What can one do...???

[AmeliaM]

Anyone who has been here for awhile knows that in Jan I wrote a post where I was being laid off from a job I had been in almost 7 yrs. The good news-I was to start school and they were gonna pay for it so I would go into a different field. ...Well school got delayed until fall because there weren't enough students signed up. I applied for unemployment and was looking for work...which around here is very hard to find. My mom dies April 7th, I find out I am pregnant(officially Apr 17th). Now I find out my unemploy says I need to send them more paperwork to show proof of my inability to work due to suitability because of my pregnancy and they stop my check (oh and apparently I back owe right now if I can't get them paperwork)...I can't pay my bills, I'm this close to being evicted(they have been fair-I warned them and I would have had to pay fines-which regardless I will owe), my fiance's hours were cut at work(it's like that alot here) and he is looking for more work also esp since what he was making was pretty much gas money. In essence we don't really have much of any income because of this. Can't pay the rent or utilities. Fighting to get unemployment set back up again(though once behind it is very hard to catch up-we were budgeted to be able to pay our bills w no extras). And to top it off I find out I will not be able to start school until the winter term because I have to have the baby first(they don't want me to risk being on bed rest and having to stop mid term on my school-which is pretty much sit down work)...I've had people tell me apply for welfare and get foodstamps and see if I can get on housing list and the heat/phone for lower income help so I can lower my bills until I am through school next yr(which won't be until aprox Nov 2009-because there is no summer term and they have made this class a 3 term instead of a 2 term)-I've been trying to look into this, but it's hard also and takes forever even after all the paperwork they apparently need-I have to see what I need to do for this-I only applied for Healthy Start and WIC otherwise I would have tried for it all,but I didn't think I would have this issue. Dang it ...what can one do??? I already fig we'd have to move, but when you don't have a down payment and all of a sudden no income...both my parents are dead and I don't have very many relatives or close friends...and I don't know anyone who would have the space for us. Even if I can somehow find a job it will cut into my unemploy cause nothing will pay what I was making and it was barely covering bills as it was(but doable-just no extras)...plus who wants to hire a pregnant woman(I'm due Oct 25-though I'm not very big and I've had no complications)????

[Greebo]

Wow - talk about a rough year!

What paperwork do you need to show unemployment? Proof of pregnancy?

[itsahumanzoo]

When I was pregnant I went to a temp agency and did temp job. No one cares if you're pregnant, because they won't be keeping you forever anyway. It's worth a try. Hope things start looking up for you soon and congrats on the new one!

[ladykemma2]

sounds like fiance needs to step up to the plate.

1. marry you
2. get a permanent full time job
3. sign you on his benefits.

[AmeliaM]

I'll check out the temp offices, but I know they are odd here to. I don't have any special skills. I've always been retail and factory...and factory isn't gonna work right now...all those jobs are disappearing unfort otherwise I wouldn't be in this predicament(I wouldn't have been laid off that is).

We have been planning on getting married(it was gonna be next yr)-we have been discussing just going and getting it done and having a sm ceremony later. He is looking for a full time job....he had been at this one for awhile and it's just not very busy right now(he worked at a carwash and also was djing-which was making good money for the last almost 3 yrs we have been together-it's just people are getting where they can't afford to go out because of all the layoffs in the area-so who do they downsize?). He is also in school for computer networking, but he had just started and it will be 2 yrs before he can use the degree(and he has filled out the job ap work at the career office they have at work). I have seen him put in tons of job aps and call them and inquiring about his ap-anywhere we see a wanted sign we grab an ap. I've talked to other people it's allover in this area. We had always shared the bills-we have just got where there is no money in any emergency fund and it just seems like everything happens at once....or in a domino effect.


I am hoping it is just proof of pregnancy , but they want the doc to fill out a packet. I had orig filled out all info in the questions they had asked me online...and everything seemed a go-then they do this.

[Puffy]

I'm not sure what state you live in but I have some helpful info if it is NY. The whole deal with unemployment here is the phrase "ready, willing and able" These are the three things that you have to be able to be in order to draw unemployment. If you are concerned about bed rest are there other medical problems that the doctors might disable you for? Pregnancy in NY state is a short term disablility where you can draw half of the income of the average of the last 8 weeks from wherever your last job was. You do not even need to be currently employed. Hope this might help, good luck and is there a church you can turn to for some help?

[kmsinsa]

I agree with the temp idea, also might want to consider posting an ad on CL to do petsitting, housecleaning, babysitting, etc.

[Lora88]

Sad to say but if the situation is as dire as getting evicted you are better off not being married. You are much more likely to aid and services from the govt if you are a single mom. Please dont flame me I didnt make the rules. Go down and apply for welfare you need to take care of yourself and your baby now .

[AmeliaM]

Sad to say but if the situation is as dire as getting evicted you are better off not being married. You are much more likely to aid and services from the govt if you are a single mom. Please don't flame me I didn't make the rules. Go down and apply for welfare you need to take care of yourself and your baby now .

Trust me -we have figured that out to....and yes it makes no sense either. We know a few single mom's that have offered some advise, but some of it either takes forever to get started...or you have to be getting out of a bad relationship(and we aren't having any issues like that-he has depression issues, but that is it and he's on meds for that).

[AmeliaM]

I'm not sure what state you live in but I have some helpful info if it is NY. The whole deal with unemployment here is the phrase "ready, willing and able" These are the three things that you have to be able to be in order to draw unemployment. If you are concerned about bed rest are there other medical problems that the doctors might disable you for? Pregnancy in NY state is a short term disablility where you can draw half of the income of the average of the last 8 weeks from wherever your last job was. You do not even need to be currently employed. Hope this might help, good luck and is there a church you can turn to for some help?

I'm in Ohio and it's similar...my case mgr and said that because of my pregnancy I don't have to take certain jobs(including the one I was laid off from)...esp since I was also getting ready to start school. But I still have to be actively looking. I am not on bedrest...so far everything is going the way it should be(glucose test this thurs-that's the one I'm worried about), so I don't know exactly how they see me. It's very frustrating. I'm not part of any church at the moment(when I had moved yrs ago the church split and I haven't really found one that I feel comfortable at) and I feel weird excepting help from a church that I am not a part of...like I am just there for what they can 'give' me.

[MomToTwoBoys]

There's been many lovely suggestions here. I was in a situation before I moved to Canada where I had just gotten out of the military, had a child already, and was drawing unemployment while looking for work. It was especially rough back then because 9/11 had just happened, alot of companies were laying off people left and right, and gas had spiked up. I tried to apply for financial assistance (this was in NY) but they wouldn't give me any assistance at all. I was a single mom then too. I did get a job, lasted three weeks, and went through a month to where we were hit really hard. I had to sell my car and then right after I sold my car, I got my veterans pension bundle.

I know jobs are pretty scarce nowadays and companies are struggling because of gas prices, etc. Even people with degrees are having a hard time with securing a job and there's no safe sector anywheres. I would honestly do the temp agency thing and be out there every day, even if you're pregnant. There are some jobs that you can do (cashier, customer service, etc) that you don't have to tire yourself out for. I'd also try asking through anyone you may know about getting a job. Networking has always been huge, even if you're in a rough situation.

[ansley]

Sad to say but if the situation is as dire as getting evicted you are better off not being married. You are much more likely to aid and services from the govt if you are a single mom. Please dont flame me I didnt make the rules. Go down and apply for welfare you need to take care of yourself and your baby now .

It isn't just as a single mom. They ask for household income. That could be parents, siblings, bf or etc. So, if she is living with the baby's dad, legally, she has to include him and his income.

[Lora88]

I am assuming if they are going to be evicted they income is minimal the threshold is much higher noe than it used to be many people are approved for help that were once not able to get anything you lose nothing by trying and this girl is in serious financial trouble go down and apply

[ansley]

My point was it isn't if you are a single mom or a married mom, it is your household income. The help is there for people in need, whether married or not.

[Toonces2]

At this point I would have fiance get a second or third job, start selling everything you can on craigslist and ebay, get food stamps and WIC and start applying to places yourself like fast food or retail. They are always looking for people and technically they cant discriminate because of pregnancy. I dont know much about unemployment benefits but if your doctor is the one who has to fill out all this paperwork make sure you are in constant contact with them and they are getting it done.

It sounds like you have been through alot this year! I hope things turn around for you soon! Keep us posted! Good luck!