Finding Help

For over a year I have helped a friend and his wife with their social issues. First, they were unhappy with their living arrangements; they wanted to live a more independent lifestyle as normal civilians; they were living in a senior housing complex under a subsidy program. Second, he needed some help because his wife, 71, has early stage dementia; the complication is he is 80. Third, while focusing on their housing needs, their 33 year old son (now 34) 8 months ago presented a problem with alcoholism.

The three problems became a bundled mess. The son wanted his parents to house him in their apartment; this was not allowed by the housing complex’s regulations. The son went on to lose his job, continue to sink into an alcoholic daze, and exhibit crisis health events that required repeated hospitalizations. While this was going on, the parents did not focus on their housing issue, but helped the son with funds they needed to pay their rent, and now face eviction.

Meanwhile, the wife’s dementia has worsened, the husband’s stress level is at a crisis point, and the son now lives in a homeless shelter. Although he has been sober for 30 days, his mental health is of questionable stability. He is attempting to get a job but is easily distracted with his fears and phobias.

Through all of these months of effort, calls for help have gone out to their county social services office, state social services department, and several nonprofit social service agencies. So far not one person has answered the phone and discussed their case with them. At this point any help would be gratefully accepted, even if it is steering them toward a network of  agencies capable of helping them.

What is missing is a clearing house of social services. The collapse of the State of Illinois’ budget and financial condition has left counties without funds from both federal and state programs to fuel social services on a local basis. The counties cannot or at least do not help. Calling non-government organizations (nonprofits) is not productive; they are swamped by callers who have not received help from their government agencies.

So, our communities and nation face a gridlock of social services: the needs exist while programs and funds are inadequate for the demand.

What to do? My suggestion is a consortium of NGO’s form a clearing house function to field the calls, sort them through, and steer them to agencies that can manage each case. If each NGO shares their resources on ineffective answering systems and related staff, the clearing house function should be easily financed.

It would help if a federal agency helped fund the startup of this agency, or if regional offices of major charities like United Way took leadership of this issue.

Is anyone listening or reading this message at the moment who can help?  If so, please respond to me by email: saffordcu@gmail.com. Together we might make a huge difference in what is now a nasty situation.

November 16, 2018