For many years I would mutter a similar response to several issues brought up. Then I started actually helping people get to these services to help them with a

For many years I would mutter a similar response to several issues brought up. Then I started actually helping people get to these services to help them with a hand up instead of hand outs. What I found - section 8 housing - 18 month waiting period for the actual housing complexes - with priority given to X people with Y situation and Z thing. Section 8 vouchers can be navigated to, but finding a place that will take them, and take them before your limited window expires is not possible. Disability insurance? that thing you have to afford and pay for before you need it, that only covers a portion of your previous income for a period of time - yeah everyone has that and it saves all. Food stamps are taken away when you start making 11.35 / hr (TN - no idea what it is in AZ)- the living wage for a person (Nash, TN) with 1 child is like $30 / hr here - https://livingwage.mit.edu/ https://livingwage.mit.edu/ - and I have no idea where MIT is finding housing around here for 1200 / mth - the average apt without utilities is now $1800 just for rent I believe. medicaid / care and SS are awesome when you can get it - and I'm glad they exist. For many people actually getting it is not going to happen. There is public education - which is a god send for keeping childcare costs down and a meal a day. Depending on your social class you may not score good grades and learn as well as you could, and you could be permanently damaged mentally / emotionally from the lack of actual care, especially if you are not in a protected class... but you may know algebra and geometry when you get kicked out into a world that pays you the same if you can't even speak english / never passed the sixth grade.. but it'll save your parents from paying for a meal and babysitting for some years - so they are subsidized in being able to work cheaper for whatever company benefits from that. No phoenix is not a thunderdome of the US - the US is the US. except for those water use issues- then phoenix is the most unsustainable city in the world ( https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/2b88bcee697c4ca682136f10091bf434 https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/2b88bcee697c4ca682136f1... ) - haha - but we pay for it somehow. yourLocationMayVary