Woman alleges DSS failed to pay her rent

" excellent article! I have a homeless son who waiting for more than a month for DSS help..... and nothing happen..... Is a shame!!! "

" What a cop out on mossman's part, he could have commented on general policy. That is what a director sets, my guess is he does not do much except collect a bloated salary. "

" This is a disgrace. I know of other people this happening to. It is very unreasonable to pay the higher costs for a hotel than to just pay the lower cost of the rent that is due and ending in more homeless people. But yet on the other hand, I also know of people who are frauding the system and claiming children on their welfare benefits that do not even live with them and have not been for more than a year. But Social Services does not want to hear it and they do not want to do anything about it. And this is happening because their FRIENDS work in Social Services and continue to help them get more benefits that they are not entited to and they know it. No wonder why our Government is in sych poor shape. Social Services is not doing their jobs and are not acting on the information they receive about the people frauding the system. Why because of their FRIENDS who work there. "

" All I can say is WOW...I see three or four ads a week in this very paper looking for CNA's. I see a 20-year old living in the house, who has a free babysitter so she can work. They had time to throw a party, but no time to find a job. No ma'am, its not "why didn't THEY (meaning me and all other tax payers) pay the $986 so I wouldn't lose my house" it's How come you haven't found a job in 6+ months. "

" This is truly sad, the county can spend tons of money on foolishness, I do not feel I need to elaborate this one, and we cannot help out a person who is down?Putting her up in a motel will probably cost way more that paying her rent! Shame on DSS and the park! "

" i do beleive people need help,theses days,but like the another person said,she had a twenty yr old at home as well,i feel she should have been given her rent,as well as look for another job.

its hard out here for all;
god bless; "

" I agree that SS was totally lame. I have heard many stories of the slow pace and lack luster fiscal behavoir of this agency. But I don't understand how someone cannot get a job as a CNA since I see those jobs advertised frequently. What I read here is a person who is absolutely down in their luck for sure. But there's no sense of personal responsibility here, and a very big sense of entitlement to public servises.
As a tax payer, I can see how SS is wasting money. But as a human being, I have to ask myself, what is this woman trying to pull? Is there any end to this support? Can someone at least get a job at Wal*Mart or Cumberland Farms? Can we stop having babies now? I feel badly for this extended family living in a hotel. But what I would have liked to have read in this piece would be some sort of plan from this woman on what she's going to do to improve her life.
As soon as the hot water was out - honestly, I'd be picking apples in Claverack if I had to. "

" This is absolutely ridiculous!!! Yes, the economy is bad right now, but if you truly want a job and not rely on working people to pay your rent, you can find a job. Like someone already commented, CNA jobs are a dime a dozen. Not to mention, if you want to take care of you and your family, you would be willing to take any job. There comes a time when you have to take responsibility for yourself.
Yes, some people legitimately need the help. But obviously Brown and her daughter must not be looking too hard to find work. I for one am tired of working not stop to support others who can't be bothered to help themselves.
Brown, stop blaming "The System." Both you and your daughter should not only be embarrassed for not getting jobs to take care of your family, but for putting this article in the paper and expecting people to sympathize with you. "

" I feel badly for people in need, but...................why is no one working?
Why do "WE" have to take care of her?
Where are the fathers in this story?
The community, the church and the neighbors should be helping out, Not taxpayers. Besides, if the family unit wasn't broken today....we wouldn't have so many people "living on the dole". "

" I'm not going to comment on the particular circumstances of this person. But to those who think if you look hard, you will find a job. Not in Columbia County, my friend. last year I found myself out of work for the first time since I was 14. Not working is foreign to me. But finding work in Columbia County? Not so easy. And if you think DSS is lame, the NYS Dept of Labor is worse. I was told I could not get unemployment because I admitted to doing one service for which I was paid a whopping $70 dollars. This one occurance, accoring to someone at department of Labor, made me self employed and ineligible for unemployment. So after 45 years of paying into the system, the one time I needed some assistance, I was denied. I hve since been told by Dept of Labor they made a mistake. Their answer and solution was a shrug of the shoulders, and telling me that "it's tough out there for someone your age". Like I didn't already know that. I keep looking, I keep applying, and nothing! So all of you who think finding work around here is easy if you just look, get a clue. If your and older worker, and you live in Columbia County, there is not much opportunity, even for the most ambitious job seekers. "

" I have to agree. Stuyvesant got a stack of application for "dog catcher" and town hall cleaner . Time are tough , many people lost their savings in the elephant recession and we are all in this together.

God bless these people. "

" kudos neutralparty! CNAs are being sought out this very day in the classified section of this paper! To many times we (the taxpayers) are left with the burden of paying for basic services for people whom are not entitled to recieve them. 6 months to find a CNA job in a field that is exploding (yes as you can tell, I work in healthcare myself) is more than adequate to find another job, or, to seek traning in another line of work. And why is the 20 year old not working? Enough is enough with individuals blaming the system for "not working for them" when they should be working for thmeselves "

" That was alot of attack on Brown's character without questions for clarification...is that not blaming the victim?
The fact remains that taxpayer monies are going into the social service system to assist people in regaining independence and Mossman repeatedly abuses these funds and exacerbates dynamics which lead people to need assistance, leaving them worse off than when help was requested. Being in need of help should not lead to the abuse of people and monies that occurs when CCDSS is approached, the purpose is to assist people to regain self-sufficiency, not beat them down.
It seems as though monies are being spent in a manner that does not lead people closer to independence and Mossman hides behind illogical policy.... that should be the focus. "

" As scorpian said Mr. GottaJob?, you do what you have to. As a man with an obvious work ethic such as yours, I would hope you know this. I was blessed with a good job, but if I lost it, I would be saying hello at the front door of Wal-Mart, or ringing up your gas purchase at XtraMart if I had to. I understand pride, but what I am most proud of is a roof over my family's head and food in their stomoachs. You definately should recieve public assistance, and I know you won't be taking it a day longer than you have to. But 6+ months for a person with a skill that is obviously in high demand...unacceptable. "

" Kling Magnetics down the road from your hotel is looking.xtra mart across the road is probally looking.IF not the 20 year old should join the army or something you have not tried anything and the reason you were let go is very strange to me because my friend just got hired and usually when you get laid off you get first dibs for a job openning "

" Even more disturbing than this article are some of the comments that I have seen so far.
This article brings to light that DSS is so mired in bureaucracy that it cannot even respond to properly submitted rent assistance requests within nearly 6 months, nor would DSS help with getting hot water restored. These are problems at DSS, yet with only a few exceptions, the comments made here have been blatant attacks on Ms. Brown because she is in need of assistance. Assistance that has been promised by the federal, state and local governments elected by the voters.
Perhaps instead of venting our spleen to kick someone that is already down we should be asking the hard questions of DSS. Why did it take DSS 6 months to even respond to the landlord? Why has DSS, through inaction, railroaded you and me the taxpayer into paying $1820 per month at a hotel instead of the $300 per month that Ms. Brown's previous lodging required? Who is benifiting when we the taxpayers are blindsided into increased taxes due to DSS's failures? Failures which include such basics as keeping a person healthy and safe.
From the other articles that I have read, it seems that there is an increased need at DSS and that more money is being requested. Why isn't the money they are getting being used to actually help?
Yes, I am a taxpayer and yes I am thankful every day that I do not need to request public assistance. What irritates me is when my tax dollars are being mismanaged and yet my fellow taxpayers seem content to bash a neighbor instead of questioning DSS and its failure to meet or even approach its mandate of providing social services for the betterment of our community. "

" I'm sorry, its probably just sour grapes from when I stand in line a the grocery store with my $150 worth of food that I'm going to pay for with my OWN money (after putting things away since I don't have enough this week). Only to hear the person in front of me complain that they have to pay $25 on a $300 grocery bill, after swiping their Benifit card and say to the cashier "How do they expect me to live on this". It's that sense of entitlement that irritates me to no end, and always will. If public assistance truly did assist with people who are down on their luck, I would vote YES 100 fold. But to watch people with a sense of entitlement and then complain that its not enough is rediculous. Only when I see no job ads in the paper should free $$ be handed out. I think every citizen should be afforded 24 months of welfare in a lifetime. If you lose your job, takes 3 months to find a new one you now have 21 months left. Once its used up...sorry, I hear Canada's nice and they have free insurance like you used to get here. "

" Remarkable. I’m totally exasperated by the level of denial of such a broken system at this county’s DSS. I do have to applaud the Commissioner and his staff for mutually standing-up for each other. But humility and the ability to acknowledge ‘their’ mistakes would go a long way.

The occurrences of people in need of these ‘safety net’ services who have fallen through the cracks and left in such dire circumstances, such as Ms. Brown, is nothing new. It’s been happening for years. Maybe the Commissioner and his dedicated staff are able to take solace that this is the exception not the rule. But that should not be acceptable or excusable either.

Yes. There are a multitude of stringent regulations that govern the eligibility process of these ‘safety net’ programs administered by DSS. That’s nothing new either.

Yes. Times are excruciatingly difficult due to this economic climate on the majority of people in this county. So the demand for ‘safety net’ services offered at DSS are naturally going to increase.

Yes. People applying or trying to recertify for these needed services do make mistakes or might not fully understand what is they have to do in order to jump through all the regulated hoops of this process. When this happens this county’s DSS’s practice has been quick to point out the ‘failure’ of these individuals to comply. I have yet to see or hear an instance where DSS has taken any responsibility or acknowledgement that they might have failed to provide complete or accurate information during these processes I’ve actually witnessed such failures by DSS and the devastation to the individuals as a result.

There is plenty of blame to be spread around; the rigorous regulations, the BOS, the leader of DSS, the caseworkers, etc. should much of it. The brunt of the blame should not consistently be placed on the individual struggling just to survive and then expected to navigate all the buractractic hoops just to have basic necessities like food, hot water, and shelter.

I’m sure the staff are stressed and, at times, brought to tears. But this is the nature and reality of taking jobs in human services. I’m in human services, too. I’m often stressed beyond my limits and brought to tears, too. But.. I knew what I was getting into when I took the job.

As I said in the beginning, the system at this county DSS is seriously broken. Ultimately the entire infrastructure there was never designed to properly handle the influx of need in such desperate times. I’m am truly not trying to bash DSS or anyone else. However, trying to explain the complexities, as the Commissioner so eloquently does, of meeting the increased need is neither going to avert such tragedies nor will it lead to any meaningful solutions to ongoing problems.

Now, do not get me wrong… I’m all for individuals taking personal responsibility as well. But to those like Archie and neutralparty who are so quick to judge the individual without knowing all the facts… until you have actually been in such a position of need, I can assure you it is no fun. I am a taxpayer but I’ve also had to access social services in the past. It’s a degrading and humiliating process. If the system works properly, most people are eventually able to achieve self-sufficiency and get off public assistance.

Even though on the surface it would appear that Ms. Brown has much sought after skills as a CNA, obviously she a mature, experienced woman who probably cost more to employ then a young, inexperienced CAN. As far has he daughter, how do you know her daughter doesn’t have some type of disability, even if it’s just a learning disability that has interferes with her ability to get or keep a job. Especially in this area.

Ultimately the problem lies in infrastructure, administration, and the internal culture of the local DSS.

I encourage the community to attend the public Board of Supervisors committee meetings to observe how and what decisions are made to address various problems within the county. Go to www.columbiacountyny.com to access the Boards calendar. "

" neutralparty... How do you know the amount of the person's grocery bill?

An sure there may be some who take advantage of the system. Should that really be an excuse for DSS to be accountable to the errors they make? "