this is my first time on here. i'm having a hard time dealing with the dshs people here. a couple of weeks ago i successfully sought assistance with food stamps and medical. what i really needed was childcare. they told me to get childcare i must apply for tanf so i did and was given an appointment. i showed up at the appointment with tax documents, bills, domestic violence injunctions, anything and everything. i also brought along my school registration documents. since i'm new to this area i have no one here to babysit when i have meetings.... so i took my kids. we went back to the caseworkers cubicle where she started grilling me about my roommate who happens to be male. since he's male i guess we just have to be together. by the way, i had reported my roommate at the previous food stamp interview even offering his pay scale. the guy there said he didnt need it. so anyway she starts first yelling at my son who dropped his yoyo and bent down to pick it up, then snatched a toy out of my daughters hand. the toy had come from a pile of toys at her desk for kids to play with. she told me she was looking in to my roommate and my relationship and if she found out we were together my children would be taken from me because i would be engaging in food stamp fraud. my 5 year old started crying and my 3 year old was silent... to add insult to injury she laughed at me and said there was no way she'd ever sign off for me to get benefits if i was going to cosmetology school. she said "im sure that sounds pretty to you" and that i'd never be able to do anything with it. the only way i'd get help is if i did one of the school programs she would pick. i was stunned. my son cried all the way home and doesnt want to sleep alone. he thinks she's following us. i called her supervisor who said it didnt matter if my roommate and i were in a relationship or not that if he isnt their father - he's not- then he's not financially obligated. she also said she'd call me in an hour but despite my messages she has yet to return my call. what to i do? should i be worried about this lady? i cant make it without a roommate at this point. this is a nightmare!!!

Get another case worker and start all over! First of all they can only make recomandations on what you can do regarding schooling and such but they cant MAKE you do anything! I would start from the beginning and and take one step at a time.