This article was written by Deborah Schagen,

Hands on Housing Program Coordinator

How often do we hear derogatory remarks about people receiving governmental assistance? American Economist George Gilder once said that “the welfare culture tells a man he is not a necessary part of the family; He feels dispensable, his wife knows he is dispensable, his children sense it”.

I am not a world-renowned economist, like Mr. Gilder. I am merely a social worker with a passion for helping people who need it the most. I would, however, like to voice my point of view in contrast to his own.

I am the person within our organization that conducts the home visits. I have the profound opportunity to be in the space where our clients raised their children, raised their grand-children, mourned their loved ones, and grew old. To be in someone’s home is one of the most intimate experiences two strangers can have. Though the purpose of my visits are to collect eligibility information (mostly), more often than not, the homeowner will take the opportunity to show me anything and everything that makes them proud: photo albums, awards, old letters, recipes, trinkets, etc.

Yesterday I visited a home of a widowed 76 year-old named Lillie. She is asking for help as she is currently without air-conditioning, a working stove, or running water. In between shuffling through food stamp paperwork, Social Security award letters, identification documents, and other necessary papers to qualify for our housing repair program, she would interject to tell me about her work with the Trail Riders: a program created to raise relief funds for the hurricane Katrina victims. Lillie was issued an award from the Red Cross for her tremendously successful fundraising efforts. She organized regular weekend fairs with BBQ, ice-cream, and her famous wagon hay rides.  When all was said and done, the Trail Riders events ended up meeting the emergency needs of approximately 10,000 families in Austin, providing almost $12 million in direct financial assistance.

So, Mr. Gilder, I have to ask- does Lillie sound like someone who considers herself dispensable to society?