Published: November 23, 2008 08:16 pm      

Juggling act

Families find ways to cope with money woes

During the presidential campaign, candidates drew attention to the struggling economy’s impact on everyday folks. They used the term Main Street — as opposed to Wall Street — to draw that distinction.

In Vermilion County, there’s an actual Main Street in just about every community. Even if they have a different name, these streets through the heart of each town symbolize the struggles people face along with their counterparts all over the country.

Three women recently shared their economic concerns with the Commercial-News.

Single mom

Tiffany Davis has lived with her grandmother on and off since she was 12 years old. Now, at 22, she’s back in her grandmother’s Danville home — this time with her 19-month-old twins, Jailee and Janih.

Davis has been unemployed since her job through the state’s Youth Summer Works program ended in late August. She expected to return to the job she’d held before the summer, but the position had been eliminated while she was gone.

Davis had been saving her money so she could afford a place for herself and her children. That’s no longer an option for Davis with two young children to care for and the girls’ father, in Davis’ words, “out of the picture.”

Instead, she signed up for unemployment and started looking for work. That was three months ago.

“I hate this sitting around,” Davis said. “I like to work.

“And I don’t want to depend on anyone or anything.”

Still, the family gets food stamps and help from WIC. Davis said, “All my money goes to them. I haven’t bought myself new clothes in a year.”

A job would make life better for the young mother, her twins and her grandmother, too.

“I’m sure she’d love to have her house back,” Davis said about her grandmother.

Part-time work

Juanita Hoskins, 66, and her 75-year-old husband Gordon moved back to his hometown of Potomac about eight years ago.

“We moved a lot over the years because of my husband’s work,” Hoskins said. “He wanted to come back here.”

Gordon Hoskins made his living as a plumber, while Juanita worked in restaurants and electronics at different times.

The couple bought a home when they returned to Potomac that’s now paid off.

“If we had to make payments now,” Hoskins said, “it would be a struggle.”

For the time being, the couple can live within their means. Hoskins supplements their income by working part-time at CRIS Senior Services in Westville.

“If I lost my job today, we’d have a problem,” she said.

In the meantime, Hoskins worries about the future for her children and grandchildren.

“They’ve never been through hard times like we have,” she said. “They have young children, while there’s just the two of us. We can make it on our income for now.”

Hoskins shared some lessons she’s learned during the years.

“You just have to keep going,” she said. “I have a wonderful husband. It’s important to laugh and have fun.”

Retiree

For Danville’s Nora Adams, the economic downturn has meant doing without the extras she once enjoyed.

Family means everything to Adams, a widow for 15 years. At 73 years old, she enjoyed spoiling her children and grandchildren with small gifts and treating herself to meals out and an occasional shopping spree.

That’s all changed in the past six months.

“Gas prices went up so high,” Adams said. “So did the cost of food.”

She found herself worrying about affording her medications, too.

“I’m on quite a few different medications,” she said. “It’s kind of a juggle with the different types of insurance.

“Even if you’re alone like I am, it’s difficult to cut back on your food costs. Prices are up in all the grocery stores. I find myself buying a small amount of groceries at a time, maybe just what I need for a day or two.

“I don’t go out to eat as much as I used to, especially to dinner,” she said. “No matter where you go, it’s $8-10 for a meal.”

With Christmas so close, Adams feels more concerned about her family than herself.

“I probably won’t do a lot of shopping,” she said. “I’ll watch for the sales.

“I’ve thought about doing things a little differently this year — maybe we should draw names for gifts.

“The most important thing is that we’re all together and we’re all in good health,” she said.

Local help

Several options exist for people of all ages who need help during this time of economic hardship. One universal point of entry into the world of social services is East Central Illinois Community Action Agency.

“We work with people of all ages,” Odette Hyatt-Watson, supervisor of the agency’s Education Talent Search, said. “It’s nothing new for us. It’s a year ‘round effort.

“We see ourselves as a resource, especially for families with young children,” she said. “We work with families to help them change their lives.”

In addition to the many forms of help that Community Action offers, it serves as a referral agency to other services in the community.

“We partner with the Salvation Army, American Red Cross, Faith in Action and many others,” Chantal Bryant, coordinator of the Community Services Block Grant Program, said. “We provide many services, but we also have an extensive referral partner-ship with other agencies in the area.

“If we can’t provide the service that’s needed, we’ll guide the person to the organization that can,” Bryant said.

For senior citizens, CRIS is a good place to start. The senior service center helps those ages 60 and over, although exceptions to that age limit are made for those with certain disabilities.

Nancy Palmer, CRIS coordinator of money management, helps seniors devise and follow a budget.

“We know many seniors are facing hard times now,” Palmer said. “The problem is some others know it, too, like predatory lenders. They take advantage of seniors, prey on their vulnerability.

“We make sure that people can pay their bills plus afford their medicine,” Palmer said.

“Their money is theirs to do with as they see fit. I’m here to advise them. We work closely with an attorney who specializes in consumer counseling.”



FYI

-- To reach East Central Illinois Community Action Agency, call 443-2705.

-- To reach CRIS Senior Services, call 443-2999.