Pride.
Embarrassment.
Those are traits that may be standing in the way of some people in need and the items and services that they need.
U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-6th) held a roundtable Aug. 19 at the Lyons Township Office in Countryside regarding the rising cost of groceries and cuts to food assistance. While the panel wasn’t able to solve the problems, there has been one problem that is out there that area officials from food banks and charities are concerned about.
They feel that there are too many people out there who are not taking advantage of what’s available because they are too proud or too embarrassed to ask for help.
Kendall Grant, the director of the St. Cletus Social Concerns Ministry in LaGrange, said it’s not just those who are broke and jobless who need help. It’s also those who are working and not able to make ends meet.
“The math isn’t mathing anymore and it hasn’t been for a while,” she said. “It’s getting to a breaking point for folks.
“It’s people who are trying to do everything right and care for their households and there is no way to make up that difference.”
Elaine Grande of the Palos Heights-based Pathlights organization caters to seniors and can attest that some are reluctant to seek help.
“People don’t want to reach out for support and they need it,” she said. “The older adult population is particularly resistant to asking because they feel like it’s the beginning of losing their independence.
“We try to communicate not just with our clients but internally with our staff and with our partners and the rest of our community that asking for support and accepting some level of support or resources that are available will actually maintain their independence.”
Grant pointed out her group tries to make people feel welcome when coming to St. Cletus. She said that needing services and missing payments causes “very intense stress” and she wants to alleviate that.
“We have a kid’s corner, we have a playground we know people by name,” she said. “It’s this delicate balance where we are trying to normalize the experience for people and recognize that none of this is normal. None of this should ever be normalized.”
Casten is looking forward to the day when inflation drops but the Democrat doesn’t see that happening anytime soon after some of the decisions made and tariffs implemented by President Donald Trump. Chasten characterizes some of the moves as “stupidity.”
“This inflation problem is easy (to fix) because there was a spike only in U.S. inflation,” Casten said. “We’re taxing anything that was being imported into the United States. We were taxing bananas and coffee and all sorts of things.
“Inflation is up only in the United States. The rest of the world continued to see a decline in inflation.”
He said if the right people are elected to the top spots, the USA’s problems would be reduced.
“My message is slightly depressing and slightly optimistic,” Casten said.