If you read my last post, you’ll see that I address the
misconception that all poor people are alike and cheat the system. A friend read the post, and with great humor,
she emailed me a parallel quote that Houston’s drivers are also not all alike: some cut you off in traffic, some are angry,
some are gracious, some are slow, etc… You’ll
have to read my last blog to catch the humor in her writing – I think she had a
bad experience on Highway 59 near the construction on Weslayan.
Also on the heels of posting that last blog, one of our
volunteers shared this story of a client we recently helped.
It’s a two-parent family with a four-year old and a
seven-month old. Dad is a dental
hygienist, certified in the State of California. They lived in California, but the cost of living
was too high, so they made the big decision to move to Houston. Our cost of living is considerably less, plus
Houston is a city of opportunity.
Unfortunately, they made a mistake that has cost them
dearly. They didn’t realize that his professional
certification does not transfer over in Texas, so instead of earning a decent
wage in his field of work, he is earning just above minimum wage, working in a
restaurant. The mother cares for the
children full-time, so until the youngest begins kindergarten, she cannot
contribute much to the household’s income.
The volunteer told me this family is stressed, and Dad works
a lot, just to pay the bills. Becoming
recertified will cost him time and money, and they are trying to address those
barriers. In the meantime, CCSC provided
food and clothing to the family and connected them to other resources to help
their situation.
They are not cheating the system, but are doing their best
in a difficult situation. It is the
mission of CCSC to be a safety net for families such as these. We represent the church in saying, “this family
is suffering and is worthy of help – let’s do what we can to soften the hard
circumstances of their life.“ And we do
it with kindness.
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