I remember going home w/ bloody hands after working all day. I qualified for all of the programs when I was younger. There were people I worked w/ who used them. I bet most of them still are. I lived a miserable existance but it passed w/ hard work and looking for a better path. It didn't take much education to push that wheel barrow for ten hours a day. It took effort.

Because the local grocery store's measily $6.50 an hour will pay for rent, right? You do understand that if you find yourself the victim of your own bad decisions, and then want to help yoursef by getting an education in the hopes of getting a better job, that the low-paying jobs you CAN get will not only have to stretch to pay for rent, utilities, some sort of phone bill (and cell phones, INSTEAD of landlines, can be cheaper and more convenient, by the way!) and often food, clothing, and school materials for at least one child but ALSO the education and school materials for yourself. A cost that can reach several times more than your yearly income. Sometmes government programs like Section 8 is the only place for families like these can go. Of course, it needs improvement, as does everything affected by layer upon layer of bureaucracy, but they are needed...

However, there are employers all over town taking applications at this time. Why not go fill one of those out and work? Then you will not need to sit around waiting for some freebies to appear.