"A Social Worker Advised Me to Have a Baby if I Wanted Public Money"

[daredtowork]

22. I was told the exact same thing a month ago.

I've been trying to fight back because my attempt to work to earn money for basic necessities was taken out of my rent money. Moreover, when I legally report it, it automatically cut everything off: general assistance (the rent check to my landlord), food stamps, and Medi-Cal. It's taken endless hours and a very stressful fight (all while I was greatly debilitated because of the loss of Medi-Cal medications and treatments) to deal with this.

All of this happened to me because I was attempting to do the right thing. The treatment I received under the ACA had improved my condition, and I was trying to help myself. I did some work. I legally reported it. I even tried to call my case worker to ask how to report the work I did. (call never returned).

During my dealings with this I was told confidentially by someone in Social Services that I would have been better off if I had a baby because I could have gotten into CalWorks.

Interestingly, the person who wrote the article is also from California. Are you? Welfare programs vary widely in different places. Perhaps you're from someplace with even fewer options for families.