Government Jobs Questions?

I've never lived on my own before. Can someone help answer these questions?

• Hi. I was disowned by my family and I'm staying with a friend until I graduate high school in June. I'm currently in New York, and I have a good friend who lives down in Arkansas who said that he'd want to get an apartment with me there. So, I mean right now my plan is to just go there and try to start up a life. I know I'll probably hate Arkansas compared to New York, but it's a lot cheaper to live there so I figured if I had a chance to go to college that would be my best bet. I do have a few questions though that I dunno who to ask or where to start. 1. How can I get some government help with food stamps or like insurance? I really want to be able to see a dentist a few times a year or maybe have a doctor appointment once in a while. In New York there are a lot of clinics and all. But like once I go to Arkansas would the New York government still be helping me out with that stuff for the 6 months before I'm a citizen of Arkansas? Or should I be asking for help from Arkansas right off the bat? 2. I have a few thousand dollars saved up. I've always had jobs on and off since I was 14. Although I dunno. To get there, and pay a down payment for an apartment and food and all, I feel like I'll run out of money real fast. I really want to go to college though. I haven't applied to the college down there yet, but I really want to mail out my transcripts and maybe I can start to go during the second semester next year. The problem with school though is: - I can't talk to my family. I'm 18, and most 18-year-olds are still dependent on their parents. And like normally financial aid has to do with how much money your parents get. If I can't get any of that sort of information like can I still get some type of financial aid from the school maybe? - What's the best place to get a student loan? Should I be asking some bank, or like some company specifically made for giving out student loans? I dunno the first thing about those. 3. The only thing I really have an emotional attachment to right now is my dog. She's a medium sized adorable dog who is really friendly to people. She hardly ever barks. Everyone keeps telling me I should give her up though because finding an apartment that allows dogs is IMPOSSIBLE. That's all I've been hearing for months. I'm really don't want to and I dunno what to do. Is it really that hard to find an apartment that would allow her? She's such a good pet and the only thing that is constant in my life. I dunno. I shouldn't ask too many questions at once. Can anyone help with any of those questions? Or like guidance as to where I should get started or something?

• Answer:

  1. Since you are still a high school student, talk with a sympathetic teacher & counselor at your school & lay out all your questions & issues as you have done here. For 1 thing, he/she can get you in contact with county social services whereby you can be officially declared homeless (even though you are temporarily lodging with a friend.) The county social service counselors can get you set up with other programs like food stamps, health care for those who are homeless/have low annual income, etc. These services & programs would be through your local county gov't & New York state government while you are living in NY (you do not indicate if you are in NYC or the state of NY.) 2. To be eligible for any benefit programs in Ark. you will have to move there & establish residency in the state. That means, obtaining an Ark. drivers license, registering your car (if you own one) in Arkansas & getting Ark. license plates, changing auto ins. to your Ark. address, finding a job in your new location, setting up a bank acct., etc. This is the link to an Arkansas Dept. of Finance and Administration on moving to Ark.: * http://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/offices/poli%E2%80%A6 It focuses mainly on taxes (including personal property taxes - like an annual tax on your automobile), but has info driver's license & registering a car. Read the whole publication thru.. You may also request a printed Arkansas Relocation Guide here: * http://www.arkansas.com/relocate/relocat%E2%80%A6 Note: there seems to be an emphasis on retirement in Ark. :-) You may find the benefit programs in Ark. are not of the quality provided in NY state. The taxes in Ark. are lower compared to NY, which means the social services supported by taxpayer funds may be at a less expansive level. To get a start on job hunting where your Ark. friend lives, look here: * https://www.arjoblink.arkansas.gov/ada/ You may find this online article about Ark. interesting: * http://littlerock.about.com/library/week%E2%80%A6 3. Before you even think about attending an Ark. college/univ. to be eligible for the resident/in-state tuition at a community college or state univ. you will have to establish residency in the state. That means, you will have to live in Ark. for at least 6 straight months before even applying to a taxpayer supported school (the best cost choice.) See the info from Arkansas State Univ. here: * http://www2.astate.edu/a/registrar/stude%E2%80%A6 A HS counselor can explain what it means, because it is written in legal terms. For some Ark. state funded student financial aid (once you are a state resident), see the links here: * http://portal.arkansas.gov/residents/Pag%E2%80%A6 Learn all you can now from a HS counselor about all types of higher ed. financial aid (scholarships, grants & loans) & how to identify the best college/univ. to fit your budget. Plus, he/she can give you some quick lessons in life-skills: costs of apt. living, deposits, personal budget planning, etc. Ask your friend to investigate pet-friendly apts. where he lives in Ark. & find out what they will cost (including an extra pet deposit and a monthly pet surcharge.) 4. Go to your local public library & ask a reference librarian to help you find these books to check out & read thru: Title: IOU No More: A Quick Start Guide for Becoming Debt Free and Living Debt Free Forever Author: Sam Burton Publisher: Xulon Press , 2007 Title: Debt-free U : how I paid for an outstanding college education without loans, scholarships, or mooching off my parents Author: Zac Bissonnette Publisher: New York: Portfolio/Penguin, 2010 Title: The College Solution: A Guide for Everyone Looking for the Right School at the Right Price (2nd edition) Author: Lynn O'Shaughnessy Publisher: FT Press (will be published May, 2012) Ask a librarian to help you find other recent life skills self-help books you can check out & read to start to come up to speed in the adult world in which you find yourself (budgeting, bill paying, pitfalls of loans, money management, insurance, cooking from scratch, living frugally, etc.) 5. Personal opinion, if you can afford it, before picking up & moving to Ark. (with your dog), visit your friend to get a feel for the place. Once you move and spend all your saved money, if you find out you do not like it, you will be stuck there until you can save money, find a job in a place you want to live (back in NY?) and move there. Also, while visiting, you can start to look for/apply for jobs. Librarians--Ask Us, We Answer! Best wishes