S??????????????????????OCW 2361 Summer I 2022
Assignment I: Lifestyle Paper
DUE: June 17 (100 points)
This assignment is designed to help students identify practice behaviors, which augment
the Nine Core Competencies: and will require you to illustrate your knowledge of
generalist social work practice with individuals, families, groups, communities and
organizations. This assignment is an experiential exercise that requires you to take on the
identity of a fictitious person. The lifestyle described here consists of over 25 percent of
our total population; therefore, this is reality for a significant number of our clientele (this
concept refers to individuals, families, groups, communities and organizations). This paper
is worth 100 points. Due date will be identified in class. (7-8 pages)
For the purpose of this paper you are to assume that you are a parent with three children
(ages 2, 4, 6) who is receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). You are
unemployed and recently separated from your spouse. Your monthly benefit check is
$221 per month and you get $250 per month food allowance. (Food allowance may only
be used to purchase food items.) Your spouse pays no child support. Most of your
medical expenses are paid by Medicaid.
The first part of the assignment is to prepare a monthly budget for your family. Include
items like food, rent, utilities, clothing, transportation, laundry and entertainment. Also
include the cost of non-f????????????
??????????ood items like soap, nonprescription medications and paper
products. In this budget you should first detail how much is to be spent on each item each
month. Then describe the quality of life you would be leading. In other words, describe
what your housing would be like, how clean you would be able to keep your clothes, what
kind of entertainment you would have, etc.
The second part of the assignment is to prepare a monthly budget under the assumption
that you took a part time job. Assume that you have the possibility of getting a 1/2 time
job washing dishes at a restaurant at minimum wage. ($7.25/hr.) Your gross pay would be
$412/month and your net pay would be $363/month. Your TANF would be reduced to
$111/month and your food allowance to $205/month. Take into consideration extra
expenses such as day care, extra clothing and transportation. (Day care 2 1/2 days per
week for two children.) Compare and contrast your working budget with the first budget
you prepared. Is it worth it to go to work? Explain why or why not.
Include the following in your assignment.
1. Identify or at least describe the type of organizations you will be dealing with in
your lifestyle.
2. Describe the community that you live in.
3. Describe the life of your family.
4. Describe your social structure and the groups you are interfacing with in
your lifestyle.
5. Discuss who you are within the context of this situation. What are your strengths
and weakness??????????????????????es?