“There’s a light at the end of the tunnel.”
"Everything we ask of Jami—she’s just been a darling,” Sue says. “If she doesn’t know the answer, she’ll find out. She’s getting us where we need to be, thankfully. She gives us hope.”
Sue Ulam is a doting 74-year-old grandmother who was thrilled when her daughter and six grandchildren—ages 3 to 15—moved into her Bangor home. Sue’s husband died a year ago, and she was eager to surround herself with the loving company of her family.
“The kids are, needless to say, a handful, but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Sue says. “It’s not quiet, but it’s nice.”
But crisis struck just a few months into this transition when Sue’s water service was cut off because she was behind on paying her water bill. The recent loss of her husband’s income was putting a big strain on Sue’s budget and she owed $1,450, including late fees and penalties, for water service. Their household of eight went without water for a month and a half—and they were also struggling to afford groceries. Sue was desperate and didn’t know what to do. So she called Senior Services of Van Buren County.
Ray of help
Based in South Haven, Senior Services of Van Buren County provides professional services and caring support for seniors in Van Buren to enhance their quality of life and living situations.
“We match seniors up with necessary services, assess their needs, make sure their home is safe,” says Diane Rigozzi, executive director. “If we don’t offer the exact service, we refer them to the organization that does and follow up to make sure they get it.”
Its Care Watch program, funded by United Way, sends trained, professional care managers to home-bound seniors to help with anything they need—calling, visiting, figuring out Medicare and Medicaid, connecting them with food assistance and medical equipment, assessing mental health issues, and arranging for handicap ramps and medical transportation.
“We do as much as we can,” says Care Watch care manager Jami Branson. “Once I went to a lady’s house and set up her cable. So it can be something like that to ‘I have no electricity tomorrow.’”
In addition to Care Watch, Senior Services of Van Buren County also offers an affordable, private-pay, in-home care service, which is not skilled nursing but rather assistance with housework and errands as well as companionship—at a low rate per hour since the service is partially subsidized. The organization also sends out one food truck a month that rotates to different spots throughout the county and provides emergency assistance for utilities in cases such as Sue’s.
Jami worked to get water service restored to Sue’s home—but it wasn’t so simple. After all, change doesn’t happen alone.
Beacon of hope
Sue had first reached out for help to St. Vincent de Paul Sacred Heart Church in Bangor. The church was able to contribute $350 to the outstanding balance on Sue’s water bill—and put hot meals on Sue’s table. But she still owed $1,100.
Jami from Care Watch worked with Sue to fill out a State Emergency Relief application through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, which offered to pay $175 toward the bill. However, DHHS would not make that payment until only that portion remained on the bill. Senior Services of Van Buren County contributed $350 to the bill. Jami got the City of Bangor to remove most of the fees from Sue’s bill, and United Christian Services, another United Way-funded organization, to pay the remainder of a little over $250. Sue’s water service was restored in time for Thanksgiving. Jami also got Sue approved for SNAP benefits to address their food insecurity.
Sue’s problems aren’t over, however. She suffered a stroke this winter, is using a wheelchair and an oxygen tank, and needs 24-hour home healthcare. Her daughter lost her job and is now Sue’s full-time caregiver. “I know how hard it is,” Sue says of her daughter’s responsibility for her. “I was my husband’s caregiver, so I know.”
“I’ve reached out to Area Agency on Aging [also a United Way-funded partner] about a program that pays a family member to be your care provider,” Jami says, which would make a big difference for the Ulams who are all living on Sue’s social security income. Because of the poor condition of their house, Jami is applying for USDA rural housing grants for repairs. Jami is also working with Sue to connect her with additional food and clothes for the kids.
“Everything we ask of Jami—she’s just been a darling,” Sue says. “If she doesn’t know the answer, she’ll find out. She’s getting us where we need to be, thankfully. She gives us hope.”
“There’s a light at the end of the tunnel,” says Sue. “Somebody out there really does care.”
Learn more about the work United Way of Southwest Michigan is doing in BASIC NEEDS at uwsm.org/basic-needs.
Listen to Sue tell her own story. Video by Josh Kirshman.
"The kids are, needless to say, a handful, but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Sue says. “It’s not quiet, but it’s nice.”
“Somebody out there really does care.”
"I know how hard it is,” Sue says of her daughter’s responsibility for her. “I was my husband’s caregiver, so I know.”
Photos by Ashley Tenter