "NO ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS" for food, rent, utilities or anything else for that matter.
There has to be thousands of families out here in Allegheny County that are in the very same situation looking for the same assistance that we are and being rejected for the same reasons. We cannot even get food from a food bank because of my gross income. What we are trying to avoid is becoming homeless, having our utilities shut off, and having no food. We already have no food in our home and are coming up on 3 months behind on our rent, more than 3 months behind on our utilities, and no assistance programs that will help us. Maybe if we had some programs to help hard working families in crisis in our Pittsburgh Communities, the number of homeless people would decrease every year instead of increasing. Just because we have no children doesn't mean that we are not a real family with real needs, a family in crisis.
How can our Government base the poverty guidelines on "Gross Income" which is money you don't have until your deductions have been met. Gross Income is not your take home or Net Pay which is the actual money you have to support your family. Maybe President Bush, the Congressional Leaders, the House of Representatives, or the Mayor of our own city should try to live on a "Gross Income" of $1252.00 for a family of three, which happens to be the FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL GUIDELINES set by our state and federal government.
The LOW INCOME GUIDELINES set by our Federal Government for a family of three is currently at $1878.00. Again these income guidelines are before your deductions, imagine what your actual take home or Net Pay would be for you to support your family.
I feel, as many of these families in crisis in Allegheny County, that if we had more assistance programs to help before the fact of becoming homeless, losing your electric and gas service, or not having any food to feed your family the economy would be much better off, and of course lets not forget, once you are homeless you cannot apply for assistance because you need an address to be able to apply for any assistance program out there.
What is happening to our State and Federal Government???? There are hard working families out here in Allegheny County that worked all of there lives and paid their taxes to the state and federal government every year and supported our own families, and now that we are in crisis, our own government will not help us. Where is the justice in that? What kind of Justice is this for all of us who have worked, supported our families, and paid our taxes??? How many more families in Allegheny County will stay in crisis because our own government will not help us???? How many of us will become homeless after supporting our families before our crisis??? How many of us out there are without food to feed our families???? How many of us have no utilities???? What will it take before our Government opens it's eyes to the Families in Crisis here in our Pittsburgh Community and all over the United States????? ARE WE JUST SUPPOSE TO TAKE "NO" FOR AN ANSWER??? I for one do not intend to take "NO" for an answer. I will do whatever it takes to help my family.
The Kilgore Family
232 Jasper Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15211
412-481-5949 Evening
412-232-3444 x3127 Daytime
ckilgore328********
Dear Christine,
Thank you for the information on this story. Your email has been included in our report.
CNN Public Information
Mpi
Z-Public Information(email)" Public.Information*t urner.com