A majority of the people on SSI and Social Security, including this poverty scholar, want to pay back the community by working regular jobs, and pay back into the tax system and pay back the debt I owe the society.
When I got the post card that said “Ticket to work” it was like a chance to eat a filet mignon stake. This was on the post card, “Go to work.” I immediately picked up my phone, set up an appointment, and went to the meeting two weeks later. I went to One South Van Ness, third floor. When I got into the room it was half empty. They had about 100 chairs out. I felt I was cherry picked. Other low income people in my building did not get this post card. As soon as I got into the place where they were having the lecture I got cookies and coffee, and said to myself, "at least I am getting some food out of this experience." I looked around the place; it was half empty. That’s where my thoughts came that this is a cherry picked operation. As they explained it, this is a new program by Social Security and SSI. The person talked and said, “Your benefits will not be attacked if you get a job for two years.” I looked around the place again. My curiosity just hit the roof. Let me tell you why I think its a cherry picked operation: Most of the people looked like they were eligible to work, because a majority of the questions were logical and sensible that the audience asked. Except for one person that fell through the cracks, the rest were wiling to work. This is sponsored by three agencies. They are the State Department of Rehabilitation, San Francisco’s Workforce Development and Tool Works.
Then we were broken into small groups, taken outside into another courtyard. That’s where we were assigned to a caseworker at Toolworks, a non-profit organization. The first caseworker they assigned me to was overloaded, so they reassigned me to another caseworker whose first name is Alison. She started out by handing me the usual dummy jobs then she started talking to me. At our next meeting she gave me jobs that required a Masters Degree. I was shocked because in school system I was sent to special education due to my displexia and called retarded. I have to be groomed for the interview so they will be sending me to clothes school and interview training.
These jobs come to me as a shock. As a simple high school graduate to be qualified for a job in fields that I did not realize that I qualify for. If so, what the hell are they teaching kids in school?
I will give you updates as it continues.
Thank you for reading this article.