Has Your Church Ever Helped Someone Who Needed to Find Paid Assistants?

Disability Concerns is trying to find out how churches are helping people who would like to hire assistants to help them with tasks of daily living.

Many people with physical disabilities choose to live in their own homes or apartments, and many of them need assistants for some or all tasks of daily living. However, few are wealthy enough to hire these assistants using their own money. Most depend on money from the federal government to pay their assistants, but the money coming from the government is not enough to pay a competitive wage.

One person wrote Mark Stephenson recently, "I had 15 interviews scheduled over the past few months and 10 of them were "no shows." Out of the 5 that actually showed I offered the job to 4 of them. The 1st one accepted and never showed for training. The 2nd accepted and changed her mind a week later. . . . The huge amount of available jobs right now along with the super low pay sure do make for a nearly impossible situation. Honestly. it is only knowing that God is the God of impossibilities that got me through."

Has your church helped people in this difficult situation? If so, how?

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I have been hiring caregivers for 20 years and this has been the most difficult time between the low pay and economy providing so many choices for employment.

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I loved your article ..... Has Your Church Ever Helped Someone Who Needed to Find Paid Assistants? .... and the question it asks. However, I do wish it included people who have other disabilities. We would love to have a CLS worker for our daughter. She does not have SS so the costs of having a CLS worker are somewhat prohibitive. Churches should be reminded that the families of people with disabilities have shelled out thousands of dollars over the years, and they could be strapped and unable to provide services their child, mother, or father need, today.

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I am not sure i understand what you mean that because your daughter does not have SS (Social Security?) that the cost of having a CLS worker are somewhat prohibitive. Do you mean she does not qualify for state assistance with a CLS worker because of her income?

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