How long can one be on Church Welfare?

[_Joseph]

Visiting with a friend we were discussing two of his sisters. Both families are on church welfare and have been for more than five years. Both have at least three creditors on their homes in Utah and are falling gradually more and more behind on the bills.

Both have at least 3 callings in their wards and the husbands the same.

Maybe his is why the ongoing welfare for so long - they are one of the few who will accept callings?

How long does it go on and when does it end? When they are finally forclosed on with the home they really can't afford?

[_Mephitus]

Being someone that has been homeless before, this just makes me sick....

[_jon]

Well, Monson has been on Church income support for decades...

[_Joseph]

A few years back I was 'assigned' to do a shift at the Bishops Storehouse in the area we lived in. Showed up and started helping. When I saw the stuff they had I asked why they would carry that type of item.
Automatic dishwasher soap. Why have that? People on welfare can wash dishes by hand just like we do. The response - 'you can't expect people to do that'.

Pampers and throw away baby diapers. Why can't you give them real diapers to be used, washed and re-used. The response - 'people don't do that'. (funny, we did it and our kids did it and a number of our neighbors do it)

Some of the food items were pre-prepared packaged stuff. Didn't have basice like Rice and Beans. So, I asked 'why not'? The answer - 'you can't expect people to prepare food. If it isn't quick and easy they won't make it'.

I asked a number of questions like this as I saw more and more items set to make it easy - mac & cheese mix, kit foods and the like. All the time getting responses that this made it easy and not expecting people to take time to prepare meals, just quick stuff for the most part.

They told the Bishop that I had been a hard worker but don't send me back as I asked too many questions. (Bishop was an old college roomie)

The money given and help given, if needed is worth it. At times many need help. But long term a financial plan should be overseen by someone who can look at every bill and push a cutback on TV subscriptions, computer internet subscriptions, cell phones and the like. Many things that money is spent on that could have been used to reduce the debt that many of these folks seem to think 'necessities'. No one "needs" cable TV, not when they are two months behind on their first, second and third mortgage and just keeping ahead of foreclosure. No one "needs" a wave runner and snowmobile, not when they are having to get financial help to pay their elecric bills. No one "needs" a dishwasher, not when they have five kids in the house who can be taught to wash the dishes.

The big surprise is how many get church welfare and it seems tied to their callings while others are denied who may be more needy at times.

Five Years? Emergencies are one thing. Major medical is another. But continued living on church welfare is no better than "living on the government dole" as ET and the gang used to preach against.