Ten O'Clock News; Portrait of a working poor family

[Crew Member] 'Mike level first.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'Testing one, two, three.' [Crew Member] 'Say again.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'Testing one two three.' [Crew Member] 'You said the words.' [Geneva Evans] 'Just testing testing one, two three.' [Crew Member] 'Again.' [Geneva Evans] 'Testing one, two three.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'Ok, can you tell me in a sort of brief summary, what happened to you in the last couple of years, that you started off on welfare and then what happened?' [Geneva Evans] 'Well I started off as a part time homemaker, you know. I was on part time welfare and working part time 20 hours. And then in '82 I got shut off of Medicare and food stamps and my FDC check on account of some kind of Reaganomics business.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'How much were earning?' [Geneva Evans] 'At that time I was only earning like three, three eighty or three ninety at that time 'cause I just got up to four thirty this past year.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'How much were you earning per week?' [Geneva Evans] 'What?' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'What were you taking home when they cut you off?'

[Geneva Evans] 'Like a hundred and thirteen dollars you know after they took out, you know, everything I was bringing home like $113.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'How'd you live?' [Geneva Evans] 'Well, as the thing says I had to tighten my belt. I had to stretch, you know, because I had no other income. I had no other income.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'What happened to your son?' [Geneva Evans] 'Well he was in day care. When he finished daycare he went to school and it just happened so I didn't have to have a babysitter. At that time his father would come by for like an hour to keep him until I got home from work. That's how I managed.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'What happened to your rent and what happened to his after school snacks and his breakfast?' [Geneva Evans] 'It got disqualified. I was no longer eligible for that. And also this WIC program I was no longer eligible for that either. All that all got wiped up and my rent it continued just going up. It goes up every year anyway, regardless.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'What benefits did you lose and how did they affect your son? Why don't you list them for me?'

[Geneva Evans] 'Well, I lost my benefits. I lost the welfare check. I lost my food stamps and my Medicare. And at that time Jason had gotten allergies and he had to attend a clinic every couple of weeks or so. And when that was cut out I had to go to the Boston City Hospital where I was going to, like the doctor's building what takes Medicare. Where he was regular going was this Southend clinic which take Medicare. I no longer can go there now.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'What other programs was Jason cut from?' [Geneva Evans] 'The Southend clinic and that was about all because he finished up at the Harriet Tubman House.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'Wasn't he also cut, though, from some food programs?' [Geneva Evans] 'Yea, the food programs. That was when he was in the day care just before. He got finished with that when I got cut off.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'What happened?' [Geneva Evans] 'He got shut off all that. He was no longer eligible for the food program and the WIC program. He was no longer eligible.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'You were earning, if I can get you to say you were earning.

You had a part time job. Why did you have the part time job and how much, and tell me again that you were earning only $112 when they paid you, when they cut you off.' [Geneva Evans] 'Well, when I was part time job- the welfare says that you can work 20 hours a week you know and still be on part time welfare. So I got this job at home and working part time you know because I wasn't getting very much from medicaid anyways. And where my rent was higher and I had no husband. And I took this job you know and worked like that until, you know, they shut me off.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'Do you think that was fair?' [Geneva Evans] 'No, I really didn't! See the thing that hurt me so badly is the medicare, the medicine problem you know that I have. You know I have to go to the doctors like me- once a month. Jason don't have to go so regular now but me, I have to go every month. And I have to pay for all that.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'There's, Reagan's- I'm saying are you better off than you were four years ago?'

[Geneva Evans] 'No, I'm not. Seems like I'm worse off today than I was before he got in there. Because I did have these benefits and things you know. And there's another thing in my- I don't know what- well, the first of last year was I was supposed to see a good wage or something in my check about the tax or something. I don't see where I see anything. Because there's so little. Well now only $188, and when they get through taking out I bring home $152. And I pay $210 in rent.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'How do you get by?' [Geneva Evans] 'The way I have to get by I have to buy according to my monies. And Jason's schooling I have to go to places like Zayres and put things, you know, put this stuff on a layaway and pay a little bit down until I get what he needs. That's

the way I buy his clothes and stuff.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'Reagan said well, there's all these welfare cheats. That's why we have to cut people off, because people who are capable of working should be working. How do you feel about that?' [Geneva Evans] 'Well, people capable of working I guess I can see that. But gee, I don't know really what to say about that. If you got a kid eight years old, I don't see why you can't work part time and get part time welfare like it was before. You know, because these days, me, I can't get out there and find a $10,000 a year job. You know, it's just not out there for me. I don't know why. And at the rate I'm going now I'm not even eligible for food stamps. They're won't even give me food stamps. Well I guess they say that this little money that I'm making here is going to take care of me and Jason.That's the way I figured out so I'll quit fighting for it. I'll just give up.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'Is it enough to take care of you and Jason?' [Geneva Evans] 'Well, no, it's not.

Say for instance, this school term Jason's clothes, just Jason's clothes for instance is much higher than they was four years ago. You know because he was in a smaller size. Now he's in a bigger size and it's more money. I buy four pairs of pants for Jason and I'm out $53 for just four pairs of pants.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'If it's so bad why don't you go back on Welfare?' [Geneva Evans] 'Well, the thing- if I go back on welfare, seem to me like I'll be getting just about maybe about fifty three dollars less though, than what I am. You know they weren't giving me that much in first place but that it was helping. You know, but I sit down and try to figure it out and it seems I'll be about fifty something dollars lower than what I'm is if I work. You know.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'One of the things he's saying is that he's brought inflation down and employment up. And,

you know, people will be getting more money in their paychecks and therefore you should be able to live on the new economic recovery.' [Geneva Evans] 'Well, I haven't seen it yet. I haven't seen that part of that yet and when they said that and I went to pick up my check that Friday, I wanted to see a big increase in my check and I certainly didn't see it, you know. And this food store, when you go out to shop I don't see where anything has changed that. You know, because I can't afford to buy roast beef and steak and things like that. I got to stay on the lower aisle, on the lower level, you know. I mean you know fish is as high as roast beef, roast beef.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'Who are you going to vote for in this election and why?' [Geneva Evans] 'I'm going to vote for Mondale. If there's any way I can get Reagan out of there I'm certainly going to do that.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'Can I get you to repeat that whole thing because I was interrupting you? Sorry.' [Geneva Evans] 'If I was going to vote for anybody I'd vote for Mondale. If there's any way I can get Reagan out of there I'm definitely going to do that.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'Ok, I'm going to ask you to say one more thing and that's about your son and there was some quote in here.

about him taking food out of your son's mouth. I want you if you can to repeat that but tell me why.' [Geneva Evans] 'Well he took the food out of my son's mouth is the simple reason that he took the food stamps away from him. And in the second place if affected me because when he took the Medicare card away from me that meant I had to pay for all medication and doctor bills. I've got to pay for all that. So that affected it, too. So this is why I'm saying that's why he took the food out of my son's mouth. That's why I said that.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'Great, that's wonderful. We're just going to do cutaways now.' [Geneva Evans] 'I have to pay for Jason's clothing. I've got to pay my bills around here and my own medical bill. I had to pay for that all out of that. So the way I do it is one week I'll pay my telephone bill, my insurance. The next week I'll pay my rent and then the next week I'll put something down on my child's layaway. That's just the way I do it, no question about it.

And our entire raise is just 30 cents and so the homemakers us all got together and went downtown to the rate setting office hoping that we'd get a few more pennies. I don't know how much that will be but hopefully we'll get another small jump I hope. It just ain't going to be very much for homemakers because they don't make very much money.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'Mostly women working?' [Geneva Evans] 'It's only working part time you know.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'They can do that?' [Geneva Evans] 'They can do that, some of them. I don't know how far you get away with it. You can't go more than- you can't go from like 16 to 20 hours is as much as you can make because you see the thing is they're going to lower the check. If you got, you working 20 hours a week bringing home that means your food stamps will be cut five or ten dollars. That's the way they did mine.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'Yeah, they cut off each dollar you earn, right?' [Geneva Evans] 'Yeah.' [Meg Vallaincourt] 'How about your son? How does he feel about...' [Producer addressing Geneva and Jason] 'Can you two just talk to each other about whatever?' [Inaudible] [Geneva Evans] 'So what did you do today?' [Jason] 'This girl named Mary she

got sent out of the classroom because Tanya was fooling around with the bookbag and brought the bookbag back. But Marian said that wasn't fair so she got sent out. She got sent to the annex.' [Inaudible] [Inaudible] [Jason] 'What's for dinner?' [Geneva Evans] 'The dinner is the macaroni that you wanted. So did you give Ms. Sanderson her letter for the...' [Jason] 'She said...'

[Geneva Evans] 'That's all right. Don't worry about it. [Inaudible] [Geneva Evans] 'So what was your lesson today?' [Jason] 'We had to do corrections. We walked to the gym while it was raining.' [Geneva Evans] 'You bring home any homework? So what's your homework about?' [Inaudible]

[Jason] 'Wednesday. Miss Dickerson, you know Miss Dickerson, right? She told me to ask you. I don't know what Saturday but she said on Saturday she's going to take me and Albert along with her out of the city.' [Inaudible] [Producer] 'Just just like you're talking, you know. Like say well you know people were asking

me today about if I was better off four years ago. Just chat a little bit like that. Ok?' [Geneva Evans] 'Let me know when you... Ok, these people were asking me today were we better off today than we was four years ago. What do you think about that, Jason? Do you think we're better off today than we was four years ago? What do you think?' [Jason] 'I think, say the question again.' [Geneva Evans] 'Do you think we're better off today than we were four years ago? Are we messing up?' [Producer] 'No, that's great.' [Geneva Evans] 'Before Reagan got in office, do you think we're better off today than we was four years ago? What do you think?' [Jason] 'I think we're better off today. I hope Mondale gets it.' [Geneva Evans] 'So who you think is going to win the campaign?'

[Jason] 'Reagan's got a good start.' [Geneva Evans] 'Yeah, but what do you thinks going to happen in the end? You think Mondale will get it?' [Exterior filming and directions] [Exterior filming and directions] [Exterior filming and directions] [Exterior filming and directions] [Meg Vallaincourt] 'Sure, just don't look at the camera. Ok.' [Inaudible]

[Crew] 'I want the audio to play.' [Inaudible]