An intro to Social Work and Social Services: What is Social Welfare?

In the small suburb of Broadview, Illinois, where I grew up, children either brought their lunch from home or went home for lunch and in special cases, parents brought a fast food favorite for their child.  Having a parent bring lunch to school meant you were the talk of the lunch room.  To us, the “poor children” usually had no apples, no fruit snacks and the brown bag was reused.  However, the amount of money people did, or did not make, was never discussed. Everyone had the same type of house and ate the same type of dinners, we were all equal.  Inside the city was different; do not stare at people and do not make eye contact.  In fact, the first time I ever saw food stamps was in the city, while staring at them I pondered what post office gave stamps to buy food with.

When I moved to Texas, I immediately, noticed a dramatic difference in the lives of those around me.  I discovered middle class; our family was upper middle class.  My Mother worked for NBC affiliate, KHOU Channel 2, as an Electric Engineer.   I knew there were school counselors who were available should a student need someone to talk to, but I had never heard of a Social Worker.

Now, I am 28 years old, a junior in college and I am a welfare recipient.  I receive Food Stamps and Medicaid.  My roommate, Scott, receives unemployment.  My Mother is on disability; she suffers from Renal Kidney Failure.  My step-father is retired from the Air Force and works as a Postal Carrier for the United States Post Office.  Now, welfare is all around me.  I am extremely grateful for Food Stamps; there have been many times where I would not have eaten if it were not for Food Stamps. 

Scott worked for a bank in Flint, Michigan before he was laid off.  He started receiving unemployment this past fall.  He suggested a different perspective of the situation: single men.  He feels a single man has more difficulty getting the same amount of welfare a single woman receives.    

Two mutual friends, Joe and Johnny, from Bellville were also interviewed.  Johnny educates himself through YouTube by watching documentaries on the earth, music, religion, everything.  Joe is a poet, a combination of man’s man and a lady’s man. Both are very intense in their own way.  Johnny thought welfare was simply low income families receiving government money provided by the tax payers.  When asked about benefitting the public  Johnny said, “Unfortunately, there are people who really need it and use it and it is a benefit to them, but there are people who abuse it and even though… it’s still a benefit.”   Joe thought welfare was, “People who don’t have jobs going to the government asking them to send them checks because they can’t find jobs. Oh, wait no that’s unemployment.”  Joe believed people who received welfare were stay at homes moms, people with lots of children, not able to work, and undergraduates, like the four of us. Scott said welfare was, “A social service to help the non-financially adept (broke) citizens of the country.  Like the disabled.” 

When Scott hears the word welfare he thinks of the poor white children of his elementary school.  There were very few and all of them seemed incredibly poor.  He believes welfare is a benefit, “If a person is making meager earnings then it adds, some people will never escape poverty.  It’s better to have than to have not.”  He has two sisters who are Social Workers.  One works for Child Protective Services, she does home surveys and home studies.  The other goes to the homes of people currently receiving welfare and “makes sure they are poor.” 

Comparing all of our varied lives was very interesting to me.  Even though Joe and Johnny grew up in the same town, Joe was raised by his mother and grandmother, while Johnny lived with his parents.  I suffered a family tragedy at a young age and became a ward of the state.  I was blessed with a wonderful, caring foster family for a small time before my grandparents became my guardians.  Before Scott and I spoke, he thought no one in his immediate family had ever used welfare. Now, he knows simple routine things, like deducting the interest of a mortgage payment, means everyone is on welfare.