I'm a little slow on the uptake...lol. I didn't realize you could make your links clickable. From now on, I'll make them that way. Sometimes I am so up to date on things and other times I fall so far behind without even realizing it.
Here's information on FHA loans. These loans are for low income people so they can own their own home too. The loans are insured by the federal government, have low downpayments, and low monthly payments according to your income.
Here's the link for full information on these loans:
As with any of the links I post, you will need to call the actual places and see if they still offer what they say they do. Information changes all the time and I'm not sure how often they update it.
Genesse County Healthy Start – Flint Family Road 810-760-9333 Healthy Start is a group of organizations that help African-American women who are pregnant or with children ages 0-2 who live in zip codes 48503, 48504, or 48458. At FFR, women can earn “Loving Bucks” for baby needs, which earn credit to shop at the FFR store.
Ingham Shared Pregnancy 517.484.0365 Offers free maternity clothes. By joining the “Learn and Earn” program, clients can earn diapers, clothing, supplies, and equipment by taking classes and watching parenting and life skill videos. Open from 10 a.m-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday Open other hours by appointment only. 503 North Walnut Lansing, MI 48933 sharedpregnancy@msn.com
Jackson Birthline of Jackson 517-784-9187 Pregnancy and Parenting Center Earn “Baby Dollars” that can be used in exchange for baby supplies by attending “Earn While You Learn” lessons. Open, 10 a.m-4 p.m Tuesday & Thursday; 10 a.m-1 p.m Saturday. 817 W. High St. Jackson, MI 49203
Center for Women 517-787-4673 Offer free maternity clothing, baby clothing and furnishings based on a point system. Call to schedule an appointment. For more information call or email: answers@jacksonpregnancy.com Open Monday: 10 a.m-7 p.m Wednesday 10 a.m-4 p.m Friday: 10 a.m-2 p.m 434 Wildwood Ave. Jackson, MI 49201
Lapeer Pregnancy Resource Center of Lapeer 810-667-0055 Maternity clothing, baby clothing, cribs, car seats, play pens, high chairs, and other baby supplies available on an earned point system. 1715 Imlay City Road Lapeer, MI 48446
Livingston Pregnancy Helpline 810-632-5656 Offer baby clothes from newborn to 4T. Also have other supplies, dependent on donations, such as car seats, cribs, highchairs. 9560 Highland Rd. Hartland, MI
The Salvation Army – Howell 517-546-4750 Offer clothing vouchers for free or reduced cost maternity and baby clothes. 503 Lake St. Howell, MI 48843
Macomb Birth Right of Macomb County 586-254-5930 Offers help with getting baby items. Must call first. 45464 Van Dyke Ave. Utica, MI 48317
Compassion Pregnancy Center, Inc. 586-783-2229 Offers material assistance in the form of maternal and baby supplies. Hours: Monday-Friday: 10 a.m-4 p.m Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 6 p.m-8p.m Saturday: 10 a.m-1 p.m 37540 Gratiot, Suite 100 Clinton Township, MI 48036
Baby Supplies Directory of Community Services
Oakland Healthy Start/Healthy Families Oakland Program – Baby Pantry Program 248-335-5638 Provides free diapers to eligible families. Must be a client of the Healthy Start/Healthy Families Oakland Program. If interested in receiving emails about upcoming Baby Pantry events, email eliasophia@hotmail.com Healthy Start/Healthy Families Oakland Program – Baby Pantry Program 248-335-5638 Provides free diapers to eligible families. Must be a client of the Healthy Start/Healthy Families Oakland Program. If interested in receiving emails about upcoming Baby Pantry events, email eliasophia@hotmail.com
Washtenaw Faith in Action 734-475-3305 Have free baby supplies available to everyone, including clothing, food, etc. Monday-Friday, 9am-noon and 1pm-4pm. Chelsea & Dexter residents only. 603 S. Main St, Chelsea. House By the Side of the Road 734-971-2550 **Need a written referral from an agency like Doulas Care. They mainly have baby clothes, but may have access to some baby furniture as well. 4133 Washtenaw Ave Ann Arbor, MI 48108 Hours: 10am-2pm Monday through Friday. Best to arrive before 1:30 for enough time.
Mott Hospital's Buckle Up Program 763-2251 Car seats available (that convert from newborn to forward facing) for eligible families for $20. Need referral and proof of Medicaid or WIC eligibility. Call to set up an appointment.
Pregnancy Help Center 734-975-4357 Can provide baby supplies such as cribs, diapers, clothing (from infant to 5T), as well as baby cereals. Most clients are WIC-eligible, but WIC-eligibility is not required. By registering, clients may be eligible for a pack n’ play or bassinet for the baby to sleep in. 3150 Packard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Hours: Tuesday 1-4pm Thursday 9:30-11:30am Saturday 10am-1pm Shannon Richards 734-544-2984
Maternal Infant Health Program Washtenaw County Health Dept Can provide in home social work, nurse and dietician visits and help connect to instrumental support.
Wayne The Lennon Center 313-277-5637 All baby necessities are available, including cribs, car seats, strollers, walkers, baby swings, diapers, and formula. Household items are given when available. Open 8:30 a.m- 3 p. m. Monday-Friday 24275 Ann Arbor Trail Dearborn Heights, MI 48128
I found this website today that lists all the furniture banks across the United States. I thought it would be useful to post the link to the listings so people that need furniture can find out if there is a bank near you.
So terribly sorry you have to go through this terrible situation. Try and keep the faith and keep your head up. First thing I would do is try to get assistance from social services or hud or section 8 to help get you stabilized while looking for employment. The second thing is look over your divorce contract. My husband wasn't allowed to move my daughter out of the state we lived in without my written consent. If he did, I would have to report it right away and he would get in trouble. Also my contract states that I get so much time visitation and written correspondance and if he violated that he would get in trouble. And the last thing I found out from my horrible divorce is you have to go to court in the state the child is a resident of. They have to be living there for 6 months to qualify as a resident. So the next time he tries to up and move away from you , check your divorce papers and see if he's doing anything illegal. Then check into a legal aid office where you live to have them stop him from moving. If you keep following him all over the country because of the kids it will continue to ruin you finacially.
There are places around you say they offer free clothing. They do not specifically say school uniforms though. They might be able to refer you to another program that they know of that provides school uniforms though. I also saw a program called Operation School Bell which is a program run through the assistance league of houston. They say that you have to talk to the school counselor and be referred by them for this program but they will buy school uniforms for needy kids. They have an assistance league of dallas also but I'm not sure if they provide the same services as the one in Houston. I'll give you the number for the one in Houston and you can see if they run this program and how to get assistance if they do.
Here's a couple of clinics I found online that say they perform dental services. They are supposed to be free:
Mercy Clinic Downtown
424 Decatur Street
Atlanta, GA, 30312
404-880-3600
Dental Care Services, Enabling Services, Mental Health/Substance Abuse Services, Obstetrical and Gynecological Care, Other Professional Services, Primary Medical Care, Specialty Medical Care
West End Medical Center
868 York Avenue, SW Atlanta, GA, 30318
404-752-1400
Dental Care Services, Enabling Services, Obstetrical and Gynecological Care, Other Professional Services, Primary Medical Care, Specialty Medical Care
Here's the website where I found these two clinics...
http://freemedicalcamps.com/vcity.php?stateid=GA
They have a bunch more so maybe you could find one located closer to you.
You might be able to qualify for an FHA loan. Here's a link that will give you all the information about an FHA loan. http://www.hud.gov/buying/loans.cfm
I have been looking into it for a friend and from what I've been able to understand about them is that they are for low income people and even people with bad credit have been able to obtain them.
Even though you didn't qualify for rent assistance or day care you might still be eligible for foodstamps, they set the income limits higher for that program.
I found this program that might be able to help you
State of N J Community Affairs Department: Rental Assistance Program
- www.somersetfoodbank.org - (732) 560-1813 - More
I always reccommend freecycle for clothes, furniture, toys and things like that.
www.freecycle.org
Just type in your city and state and it should bring up the one closest to your area. You would be amazed at the things people will give away on there. You can also post a wanted message and might be able to get specific things you need.
I don't know how close you are to this but it's a free dental clinic in your area.
Jefferson County Department of Health
5720 First Avenue North Birmingham, AL, 35212
Notes: Year round Please call for detaild information.
Contact number:
205-510-3401
Services :
Service Types: Dental Care Services, Enabling Services, Mental Health/Substance Abuse Services, Obstetrical and Gynecological Care, Other Professional Services, Primary Medical Care, Specialty Medical Care.
And the Rescue Mission does not list phone numbers but directions instead. I don't know if you can find them in your phone book but here's a link to the page where they are located.
When I used to live in Nashville, our church used to help those in need. You could try calling some local churches and see if any of them can help you.
I found this organization that helps vetern's and current people serving in the military. They give out financial aid to help with bills and other stuff.
Here's the link to their page:
http://www.helpingheal.org/guidelines.html
It tells you what you need to qualify and how to apply and stuff. Good luck to you and thanks for you dedication and service.
Find the college that you are interested in and talk to their financial aide office. They have pell grants, tap, and student loans you can apply for to cover the cost of your college. They also have a book on all the scholarships you can apply for at your college.
As far as a job, the best place I have found for work at home jobs is this site:
http://www.wahm.com/forum/
Go to where it says WAHM business and services...under there are groups that hire from home and the people on the board will review them. They tell you what their experience was working for these companies, if they pay, what you get paid, ect..
Home Ownership Services may help prevent loss of a home, providing services such as:
House payments (mortgage or land contract payments), including principal, interest, legal fees and escrow for taxes and insurance
Property taxes and fees
Mobile home lot rent for owners or purchasers of mobile homes
Insurance coverage required by a mortgage or land contract.
The lifetime Home Ownership Services maximum is $2000. The lifetime maximum is the combined cumulative total of all home ownership service payments. Home Ownership Services cannot be approved if the emergency was client-caused. The total amount of taxes past due for all years does not exceed $2,000.
A client-caused emergency is when an SER group fails to pay required payments for the six-month period prior to the month of application. Good cause may exist (except for property taxes) as a basis for an applicant’s failure to prevent an emergency.
Only a DHS Specialist can accurately determine your eligibility for this program. Ask for details when turning in a completed application at your local DHS County Office.
There's also this program in Michigan that your daughter might be able to get approved for (For the following two programs it tells you to call your local dhs county office to apply, I gave that link above under the heating program):
Family Independence Program (FIP) The main goal of the FIP program is to help families become independent and self-supporting. FIP is temporary cash assistance for struggling or lower income families with pregnant women or minor children. FIP helps these families pay for living expenses such as heat, rent, food, utilities, clothing, and personal care items. In addition, FIP applicants and recipients may be assigned to the Jobs, Education and Training (JET) program for assistance in finding a job or ways to develop needed job skills. Help with childcare, transportation, and other needs related to training and employment may be provided.
Here's the link that shows eligibility requirements for the above program:
Food Assistance Program (FAP) Group Eligibility for the Food Assistance Program will depend on the financial situation of all members of the household group. All persons who live in the household and purchase and prepare food together will be considered to be members of the same FAP group
This is a link for the above program that shows eligibility requirements:
Thank you so much for responding to me. It's kind of funny the things that should be common sense or obvious that you don't think of. I can knit and crochet and I get very relaxed doing it. I felt a huge duh moment when you mentioned that. I also like the idea of counting certain color cars and the lightposts. My therapist a long time back told me to take trips in sections. To focus on 1/4 of the way and then when I got there to make another checkpoint about 1/4 the way more and keep going until I got there. The problem with that was about the 1/2 way point, my mind kept imagining the distance I had already traveled and focused on far it was back...lol I think with counting, it won't put the focus on distance so much. I appreciate your kind words and hopefully look forward to updating my blog at that time with a success story.
I have to go to the dentist on August 5th. I'm trying really hard not to work myself up about it. It is a mile outside of my comfort zone and I will probably have to spend an hour there. This is something I have not done in 8 years. When I get outside my comfort zone I start shaking and tearing up. No matter how much I try to redirect my thoughts and focus, I end up loosing it. The techniques I use are: positive thoughts, rubber band on my wrist, mp3 player, book for reading, and my deep breathing exercises. I was wondering if any of you who might suffer from agoraphobia or anxiety disorders might have some techniques I haven't thought of. I just really want to go and accomplish this task.
Here's a link for California freecycle: http://www.freecycle.org/group/US/California
It has people in your area who give stuff away for free. I've seen a lot of furniture in these groups and household items as well as clothes and things of that nature.
Call SSDI and ask them about their ticket to work program. I'm not sure if they have it also but SSI has it. They send you a ticket and about 6 pages of companies that will employed disabled people. They have at least 3 different companies that are work from home and are legit.
This website link shows a list of agencies in California that can help you with your utility bills. http://www.hud.gov/local/ca/renting/energyprgms.cfm
This link is for a one time rental assistance help:
Here's a link that lists all the free medical and free dental services in North Carolina. They break them down by cities: http://freemedicalcamps.com/vcity.php?stateid=NC
Go to this link http://www.cancer.org/asp/search/crd/crd_global.asp It's for the American Cancer Society. It's a search engine where you type in your zip code and it will show all the local organizations that can help you with food, money, medicine, transportation ect. After you type in your zip code and hit search, A huge list of programs will show up. If you click on a program it will take you to another page that tells you what the program is, what you need to qualify, what they provide, and contact information.
There's a program called WIC if you're not familiar with it. They give you checks for food that you need while you're pregnant and then after your baby is born they will give you checks for formula or food if you're breast feeding. You have to see them monthly, I believe. They just weigh you and ask how your pregnancy or the baby is doing. They have lots of information on other programs that can help you. Here's a link to find your local office...http://www.applications.dhs.ca.gov/wic/resources/laSearch/search.asp
You can also go to a local food bank and get some food temporarily while waiting to get food another way...This link will show you where they are in your area. Sometimes they give out diapers and clothes at the foodbanks too. http://www.cafoodbanks.org/Find_A_Food_Bank.html
You should try applying for foodstamps at your local social services office along with public assistance. I know once you get on public assistance you can do what they call work registering. They will try and match jobs with whatever skills you may have. They also usually have a work program where they will train you in certain skills for free so you can find a job. Also if you're interested in College there are a ton of government funds to pay for the cost. You would just need to call the finanacial aide office of the college you want to go to and ask them what things are out there to help you. Usually there's tap and pell grants.
I don't know where exactly you are in MD but there are food banks pretty much everywhere that could give you some food for a few days at least. Here's a listing of some of them
Garrett County Food Resources c/o Garrett County Community Action Council 104 E. Center Street Oakland, MD 21550 Phone: 301-334-9431 Fax: 301-334-2987
Western Maryland Food Bank P.O. Box 243 Cumberland, MD 21502 Phone: 301-722-2797 Fax: 301-722-6046
Howard County Food Bank c/o Howard County Community Action Council 6751 Columbia Gateway Drive Columbia, MD 21046 Phone: 410-313-6440 Fax: 410-313-6479
As for diapers, around here Catholic Charities, Salvation Army, the American Red Cross, and some pregnancy counseling groups have been known to give them out.
I have this similair situation with my ex. I don't know what state your son lives in but the state my daughter lived in had hotels that were extended stay hotels. The one in particular I would stay at was called Inn Town Suites but they usually have these types of hotels everywhere. It would cost me $156 for the week with a one time deposit fee of $100 that you immediately got back at check out time. The room came with a Queen sized bed, a pull out twin sofa bed, A kitchen with a stovetop, full refrigerator, and a microwave, a sink and cabinets, a small table with two chairs to eat at. This worked out better for me pricewise then having to pay for roundtrip tickets for the both of us. Of course my visitation was for a week or two here and there at a time. If you have 3 months at a time that would definately be more costly to do. The only other thing I can think of is to check out cheaptickets.com. They usually seem to have decent pricing.
I just applied for one of these for my brother. He's diabetic and without a phone which is very necessary for him to have since he can go low real quick. It's a basic tracphone and they put 68mins a month on it. It's all totally free and basically a good phone to have for emergency situations. It's not available in all states yet but they are expanding to new states all the time. Just a few months ago you couldn't get one in NY but now you can.
SafeLink Wireless offers qualifying customers FREE cellular service. This service is currently available in Florida, Tennessee, and Virginia. Soon, SafeLink Wireless service will be offered in the following states:
SafeLink Wireless Service is coming soon to... Alabama Massachusetts Connecticut New Hampshire Delaware New York D. of Columbia North Carolina Georgia Pennsylvania
I don't know if ssdi rewarding back payments to disability is a new thing or not. I just know that I searched the internet like crazy this last time when I was trying to apply to find out if there was anything I was missing when I applied in the past. Here is a link that might explain some more for you: http://www.hcvadvocate.org/hepatitis/About_Hepatitis_pdf/1.1.1_Living_With_HepatitisC/ssi_and_ssdi.pdf and http://www.disabilitysecrets.com/does-everyone-get-backpay.html I know the first link has hepatitis in it but it's general information. The thing I hate is everywhere you turn to find out info on these two programs it's all so complicated almost like doing taxes...lol. These types of programs should not be this hard to get because there are people like us that need them to survive.
I have agoraphobia basically severe panic attacks that just happen when I walk out the door. There's no rhyme or reason to them. My psychologist explained to me because of the childhood trauma and my abusive ex husband, I basically conditioned my body to react this way all the time that it automatically does it without thinking about it. Now I need to try to untrain it and it is freakin hard. I'm working on it daily and making progress..it's just really slow. I had to basically go to each one of my doctors and have them fax all my medical records to ssi because they were too lazy to push the drs to get them. I never did that b4 and I think that's the reason I received it this time. I also had a dr tell me that I'm bi-polar but at that time i was going through a lot of emotional and physical crap with my ex that my new therapist thinks that it could have mimmiced how a bi-polar person would act.
Oh yeah and as far as direct deposit goes. They mailed me my first payment and lump sum in a check around the 4th of the month and there was a card inside of it with it that said if I wanted further payments direct deposited to call the number on the card and they would set it up for me. That's what I ended up doing because I live in an apartment place and I didn't want my checks to go missing. Now I get my payments on the first of each month because they don't have to print them and mail them.
I finally was approved for disability after 15yrs of applying and fighting..don't worry my case was all messed up. Anyways, I'm on SSI and they usually go back to the date you applied. It took me 5 months after I applied this last time to finally get approved. They took the award amount for each month and times that by 5, that was my lump sum. My children do not receive checks. Although, I have heard some cases where they do. Now supposedly SSDI has the ability to award you back benefits from the date you first became disabled. I'm not sure how they determine that date. I applied for benefits in Sept. of 08 and they had a disability date on my award letter that said July 1997...but I only got back to Sept. It's really confusing trying to figure it out on your own because there are so many variations in peoples experiences with diability. I will tell you that it wasn't until 4 months after I applied that I got a call from a worker and they said that it looked like I was going to be approved. Then about 3 weeks later I got my award letter, then about 3 weeks after that I got part of my lump sum and my first check. With SSI they can only pay you so much of your lump sum at a time. I get the other part of my lump sum in August. I hope I didn't just confuse you more..lol
This link will show you all the programs in your county. What they can provide for you and what proof you need to bring with you to apply. They also list the programs names and phone numbers. There are several on there for heating/cooling bills. Also rent assistance, food, clothes, water, sewer, mortgage, ect..
Hi everyone.
I need to start from the beginning in order for anyone to make any kind of semblence /understanding of my life. It's so very complicated, maybe more or less than any other...
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