Lucy is an 86-year-old woman living alone in low-income housing in Hollywood, CA. Lucy speaks only Armenian and does not speak or understand any English. She struggles to get by day to day on a very low income. She depends mostly on her meager social security insurance check to meet her living expenses. Usually before the month is finished, she runs out of money and barely has enough to buy food or pay for utilities.
At 86 years old and living with some health issues, it was very important that Lucy receives proper nutrition.
Through an assessment conducted by a Partners’ Social Worker, they identified that there was two specific services Lucy needed access to – food for proper nutrition and assistance in lowering her utility bills. The Social Worker worked with Lucy to fill out the online CalFresh application and walked her through the interview process which was done over the phone. Because she does not speak English, Lucy relied heavily on her social work to also help her fill out the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) application and identify all supporting documentation needed.
Lucy was approved for CalFresh which now helps with her grocery expenses and ensures she can have adequate nutrition to stay healthy while living at home. She was also approved for LIHEAP, which significantly helped with her electricity bill by waiving her LADWP bill for at least a year.
Lucy is truly grateful to Partners in Care Foundation and her social worker for connecting her with these two resources that significantly impacted her overall health and well-being.
