Red Tape Dilemma

Let me spin you a tale of governmental folly and too much precision verses not enough information....

We're on housing assistance. This means that the government helps us pay our rent because we are too far below the poverty line (as in disabled and getting a combined income of about $800 a month to cover everything) to pay our full rent without help. Anyway, it is time for our lease to be renewed.. We've been here for a full year and we'd really like to stay.

December, last year: They decide to get the housing inspection out of the way early (this is when they come check out your house to verify that everything still works safely). Inspection passed, no problem. *smile*

January: Required meeting at their main office to fill out new paperwork and sign papers. Again, no problem. *smile*

March: I get a letter in the mail informing me that the child support office has told them that my case has been closed because my daughter (Ladybug) no longer lives in our home ... NOW we have a problem.

So I call them up to remind them that I was told that I don't have a child support case because Ladybug's biodad is disabled, and the amount she gets in checks from social security is more than what he was supposed to pay, which negates the support order.

One of the ladies in the office calls me back at 9am and Ladybug answers the phone and tells her that "we like to sleep in late sometimes". I instigate a rule that the adults are the only ones allowed to answer the phone on weekdays. *sigh*

March, two days later: I get another letter saying that to prove that Ladybug still lives here, I will have to either get proof that my support case is still open, or provide her school registration records.... We homeschool, no registration forms necessary. It also CLEARLY informs me that I cannot have another person living in my home without adding them to my lease, and includes a copy of their fraud policy, highlighted in key areas! *sigh*

I call the child support office myself. They inform me that my case is indeed open, but they are not pursuing collections at this time because of the aforementioned social security benefit Ladybug receives. I get the name of the person, and permission for housing to ask for her when they call.

So I call them back again. I inform them that there is no other woman living here, and verify the laws surrounding sleepovers and family visiting for a week (that's okay). I also inform the person on the phone that I cannot provide school registration because we homeschool, and it was Ladybug that answered the phone. She assures me that the only reason she assumed we had other folks living here was because some female besides myself answered the phone "during school hours". I give the child support number, and the name of the person to speak with to the housing office. *sigh*

April: It's time for me to pick up my application forms so that I can get them to the landlord to be signed and return them to the housing office so we can continue receiving our assistance. Call them and ask how the process is going. They're working on it I'm told.

April, three days later: I get a letter in the mail stating that I need a letter from the child support office about my case. This letter says NOTHING about what the letter must contain.

Wednesday: I get a call from my landlord telling me that we have new neighbors coming in, and to write a note for their mailboxes informing them to come to me to have the sheds unlocked (locked to keep the kids from playing "fort" in them) and by the way, where are the housing forms?

Thursday: I go to the school board and get all of the paperwork from when Ladybug was in public school, I run by the child support office and sit with them while we all work together to try and figure out what the housing people want. They call housing...After closing...And GET someone to talk to!!! This person tells them that all the housing folks want is a written letter stating that the case was closed because of the social security payments. *sigh of relief* They write me a letter right there on the bottom of the housing letter I brought in, and I'm on my way. But it's past 5pm now, and the housing office closes at 4pm...

Today: Dragged the whole lot of the paperwork down to the housing office so that they could get what they needed. I sure hope that's all they need and we can finally get this ball rolling. Now I get to wait some more and hope beyond hope that they will get their end of the deal taken care of so my landlord can get paid for this month. *growl*

I tell you what!