ELLSWORTH, Maine — When Vanessa Young of Cherryfield got a 40-hour-per-week job, she thought her financial worries were behind her.
But the single mother from Cherryfield still struggles.
“We’re living paycheck to paycheck. I look at my son and he’s going to be driving soon, and I wonder how am I going to buy him a car or send him to college,” she said at a press conference Tuesday, where the Washington-Hancock Community Agency announced results of a report identifying the needs of lower-income residents.
“I wonder how we’re going to heat the house this winter,” Young said.
She’s behind on most of her bills, and she finds it hard to get much help from the state.
“I’m $9 over every guideline — Maine Care, food stamps,” Young said. “One of the problems is health insurance. I have coverage through work, but my son is not covered because I can’t afford the $150 every two weeks out of my paycheck.
“If I made $9 a week less, I could get food stamps,” she said.
Mike Hatt’s situation is a little different. He has been out of work for a year after being laid off from a job that was paying $11 an hour, relatively good wages for Washington County, he said. His wife is on disability and they are helping to care for parents and grandparents. The family qualifies for assistance, but he said it is still a daily challenge to get by.
He makes his way “by the grace of God,” but it gets harder every day, he said.
Hatt said he’s not alone and that a lot of people are living in poverty.
“A lot of people get depressed because they don’t know what to do,” he said. “Alcohol is a big issue. A lot of people just don’t know where to turn.”
Young and Hatt were among the 362 people who were interviewed as part of a comprehensive needs assessment study conducted over the past year by WHCA. The agency released the results of the study in a report Tuesday.
The results of the assessment will help the agency to change existing programs and create new programs to better meet those needs, according to WHCA executive director Tim King.
The interviews raised a number of concerns, a key one focusing on the lack of quality jobs in the two counties. Not surprisingly, the top area of need cited in the survey had to do with money.
“People said they didn’t have enough money,” King said.
Sixty-nine percent of those responding to the survey said they did not have enough money to pay monthly bills, according to the report.
In addition, he said, those people often don’t know how to change that situation.
“People often have difficulty being able to access services or programs that could help them reduce their costs or increase their income,” he said.
The other top five needs were:
— Financial literacy: 49 percent do not know how to manage a budget, the report said. According to King, the existing economic system, which encourages living on credit, preys upon that deficiency.
— Health care: Many lack health insurance, and those who are covered often have a high deductible. A medical incident that taps that deductible can create financial turmoil in their lives, King said.
— Legal assistance: While those surveyed don’t necessarily need a lawyer because they have been arrested, King said, they often do need someone to help them with the process of dealing with state and federal agencies.
— Transportation: A lot of people don’t have reliable transportation, which is a critical factor in a mainly rural area such as Washington and Hancock counties. That situation was exacerbated earlier this year when the price of gasoline skyrocketed.
Most of the data for the survey were gathered during the past year before the financial crisis hit the country and the world. The financial collapse likely will just make things worse, said WHCA board member Craig Schoppe, who also served on the Needs Assessment Committee.
The survey made a few things clear to board members. One of the challenges the survey poses is for WHCA to match programs with the identified needs and to see if those programs result in a measurable reduction in the number of people living in poverty, said board member Barbara Arter.
In addition, she said, WHCA needs to become more of an advocate for those people, working with other agencies to present these needs to legislators and policymakers in the state.
King noted that, in these times, the agency cannot do the work by itself.
“We need to work together, particularly with other nonprofits, to provide better access to services to the people we serve,” he said. “Also, there are a large number of volunteer community groups who could be an asset that we as a nonprofit could work better with to provide assistance to people. We need to look more to the local community groups.”
The WHCA board already has begun a strategic planning process that will identify specific goals that target the needs identified in the survey. King said staff members will change programs or develop new programs to better address those goals. He said those changes could begin to take place within the next three or four months.
The survey contains a lot of statistical information about residents in the two counties that could be of use to other agencies, organizations and groups, according to officials. The Needs Assessment Report is available on the agency’s Web site at www.whcacap.org or by calling Ellen Hathaway at 664-2424, ext. 4452.
On 12/17/08 at 8:14 AM,
sewmama wrote:
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I sympathize with Ms. Young but why is she worried about how she is going to afford a car for her son who is ready to start driving. If that son is old enough to drive he can get a part time job and buy his own car. And as far as college is concerned allot of kids "work" their way through college. It's tough for everyone today just to pay for our necessities, so I don't doubt for a minute she is having it tough financially. And if she can't afford a car for him how does she think she can afford insurance, up-keep and money for his gas.
On 12/17/08 at 8:21 AM,
Bangorian wrote:
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I worry about people who live in these rural communities during these tough economic times. As State money grows tighter, resources are going to be consolidated to more populated areas, where they can help more people, leaving those in places like Washington County to fend for themselves. The next few years are going to be tough, especially for rural Mainer's.
On 12/17/08 at 8:37 AM,
fudgieee wrote:
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You are absolutely right on why Ms. Young should NOT be worried about loosing her job that is if she is planning to buy Jaguar or so for her son. She needs to understand one thing. Having a car for their child is a "PRIVILEGE and a LUXURY" item. Having a car for a parent who brings income is a necessity. Ms Young will need to start teaching her son responsibilities instead of spoiling him. I don't like rich people who spoil their kids...THAT'S THE TRUTH!
On 12/17/08 at 9:09 AM,
choppahdave wrote:
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Money can.t buy love. Let the kids work and learn responsibility. Most young people take better care of the things 'they' buy. They will still love you.
On 12/17/08 at 9:28 AM,
vchapes wrote:
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Make the kid work for his car.... HMMMM. I remember my first car, my parents bought for me. I COULDNT work without a vehicle. Theres NOTHING around here, no 'public' transportation, my parents worked from before dawn well past dark so they couldnt take me to work, not many neighbors either..... so you cant say "make them work for it" in all situations.
On 12/17/08 at 9:33 AM,
pcme2000 wrote:
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I have to agree Ms. Young worries about buying her son a car at 16, wow if that is all that she has to worry about then she is doing good. Tell the son to keep taking the school bus or go to McDonalds and work in the afternoons and on the weekends. As far as Ms.Young says that she is like $9.00 a week less that she could get foodstamps and etc, I feel bad for her there are a lot of people in Maine that have that same problem.
On 12/17/08 at 10:00 AM,
anonon wrote:
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I worked 2 jobs in the summer when not in school to get my first car.
What I can't understand is that when you go downeast everybody either is towing a trailer with 4 wheelers,motor cross bikes,snowmobiels,or towing a huge camper,or a luxury boat. I know people that are in that area and have none of these things,but the younger generation has it all, how can they pay for the luxury items? I know that their job isn't paying anymore than what thei parents make. Where it is such a depressed area, I would also like to know why everything and I mean everything is higher that another county? Food,gas,nessesities.
The govenor should be paying more attention to Washington county.
On 12/17/08 at 10:21 AM,
averagejoe wrote:
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Many of the luxury items are two-fold and can be considered write-offs against ones taxes; trailers, ATV's, boats, trucks all fall under depreciation elements. These younger members also life at home for awhile and attain personal items, not saying it's right or wrong, but some do this. Buy your toys before the marriage, because the party ends after that.
I admire Ms. Young for having the grit to get a full time job and I also noticed that she is a den mother through a local church after a quick google search. The working poor have that gumption and do what it takes to improve out world, don't make welfare a career choice.
On 12/17/08 at 10:22 AM,
averagejoe wrote:
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live not life, sorry
On 12/17/08 at 10:24 AM,
abrownsviller wrote:
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Being a single mother of 2, I understand what she and the others are going through. II do go to college, and it is the only way that I can get caught up on bills, which is by having to take out student loans- I know this sounds stupid, but a mother has to do what she has to do. I do recive food stamps, but not enough to get us through the month, maybe enough to get us by for 2 weeks. IIam disabled, and do recive SSI- but even with that it's not enough to get by each month.
And for the ones who are taking about why she would want to get her son a car- what parent wouldn't! want to help there flesh and blood out! my son has his permit too, but if we don't get a car, then how is is going to be able to try and get his licence? So I suggest that some of you ( who are not in this situation) should stop and think what you are saying because it's down right rude. If any kid cannot get a car to get his or her licence- then how the hell do you expect the kid to get back and forth to a job- THINK ABOUT IT !
On 12/17/08 at 10:36 AM,
choppahdave wrote:
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I lived in rural downeast Maine an I raked berries, shoveled snow, cut grass, baited bags, repaired windows and painted etc. etc. (all before I had a car ) and then I bought a car that needed a little work and did that too. I still love my mother.
On 12/17/08 at 11:00 AM,
jayneinmaine wrote:
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I'm for having kids earn their own vehicles...but, it can be a "catch 22." How can they get to a job if they don't have the means to get there? There is no public transportation for that in rural Maine. WHCA is a wonderful organization but funding a transportation system is an awesome financial responsibility. WHCA provides medical transportation....and has a program called "Helping Hands Garage" which helps people obtain vehicles so that people can get to work. This information is available on WHCA's website at www.whcacap.org People also need to help others and do the "bartering and exchange" thing. No money needs to pass from hand-to-hand. "I'll do this for you and you can help me by doing that..." With all the budget cuts etc., etc., we need to get back to how life used to be BEFORE all the social service programs! How did those people survive? We need to talk to the older generation and hear what they have to say because they lived it and KNOW how it can work.
On 12/17/08 at 12:31 PM,
JWBooth wrote:
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"Financial literacy: 49 percent do not know how to manage a budget, the report said."...sounds like they're 45% better than our legislators in Augusta.
On 12/17/08 at 1:10 PM,
CYRUS1 wrote:
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right on choppahdave you come from the same school i did ......parents have set there kids up to think that they are supposed to have 'things' the boy hopefully will knock on doors and see if he can get odd jobs within walking distance ms young is faced w some tough work i do not blame her for wanting the most for her child ...hey she is working and thinking about there future good luck to her
On 12/17/08 at 1:10 PM,
choppahdave wrote:
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If we can keep them poor, we'll always have a nice labor pool for the military.
On 12/17/08 at 4:42 PM,
sewmama wrote:
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Abrownsviller, I will tell you how I did it back in the 50s when I had to get to work at age 16. I lived out in the country and in order to get to work I had to ride with someone else who also worked in town. I had to walk a mile to get to the main road to catch my ride regardless of the weather and I had to pay the lady for picking me up. My parents didn't even have a car because they couldn't afford one. The first car for me was after I got married and we bought a car that was 10 years old, but it got us around. If kids want to get their license at 17 then they should be prepared to buy their own car. No job, no car. Simple as that.
On 12/17/08 at 4:53 PM,
bobsmith wrote:
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WHCA Needs to screen the needly more closely, there is alot of waste and people getting relief when they dont deserve it.
On 12/18/08 at 4:26 AM,
clamchowdah wrote:
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JWBooth LMAO
On 12/18/08 at 2:32 PM,
Tikitorch wrote:
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I think the point we are missing is that she is actually working and trying and missing any help by 9 bucks a week! She could very well say to heck with it and get done her job and collect the full boat. This state should be giving these people an incentive to keep working... This is the type of person we should be helping not the lazy, cig. cmoking baby factories!!
On 12/18/08 at 2:50 PM,
MainelyMe2 wrote:
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14 years ago when I lived on the Hancock/Washington line we were 15 miles from town. My daughter got her license and also had a part time job. It's a catch 22 situation for alot of parents that live out there wanting to buy a car for their child. My daughter's hours at her part time job didn't coincide with my hours, so if I hadn't bought her a car, she would have sat in Bangor for hours waiting on me to pick her up, and had sat for 4 hours after school in Bangor waiting to go to work as she wouldn't have had a way there if she had taken the school bus home. Transportation isn't easy living out that way if your child is willing to work part time somewheres. She paid for all her gas, helped pay for maintenance, and never abused being out at all hours outside of work or school. Without that car she wouldn't have been able to work part time anywheres due to lack of transportation. Many teenagers are in the same boat that live out there--with parents who are barely getting by themselves and having their own transportation problems just to get themselves back and forth to work. Also--too many people sit back and take the easy ride of working the bare minimum just to collect food stamps, health insurance, and getting heating help in the winter. Sometimes it seems that they are making it better thru hard times than someone actually working a full time job. The state seriously needs to do an overhaul of how they help people trying to help themselves.
On 12/18/08 at 6:14 PM,
bthanson wrote:
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amen tiki i'm with ya
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