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
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