Place: Alamance County
Jackie
Alamance County. Aid recipient.
Left Alone to Raise a Family
I’ve had three boys, and I had a daughter, she died when she was two and a half months old After she was gone, I went ballistic [laughs], yeah. I had a nervous breakdown, I got pregnant, married, and I didn’t love the man I was married too. Didn’t love nothing. I went to work every day, came home, but I had an alcoholic and a drug addict for a husband. Continue reading
Christine
Alamance County. Aid recipient.
Caring for Sick Parents
I was enrolled at GTCC [Guilford Technical College]. I was living in a family home with my parents taking care of them. My father got really bad. He started having seizures, which they thought were strokes. Well, things started going south at that point Continue reading
“Peyton”
Alamance County, NC. Aid recipient.
Illness Makes Finding Work Hard
So I got laid off about four years ago, maybe five. Anyway, so I went back to school, took up appliance repairing, GTCC [Guilford Technical Community College], but as soon as I finished the program, which is about a year, I had a stroke. So it hinders my employability now because no one wants to hire a person who had a stroke Continue reading
Tracy S.
Alamance County, NC, aid provider and former recipient.
The Stigma of Temporary Aid
My ex-husband and I owned a restaurant and the restaurant, it started not going very well. And so he actually started having a drinking problem. So at that point, I decided to move out. So my son, who was three or four at the time, we moved into an apartment… Continue reading
Tiffany
Alamance County, NC. Aid recipient.
Needing Some Help
I was in Maryland when I was pregnant with Jayden. And then, I received the cash when I was pregnant with Jayden because I needed to be able to get some stuff for my baby when he was born. But, after a while… Continue reading
Pat
Alamance County, NC. Aid recipient.
Raising Friends’ Kids.
I’ve been here for thirty years. And my daughter had a job and moved down here. And then, I met her [indicating 14-year-old Desmen, whom she is raising] dad. And they had problems at home, so she asked could she stay with me; and she’s been with me for three years. And so… Continue reading
Parthenia — “Ms. P”
Alamance County, NC. Aid provider and former aid recipient.
It All Started with an Illness
It all started with me becoming ill, having to go on disability. But before I get the disability I have to have, I am not working at all, I am needing assistance with my utility. So I am reaching out to the community. So I didn’t really know anything about where to go besides Social Services… Continue reading
Muhammad
Alamance County, NC. Parents received aid.
Education & The American Dream
My parents were immigrants. We came here from Ghana when I was two and basically we were like… My dad had an education, but an education abroad isn’t really valid here. So he had to start over… Continue reading