Another Idea. . .

***We’re going to file this under Hill’s unfinished ideas. It’s long, and if you’re not interested, feel free to skip it. It doesn’t deal so much with my health as much as my thoughts on how to solve local problems.****
I think we should jumpstart the economy with “microloans.”
Check out Kiva.org for more information on the concept. This site facilitates loans for third world start up businesses through online “lenders” that can give as little as $25.
You can give, see the product of your generosity, and get back.
This opportunity allows people to lift themselves out of poverty in nations that do not have a structured financial system.
Why do we do this for halfway across the world, but nobody does this for the single twenty year old mom with two kids walking herself to daycare to work and back 10 miles each day.
This woman I’m talking about is real. She lives in Claremont.
Connections to woman or men in this position, who would like to achieve but do not have the money upfront or the credit for a loan, could be facilitated by an intermediary.
The intermediary would accept applications for the microloans and match them with “lenders,” people who wish to give and see the product of their giving. Interest could be set at a low 3.9%. Standard contracts filled in with the names of the party, the project to be completed, the start date and end date of payments, and payments schedule would all be included and signed.
It’s harder to default when you’re looking your lender in the eye. It’s also a low amount, that might otherwise have been given to charity.
So many women like this just want to get a stable, full time job with benefits that will pay a livable wage.
I try to recruit them to nursing by assisting them with getting their licenses as a nursing assistant.
I want the nursing shortage fixed. These moms all ready have the talents to care for others. They do day in and day out.
Many countries say, America treats their pets better than there poor.
I agree. We have shelters and medical programs and easy adoption for our pets. We have gourmet dinners and spas for out dogs. Our poor do not have these securities. Not many pick them off the street.
Remember, Jesus lived and did all his miracles within an 8 mile radius. Great things can be done locally.
I think the solution for the poor young single parent problem is to unify the woman in these situations and empower them through teaching.
Single mother’s could be housed together in a commune like setting and required to take parenting classes.
They should be taught to co-parent and share responsibility with the other women and children within the household. It would be an experiment in supporting each other as if they are raising their families together.
This would help with the problem of the disappearing fathers. No man, no problem. These women need to know how to stand on their own two feet.
What they really need that social services does not provide is off hour daycare. Most qualify for subsidized day care to hold jobs. The proposed mothers who would live together would swap services with each other, such as babysitting or cooking. One mom goes to school, the other takes care of the kids.
On a side note, stores should also offer babysitting while moms shop. Buying just can’t be done “properly” with a screaming child. IKEA all ready does this. It’s Genius. Someone was clearly thinking like a woman.
Education often will not affect a lot of ways these girls get paid. That’s all I’m saying.
As a stepping stone, to encourage women to enroll in such a program, a representative should post up at the WIC Office and sign-up mothers for classes. Maybe this person can facilitate connections between women in similar positions.
LNA classes are free with federal funding. College for a nursing degree is free if you know how to work the system. All these mom’s need is a guidance counselor to help with the paperwork and to teach others how to support each other.
The problem is these women don’t know how to work the system. They’re stuck in a rut and can’t see the women in their same position sitting next to them.
They help each other with a little help from somebody else, and two problems are solved. Poverty and the nursing shortage can be improved upon together.
Of course, this would not happen without supervision over the household. A “commune” apartment would be run like any other subsidized housing unit, but with ordinances or rules residents would need to follow. Eviction for these rules would follow legal guidelines.
The residents would receive budgeting and financial counseling. No questions asked, no complaints.
They should be given welfare while undergoing this program. They must receive job training and secure a job within 9 months. Babysitting will be possible on a rotational basis at the communal living home through volunteers and other mothers.
They should be required to help each other.
A social worker could manage the home and the women, much like a resident assistant at a college, with rules and consequences, such as paying $5 for locking themselves out or being removed from the program for repeat offenses.
It should follow AA and not allow dating for one year. If they are sexually active, they should be given the depo shot to prevent pregnancy. For acceptance into the program, the participant must be taking birth control for the entire term.
If you’re receiving help from the social welfare system, you should not be able to continue to pop out babies.
Smoking will not be allowed in the household. Paticipants would receive nicotine replacement products and education and medication that will assist in stopping smoking. Smoking should not be allowed if they are living off others.
Single mothers need knowledge. They should be schooled on how to cut coupons and search for rebates. They should know how to feed their family on minimal income. They should be forced to use a soup kitchen and volunteer there once a week.
They need to be financially educated. The money they receive through SS, SSDI, working, etc. should be co-managed for one year with a volunteer advisor, and a budget should be created with the persons help.
They should know and understand how to maintain a garden. Seeds are cheap and can be given out for free. People need to know how to sustain themselves. Also, nutritional counseling needs to be given. There is room for splurges and urges, but a cart full of kool aid and fruit roll-ups is not okay.
Recipes and possible meals that can be made just using the goods provided by WIC should be given to parents or a cooking class should be required.
I think most people would be okay with paying more taxes for the poor if there were contingencies for receiving the money and it was accompanied by education. Many countries say, America treats their pets better than there poor.
I agree. We have shelters and medical programs and easy adoption for our pets. We have gourmet dinners. Our poor do not have these securities. No one is going to pick them off the street.
I’d like my idea to start small and manageable, in a town with a demographic and services all ready started on a volunteer basis.
Claremont has a great building, The Diana Love Center and a business, Good Beginnings, that has begun to do these things. I’d like to extend these programs with the above plans.
I don’t want to hear about how these women got themselves in their own mess.
The kids did not ask for their situation. How can so many people overlook them? They need to be taken care of, and the easiest, most convenient way is to improve their biological mothers.
Think about it and while you do, remember the kids.
Maybe, micro loans for the poor is again naïve of me. Everybody deserves an education. Everybody deserves to feel secure, but not all majors can be manipulated, like nursing, and received for free by the government.
The nation was built on hand shake deals. Investing in an idea like this would be safer than the stock market.
It’s just an idea, an idea that I can’t implement. Maybe, someone else should.