This is my second blog post dedicated to the services offered by our local government in southern Alexandria at the South County Center on route 1.  I’ve already written about how grateful I am to receive Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits.

Today, I am grateful for the myriad of services offered by the Department of Family Services, which is also located at the South County Center.  They help people on many levels.  Thankfully, most of what this office offers does not pertain to me, but two things do - - Medicaid and the heating and cooling assistance programs.

I went there today to drop off my application for the heating application and noticed many changes in the office.  The sign on the front door refers to this department as a unit of “self-sufficiency.”  I really like that title and the respect it shows to the people who receive benefits from this office.  I interpret it to mean that people are receiving these benefits on a temporary basis, while they work to secure better employment and improve their lives financially.

The office looked very different.  I noticed more computers and a little room in the back that had a photocopy machine for people to make copies of papers for free.  The lines seemed to be managed more efficiently, too, as if the front desk had received updated training and were better equipped to handle issues.

All in all, my very quick transaction today proved to be much better than I had anticipated, and definitely different than what I went through two years ago, when I first signed up to receive benefits.

In a few weeks, I’ll hear back to see if we will receive the heating assistance award.  In the meantime, I continue to rejoice and thank God that my daughters’ health insurance needs continue to be covered by Medicaid.

All of these benefits are extremely helpful to us as we work to rebuild our credit, our lives, and a brighter future with less reliance on government help.  While I have faith that things will get better for us down the road, I have real gratitude today knowing that having Medicaid benefits securely in place eases the stress and removes worries from our plate.

What are you grateful for today?  I sure do hope you’ll let me know!