My dad has kidney failure. We're a small family of 5; including me, my sister, and brother. Dad has no job as he is on dialysis. Mom is working to make ends meet and I have my own debts and two kids. My brother and sister make minimum wage and the house is falling apart. Is there any organization that can help?
By Yolanda
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I was also going to suggest the church also. I am sure there are Christians there that will help you, and if there are able-bodied people living there they can help with the repairs. Sometimes people just don't know how to make the repairs and they fear making it worse, or starting and not being able to finish them. Also, the cost of materials is prohibitive. We have a place here in Pittsburgh and it's called Construction Junction. They have everything there, very reasonably priced. I am sure if you contact your area on aging, and the social agencies in the blue pages of the phone book, you will find help. And you'll probably learn so much!
There is one organization that I know of that is nationwide, and will help senior citizens and people that are actually disabled. They have different names in different states and even in different cities in the same state. Where I live most people think of it as being Opportunities for Independent Living (OIL.) If your parents have a Social Worker/Welfare Worker through the Department of Social Services/Welfare Office, that person should know about this organization. I think there is a maximum amount that they will pay out for each family.
Also if for some reason the people receiving help from the organization have to move out of the house, they have to pay back for the help, on a pro-rated basis. That being said, if you and your siblings are living at home and working, you should be paying rent to your parents. I have adult grandchildren that are working and living with their mother and they each pay half of their pay checks to their mother as rent for their rooms, the electricity that you use, water, heat, etc., plus food. If they didn't pay their fair share, they wouldn't be living at home. It is actually cheaper for them to live at home than to have their own places.
I don't feel real sorry for anybody that makes minimum wage. I am 74 years old and live off $710 a month in retirement Social Security. Figure that out and see how much below minimum wage that is. I'm sure if all of you are as hard up as you think, you are getting some social benefits.
You could also talk to your pastor about this, sometimes they will take up a special offering for a needy member of the congregation, and there might be members of the congregation that can do the labor and maybe even some that can volunteer to donate the needed repair materials. One other thing, repairs should be made as needed, not waited until a whole bunch of them need to be done at one time.
I believe redhatterb [1] has some very good points. A lot of organizations will not help if there are able bodied adults living in the house. Minimum wage is not so bad for a single person living at home even if they are paying their fair share of expenses.
I certainly agree that everyone should be doing and giving their fair share before asking for "outside" help. Especially when you may be asking for free repairs.
Most people can do some repairs if they do not wait until everything is falling apart.
I
would also recommend that you ask your local church if they can offer any suggestions but I believe that I (personally) would feel ashamed to ask for help if someone in the family could do some of the repairs even if they do not live in the house.
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