It has been great fun to watch him grow. He is always smiling, singing and dancing. I called him "Gumby" one day because he can move his body in any direction ~ but the kids don't know who Gumby is!
I hear some of the news channels advertising specials for the 5th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. I am sure they will focus on positive; how New Orleans has rebounded to it's former vibrant life.
Lives have been changed forever, for better or for worse. The experts say that Post Traumatic Stress never goes away, it only lays dormant and resurfaces at unexpected times. For those who have not been able to return to their homes, life has had to start over in every way imaginable.
For Mr. Thornton it meant not only the loss of everything he owned, but also the loss of his income. At the age of now 72, his income is minimal Social Security and SSI (Social Security Disability) due to an injury he sustained several years before Katrina. SSI is a catch 22 for some people. It provides a small amount of cash, but it does qualify him for Medicaid which combined with Medicare means that his medical bills are all paid for the most part. It also pays him a small amount (less then $100 total each month) in benefits for the kids. But, it denies him the right to hold any kind of job, even one that he could do with his disability.
When Mrs. Thornton left and subsequently asked him to take care of her kids, he knew he did not have the income to take care of them. Rent alone would take most of his SS and SSI checks, and he did not qualify for any rental assistance. Then there is food and clothes and necessities for himself and four growing kids.
Because Mr. Thornton was willing to take in his wife's kids and because we knew his financial situation, we told him we would help in any way possible, although we had no idea how we would find a way. We applied to every possible agency, but he did not qualify for one reason or another. The only option he might have would be to give up his SSI and find a job. Putting pen to paper quickly demonstrated how futile that option would be.
If he gave up the SSI, he would lose Medicaid and food stamps for himself and the kids. Medical expenses for 4 kids who have various health and emotional problems is a huge benefit alone. Food stamps certainly help, although it is not really enough to feed four growing kids. Then there would be the cost of day care if he had to work while the kids were not in school. It would take a great paying job with good health insurance benefits to offset what he would lose.
Considering for a moment that he could find such a job, who would be willing to watch these four kids with emotional and developmental problems. Having worked around day care providers, I knew that they would not do well in that situation and it would be an on-going problem to find someone to watch them. He and the kids would be much better off with him at home to help them overcome these problems.
When we agreed to help him in any way that we could, we knew this would be a long term project. Mr. Thornton will be 85 years old when Chip graduates from high school. We have seen the toll that the stress has taken on him over the last 5 years. We hope and pray that he will be around to see these kids grow up.
We would hate to see Marquel forced into a position of supporting or even supplementing the household income as she gets into high school. We realize that worse things have happened to kids, but don't we really want her to be able to go to college and have a career that will give her the prospect of a bright future without the burden of being mother and income earner for the family?
As this anniversary of Katrina comes and goes, my fear is that those who still struggle will be forgotten. Mr. Thornton has been able to care for these kids and give them a good home due to the generosity of so many of you. If it were not for all of you, where would he go? He could probably fend for himself, but what about the kids, where would they be?
I wish I could remember who it was, someone who had come from a very poor background and made a good life for himself, said "it is great to tell people they should pull themselves up by their bootstraps - but first they must have a pair of boots".
You are providing the boots.
Thank you to each and every one for all you do!
Until next time. . .
Stephanie
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