Social Security Office and Groceries
Day 2 – (First Full Day)
A couple members of our resettlement team ventured out this morning to pick up the 8 family members and take them to the social security office so they could all apply for social security numbers. It’s necessary to get these applications in as soon as possible.
As it usually happens the SS office doesn’t want to just take a pile of paperwork to process, rather they prefer to handle one person and one application at a time. No reason to speed through the day when there’s so much work to do!
It turns out we had a bit of a snafu with regard to places of birth. The information was pointed out with the interpreter last night, but the message was not properly relayed. Oh well, we’ll deal with the consequences as they arise in the future.
Having had a good night sleep in the presence of relatives the families were rather happy today, smiling, relaxed, and trusting. All good traits to see this early in the process.
After completing the chore of social security the refugee family was whisked away to the grocery store. We spent about $206 on groceries, diapers, and feminine products. That’s a bit low compared to some families, but in this case they are not stocking empty shelves, but rather supplementing their relatives shelves.
A member of our medical needs committee had a chance to review their medical paperwork and observe the family members looking for other issues that may be present. Other than some apparent eye trouble (redness) in the father of the youngest children, immediate needs appear to be minimal. (Due to HIPAA requirements I will not elaborate with detailed medical information for issues that arise.)
One bit of good news, there seems to be greater comprehension of English than we had been led to believe.
