Re: your Aug 24 article, “County asked for $15,000 for teen homes�:
I fully support a program that phases in independence for foster children who are approaching their 18th birthday.
However, I am absolutely appalled that an organization cannot manage to run a program that pays them $3,863 per month per child. It is a slap in the face to any parent who must struggle daily to make ends meet for more children on far less money than that. It’s the equivalent of having a $22.28 an hour fulltime job — with no income tax taken out.
As a single parent, I’d be more than happy to show any organization how to budget a household on far less money: Take in roommates to help pay the rent; no cable TV, just a rooftop antenna that brings in a couple of fuzzy channels; don’t run the air-conditioner, even on the hottest days; drive a 14-year-old car with only the minimum required liability insurance; shop at Goodwill, even for birthday and Christmas presents; eat a lot of macaroni and cheese; and last, but most risky of all, forgo health insurance because it’s too expensive and just hope everyone stays healthy.
That’s how those of us in the real world get by without help from the government.
I am thankful my personal situation has improved since the days of thrift stores and no health insurance. However, my current take-home pay is only a few dollars more than the $3,863 a month that the state pays Interface, and I have what I consider to be a well-paying job.
I hope Interface is teaching them how to live on less than $3,863 a month because it is extremely unlikely an 18-year-old with only a high school education is going to find a job that pays anywhere near that amount.
— JoLynn Hinger, Simi Valley
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