So I am at the San Antonio Central Library right now with one of my housemates- Owen. We all are trying to get out of the JV house as much as possible on the weekends because our weekdays consist of working, eating dinner, and sleeping. So far this weekend we went downtown on Friday night and explored the River Walk (well, four of us did), and danced outside to a live band playing bachata, cumbia, salsa, and oldies- so fun! My housemate Megan is an amazing dancer and she showed us some steps. Then on Saturday, the seven of us loaded onto a school bus with some of our parishoners and were off to a conference at the Wonderland Mall from 10am-3pm. The conference brought together several organizations from all over Texas to discuss immigration, education, health care, and community issues. It was pretty interesting but LONG. I was glad to find out about the issues that Texas faces and how people are going about trying to fix them. Then Saturday night, the Jesuit priests next door had us over for a barbecue and we enjoyed some tasty steak and salmon. So good!!! One of the priests brought out his trumpet and we all sang together. Father Marty and I even sang Marty Robbins' "El Paso"- it was great. Today, I was fortunate enough to join the 11am mass choir and so I sang my heart out to the whole congregation. It actually feels nice to go to mass every week. It's kind of grounding I guess.
So, I wanted to give a brief description of the work that I do at Catholic Charities every week. I will not be able to write this during the week I'm guessing because I get so busy. Here's why: (and hopefully Owen doesn't demand the computer while I'm typing this because I'm using her library card to log on...! haha)
Okay, so this is what a typical day looks like for me:
1.) I drive with my coworker/housemate Christina to the Catholic Charities office and we enter the building at about 7:50am.
2.) I walk to my office (which is fairly spacious and has two chairs in it facing my desk for when I see clients) and set down my things.
3.) I check my schedule to see how many clients have appointments with me and when those appointments are. On a typical day, I see between 4 and 6 clients.
4.) On Wednesdays, Thursdays, and most Fridays, I go on a mail run at 9am. I take the Catholic Charities van (which I don't know if I have described already, but it lacks all of the features of a van that one might want- the windows do not open, the power locks are broken, the radio doesn't work, there are no seats in the back, and the gears sometimes squeak when you turn a corner. oh boy!) and visit a couple different offices that are associated with the office that I work at. I drop off mail from my office and pick up any mail that the other offices might have for the people at my office. I also bring large envelopes to the post office. The mail run usually takes an hour and would be very fun and relaxing... if I had a radio!!! Haha, no it's nice just singing to myself ;)
5.) Then, the craziness begins. My first client comes to the front desk, fills out a form and the secretary calls me on my phone to alert me that my client is there to see me. I run up to the front, call the client's name and invite him/her/them(sometimes family members come together) to my office.
6.) Then I interview the client and ask what the "crisis" is that they're experiencing. They tell their stories (sometimes at great length!) and I determine whether or not they will qualify for the four grants that we work with.
7.) If a client is having trouble paying his or her rent, I will help him or her fill out an application to request funds from two of the organizations we work with that assist with rent. If the client is having trouble paying his or her utility bill, I will help him or her fill out one of the other two applications that we have.
8.) Filling out the application can be tedious and arduous. Depending on which of the four applications I am filling out for them, I have to ask the client to think back on ALL of the purchases that the client made in the past 30 days. "How much did you spend on clothing since July 26th?" "How much did you spend on personal items...child support...gasoline...groceries..." the list goes on. Then I inquire into ALL of the sources of income that the client's household has received in the last 30 days. "How much did you receive in child support...food stamps...social security checks...from your job..." and that list goes on as well.
9.) Once we've filled out the application, I must ask the client to provide a picture ID for all members of the household over 18 years old, social security cards for everyone in the house, birth certificates, proof of income, proof of the crisis they're experiencing (hospital bills, car repair bills, school supply bills, etc.), their lease, paperwork filled out by their landlord, and their utility bill. I have to make photocopies of all documents to add to their application. The hardest part is getting proof of the client's crisis. Sometimes the client just "gets behind" in bills but that is not enough of a case for the organizations from which we ask funds. If I ask the City of San Antonio (COSA) to pay "Anthony's" utility bill, they want to know WHY "Anthony" can't pay that bill. It's also tricky too because in order to receive assistance, the client must only be behind ONE month in bills or rent. If they are behind on two months or more, they don't qualify.
10.) I have only had positive experiences with my clients so far which is good. They are
generally kind, respectful, and compliant. However, I have heard that some clients get intensely irate when they do not receive the assistance that they have asked for. Which is understandable, but it's really not MY fault if COSA doesn't want to help the client. Grr.
Here are some highlights from the clients that I have seen:
-One woman named her daughter "Abcde" (pronounced "Absedy") because her friend told her about the name and she thought it sounded cool.
-One client's little girl would giggle uncontrollably when I put my hands in front of my face and then did "Peek-a-boo" to her. Very cute!
-One client had just taken medication and was very "drowsy." She practically fell asleep while talking to me. Kinda sad.
In addition to my casework and mail runs, I also have to do little errands for my boss all the time. It wouldn't be that much of an issue if I weren't already super busy. Oh well! I do like my job, really I do, I'm just trying to adjust to the fast pace!!
Well, got to go- Kait and Owen are reading over my shoulder right now. Kait is laughing hysterically! Owen is correcting my spelling and making fun of my excessive use of exclamation points!!!!!!!!!
Love to all!
:) ;) :D
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
This has been an insanely stressful week- work at Catholic Charities is killing me!!! I mean I like the work I'm doing but it is really tough. That's why I haven't updated much. I will try to write more this weekend when I will possibly have a spare moment. Possibly.
Or I'll be experiencing the busiest year of my life and not able to tell anyone about it. :(
We'll see!!
All my love :)
Or I'll be experiencing the busiest year of my life and not able to tell anyone about it. :(
We'll see!!
All my love :)
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
First Day of Work
I have internet at work!! I am at work right now!! Here is my job description:
My job title is ‘Crisis Intervention Caseworker’, the position responsible for dealing with clients who are in dire need of basic financial assistance. The caseworker interviews clients, who undergo a prior screening process by telephone, and determines whether or not they qualify and which grant(s) best suit that particular client’s situation of crisis. The grants come from the city, state, and federal governments and are quite straightforward, aiming to serve those members of society most traditionally in need, such as single mothers, the elderly, and the disabled. The caseworker is also responsible for the year long program, entitled Project Cool, which distributes over 6000 fans to elderly members of the San Antonio community during the brutal summer months. Finally, the caseworker will be called on to help out around the office as needed for many odd jobs. Some of these tasks include helping in the food pantry and delivering the mail to different branches of the city-wide Catholic Charities Organization.
I love the staff and the job seems really interesting. I sat in on a caseworker getting info from a client today and it was really exhilarating. I then went on my mail run with a funny maintenance man named "Vidal" (who is a crazy Christian...and thinks Jesus was "filthy rich" when he was born and never preached poverty...hmm.) and visited the new office that my department is moving to. There are about ten of us from Catholic Charities moving to an office near my JV house. I'll be able to walk to work soon!! (like mid September).
I can't access Facebook or Youtube at work, but that's alright! If I have time, I'll try to blog every once and awhile.
I spoke Spanish quite a bit today and was told by coworkers that I look like I'm from "the capitol" (meaning Mexico City). Neat!
Talk to y'all later, I get off at 5pm. (And start at 8am. Office is closed from 12pm-1pm for lunch).
My job title is ‘Crisis Intervention Caseworker’, the position responsible for dealing with clients who are in dire need of basic financial assistance. The caseworker interviews clients, who undergo a prior screening process by telephone, and determines whether or not they qualify and which grant(s) best suit that particular client’s situation of crisis. The grants come from the city, state, and federal governments and are quite straightforward, aiming to serve those members of society most traditionally in need, such as single mothers, the elderly, and the disabled. The caseworker is also responsible for the year long program, entitled Project Cool, which distributes over 6000 fans to elderly members of the San Antonio community during the brutal summer months. Finally, the caseworker will be called on to help out around the office as needed for many odd jobs. Some of these tasks include helping in the food pantry and delivering the mail to different branches of the city-wide Catholic Charities Organization.
I love the staff and the job seems really interesting. I sat in on a caseworker getting info from a client today and it was really exhilarating. I then went on my mail run with a funny maintenance man named "Vidal" (who is a crazy Christian...and thinks Jesus was "filthy rich" when he was born and never preached poverty...hmm.) and visited the new office that my department is moving to. There are about ten of us from Catholic Charities moving to an office near my JV house. I'll be able to walk to work soon!! (like mid September).
I can't access Facebook or Youtube at work, but that's alright! If I have time, I'll try to blog every once and awhile.
I spoke Spanish quite a bit today and was told by coworkers that I look like I'm from "the capitol" (meaning Mexico City). Neat!
Talk to y'all later, I get off at 5pm. (And start at 8am. Office is closed from 12pm-1pm for lunch).
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Here I am in San Antonio, Texas!! I really love it but it is intensely hot... in fact, it's kind of impossible to stay outside for longer than five minutes. At night the air is still exceedingly thick and hot so air conditioning has become my new friend!!
I arrived in Houston, Texas on Tuesday, August 10th and stayed at Circle Lake Retreat Center for five nights. I met all 56 of the Jesuit Volunteers working in the South region of the United States. There were people from all over the U.S. and they made up houses of three to seven people. There are two JV houses in Houston, one in Austin, one in San Antonio, two in New Orleans, one in Atlanta, one in El Paso, one in South Dakota, and one in Mobile, Alabama. We had a lot of fun, there were three hour lectures on four of the days and then a talent show on the last day. I performed with the seven girls in my house- we sang "So Long, Farewell" from the Sound of Music. I was Brigitta. :) I also did a skit with some JVs from the Midwest which was a lot of fun!! It was my birthday so we all enjoyed a huge marble cake and dance party that night. I was in heaven (except I realized that if I was hot inside from dancing, it would be no relief to go outside so I had to keep taking breaks so as to not overheat!!).
So, my housemates and I were picked up by Brother Gus (a religious brother associated with our parish in San Antonio) and a nice man named Carlos in a white mini-school bus on Sunday, August 15th and driven to our new home in San Antonio. We arrived around 3pm and had a little time to unpack. Our new home is crazy!! It's a huge former convent with nine bedrooms and a chapel. It's two floors. The second floor has eight monastic cells- one of which is the "Mother Superior" room, complete with a buzzer to wake the young nuns. My housemates and I had a little trouble choosing who would get each room but when we finally decided, I was content with my assigned room. There are four bathrooms, each with a shower, toilet, and sink, on the second floor. The house was filthy when we arrived so we set about cleaning as soon as we all had chosen our rooms. However, someone used the shower in one of our bathrooms to fill up a bucket of water for cleaning but the water wouldn't turn off. It gushed and gushed from the faucet (luckily it was luke warm water and it wasn't coming from the showerhead, it was the bottom faucet) and we had to call the priests over (from the church next door) to turn off the water to our house. They searched and searched but couldn't find the switch to shut off the water. Meanwhile, the drain in the shower couldn't handle the excessive amounts of water spewing from the faucet so we kept filling up buckets and dumping them in the sink. Finally, the maintenance man for the church grounds figured out how to turn off the water and we were without water for about twelve hours. We showered and brushed our teeth in the church guest house which was nice :)
Then, on Monday, August 16th, we (the six gals and I) went and visited all of our places of work. When we went to visit Catholic Charities (where I work), I was given the keys to a large white van which I will need to use every day to get to and from work, and to run errands for the organization throughout the week. The van can only be used for Catholic Charities-related activities :( and it has only two seats (driver and passenger). Also, the windows do not open at all... thank goodness the air conditioning works because otherwise I would die. I share the van with my housemate, Christina who also works with Catholic Charities. The job seems like it will be challenging but a really great experience. I'll explain more later. I start work tomorrow!!
So, the gals!! We call ourselves, "G-Unit" because the convent we live in is called Casa Guadalupe and we call it "Casa G" or the "G-Spot" (which I don't like but it's a tradition for the JVs to refer to the house that way). So anyway, here's the line up-
1.) Owen, "Nana"- She is the oldest of the group and from Columbus, OH. She studied Dietetics but now has applied (and been accepted) to Social Work graduate school. She has her own car here and is working with the elderly at Christian Senior Services.
2.) Janine- She is from Los Angeles and is shorter than me!! Yay!! Haha. She is going to enter Nursing school after JVC and works with Respite Care- a center for children with disabilities and abused children.
3.) Kelsey, "Kels"- She is also from the Los Angeles area and reminds me so much of my former roommate, Kaeli that I keep accidentally calling her that- oops!! She studied Sociology at USD and is a self-proclaimed sassy diva. She will be working with pregnant teenagers and young mothers at Seton Home as their spiritual director. Vegetarian.
4.) Kait- She is from Philadelphia and has described herself as the most talkative person you'll ever meet. It was true at first but really, I haven't noticed that she talks much more than anyone else, haha. She attended Loyola Maryland (and studied abroad in Spain with a girl who studied with me in Chile!) and is applying for grad schools this year. She'll be working at Respite Care with Janine. Doesn't eat red meat.
5.) Megan- She is from San Diego and probably one of the sweetest people you'll meet. She's kind of quiet and shy but totally selfless and caring. She works at the church (Our Lady of Guadalupe) next door to us and already started working today and yesterday (whereas the rest of us have a break until tomorrow). She's our direct link with the church which is really nice. Vegetarian.
6.) Christina- My fellow Chi-town gal, her family actually lives in Skokie now but she lived in Wrigleyville before. She attended Loyola Academy and St. Louis University. She studied Spanish and International Studies (just like me) and is working with Immigration at Catholic Charities. I was jealous...until I found out her department has a lot of drama, back-stabbing, and passive aggression (as well as active aggression- last year's JV got into a verbal altercation with a staff member that involved cursewords). We know all about the office from a binder the girl who worked in my department gave us. I'm glad to have a coworker from my house!! (and hometown!!) She's real nice.
7.) Laura, "Boo," "Baby Boo"- The youngest of the group and the goofiest. Least religious and most adamently opposed to the cruel treatment of animals. Content with her housemates!
So, I want to comment on Texas culture, our financial situation, the rest of our house, the staff of the parish we live with, and the neighborhood we live in but don't have much time. Suffice it to say that we are in an area of heavy crime. Literally across the street is a plaza where prostitution and drug deals are done every night. Last night we heard at least three helicopters responding to some criminal activity in our area. We heard sirens and bird calls as well. The city has installed speakers that blast predatory bird calls so that birds will stay out of our area. I've been sleeping surprisingly well. Apparently this morning I slept through a loud garbage truck and the eight o'clock bell medly from the church next door (OLG). Granted, I was exhausted. The cockroaches we've found in our bedrooms have made us afraid to sleep.
Wait, I should say first that I am happy to be here!! It's going to be an adjustment but I really thank God that I have been given this opportunity. I'll try to keep you all updated. :)
Love from San Antonio!!!
<3
Laura
I arrived in Houston, Texas on Tuesday, August 10th and stayed at Circle Lake Retreat Center for five nights. I met all 56 of the Jesuit Volunteers working in the South region of the United States. There were people from all over the U.S. and they made up houses of three to seven people. There are two JV houses in Houston, one in Austin, one in San Antonio, two in New Orleans, one in Atlanta, one in El Paso, one in South Dakota, and one in Mobile, Alabama. We had a lot of fun, there were three hour lectures on four of the days and then a talent show on the last day. I performed with the seven girls in my house- we sang "So Long, Farewell" from the Sound of Music. I was Brigitta. :) I also did a skit with some JVs from the Midwest which was a lot of fun!! It was my birthday so we all enjoyed a huge marble cake and dance party that night. I was in heaven (except I realized that if I was hot inside from dancing, it would be no relief to go outside so I had to keep taking breaks so as to not overheat!!).
So, my housemates and I were picked up by Brother Gus (a religious brother associated with our parish in San Antonio) and a nice man named Carlos in a white mini-school bus on Sunday, August 15th and driven to our new home in San Antonio. We arrived around 3pm and had a little time to unpack. Our new home is crazy!! It's a huge former convent with nine bedrooms and a chapel. It's two floors. The second floor has eight monastic cells- one of which is the "Mother Superior" room, complete with a buzzer to wake the young nuns. My housemates and I had a little trouble choosing who would get each room but when we finally decided, I was content with my assigned room. There are four bathrooms, each with a shower, toilet, and sink, on the second floor. The house was filthy when we arrived so we set about cleaning as soon as we all had chosen our rooms. However, someone used the shower in one of our bathrooms to fill up a bucket of water for cleaning but the water wouldn't turn off. It gushed and gushed from the faucet (luckily it was luke warm water and it wasn't coming from the showerhead, it was the bottom faucet) and we had to call the priests over (from the church next door) to turn off the water to our house. They searched and searched but couldn't find the switch to shut off the water. Meanwhile, the drain in the shower couldn't handle the excessive amounts of water spewing from the faucet so we kept filling up buckets and dumping them in the sink. Finally, the maintenance man for the church grounds figured out how to turn off the water and we were without water for about twelve hours. We showered and brushed our teeth in the church guest house which was nice :)
Then, on Monday, August 16th, we (the six gals and I) went and visited all of our places of work. When we went to visit Catholic Charities (where I work), I was given the keys to a large white van which I will need to use every day to get to and from work, and to run errands for the organization throughout the week. The van can only be used for Catholic Charities-related activities :( and it has only two seats (driver and passenger). Also, the windows do not open at all... thank goodness the air conditioning works because otherwise I would die. I share the van with my housemate, Christina who also works with Catholic Charities. The job seems like it will be challenging but a really great experience. I'll explain more later. I start work tomorrow!!
So, the gals!! We call ourselves, "G-Unit" because the convent we live in is called Casa Guadalupe and we call it "Casa G" or the "G-Spot" (which I don't like but it's a tradition for the JVs to refer to the house that way). So anyway, here's the line up-
1.) Owen, "Nana"- She is the oldest of the group and from Columbus, OH. She studied Dietetics but now has applied (and been accepted) to Social Work graduate school. She has her own car here and is working with the elderly at Christian Senior Services.
2.) Janine- She is from Los Angeles and is shorter than me!! Yay!! Haha. She is going to enter Nursing school after JVC and works with Respite Care- a center for children with disabilities and abused children.
3.) Kelsey, "Kels"- She is also from the Los Angeles area and reminds me so much of my former roommate, Kaeli that I keep accidentally calling her that- oops!! She studied Sociology at USD and is a self-proclaimed sassy diva. She will be working with pregnant teenagers and young mothers at Seton Home as their spiritual director. Vegetarian.
4.) Kait- She is from Philadelphia and has described herself as the most talkative person you'll ever meet. It was true at first but really, I haven't noticed that she talks much more than anyone else, haha. She attended Loyola Maryland (and studied abroad in Spain with a girl who studied with me in Chile!) and is applying for grad schools this year. She'll be working at Respite Care with Janine. Doesn't eat red meat.
5.) Megan- She is from San Diego and probably one of the sweetest people you'll meet. She's kind of quiet and shy but totally selfless and caring. She works at the church (Our Lady of Guadalupe) next door to us and already started working today and yesterday (whereas the rest of us have a break until tomorrow). She's our direct link with the church which is really nice. Vegetarian.
6.) Christina- My fellow Chi-town gal, her family actually lives in Skokie now but she lived in Wrigleyville before. She attended Loyola Academy and St. Louis University. She studied Spanish and International Studies (just like me) and is working with Immigration at Catholic Charities. I was jealous...until I found out her department has a lot of drama, back-stabbing, and passive aggression (as well as active aggression- last year's JV got into a verbal altercation with a staff member that involved cursewords). We know all about the office from a binder the girl who worked in my department gave us. I'm glad to have a coworker from my house!! (and hometown!!) She's real nice.
7.) Laura, "Boo," "Baby Boo"- The youngest of the group and the goofiest. Least religious and most adamently opposed to the cruel treatment of animals. Content with her housemates!
So, I want to comment on Texas culture, our financial situation, the rest of our house, the staff of the parish we live with, and the neighborhood we live in but don't have much time. Suffice it to say that we are in an area of heavy crime. Literally across the street is a plaza where prostitution and drug deals are done every night. Last night we heard at least three helicopters responding to some criminal activity in our area. We heard sirens and bird calls as well. The city has installed speakers that blast predatory bird calls so that birds will stay out of our area. I've been sleeping surprisingly well. Apparently this morning I slept through a loud garbage truck and the eight o'clock bell medly from the church next door (OLG). Granted, I was exhausted. The cockroaches we've found in our bedrooms have made us afraid to sleep.
Wait, I should say first that I am happy to be here!! It's going to be an adjustment but I really thank God that I have been given this opportunity. I'll try to keep you all updated. :)
Love from San Antonio!!!
<3
Laura
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)