Q&A
Parents share experiences with support services and childcare vouchers
3:01:08
ยท
90 sec
Impacted parents Maria Hernandez and Mari Moss share their experiences with ACS support services, including challenges with discharge grants, childcare vouchers, and domestic violence services.
- Maria Hernandez discusses issues with the discharge grant and childcare voucher limitations
- Council Member Stevens inquires about alternative voucher options
- Mari Moss reveals she was not offered domestic violence services and experienced further complications due to ACS involvement
Maria Hernandez
3:01:08
For me, in the beginning of my case, I was just given a folded up piece of paper and told to call, family representation service.
3:01:15
That was all I told.
3:01:16
I I was told after my case, I was in preventive services.
3:01:21
I was just given a $1,000 discharge grant, which nobody actually informed me about.
3:01:25
I only knew about it because I Googled it, and then I brought it up.
3:01:30
And you have to meet a certain timeline in order to receive that grant as well.
3:01:34
And at that time, I did not receive I was not, I did not meet that timeline.
3:01:40
I did eventually end up getting the grant, but that doesn't even cover rent.
3:01:43
That's 1.
3:01:44
2, I also asked for a childcare voucher because I was going back to school.
3:01:47
My partner was starting a new job, and the only person we felt comfortable, taking care of her was her aunt.
3:01:54
And I can't even use that childcare voucher for her aunt.
3:01:58
It has to be, licensed service.
Althea V. Stevens
3:02:01
You didn't get the other voucher that they were talking about, which they said they have limited vouchers for.
Liz Wolkomir
3:02:05
Right.
Althea V. Stevens
3:02:05
Which is one of the major issues that
Maria Hernandez
3:02:07
people like childcare have.
3:02:08
I can't use it.
3:02:09
I I can't use it for to pay somebody and to take care of my child, somebody that I feel comfortable with.
Mari Moss
3:02:15
And in my situation, I was completely blindsided by the whole situation coming from a domestic violence situation.
3:02:21
I was not offered domestic violence services whatsoever.
3:02:24
I did not hear about them until way after my case had begun, and the agent that was on my case acted as a instigator between my husband and myself, making the domestic violence situation even worse than it was before.