We Moved To Nysted

We moved to Nysted Kommune on the 15th of September. The next day I went to the kommune to arrange a meeting. The week following I was sent a letter with a meeting date of 8/10-99. I called and said that I needed to meet before then so that I could pay my rent on the first. She said I had to come to the meeting first, and that it was my fault I didn't have enough money to pay rent.

I went to the meeting and was asked why I had moved here and who had paid for the move. A nice welcome. I signed up for Sprog skole. I asked at this point if I could receive help for transportation to school, and was told no. I signed my son up for børnehave. We waited for spaces.

The next month, when no check was deposited in our bank account, I called the kommune and was directed to come to the kommune and get the money.

By December, the cost of transportation had drained our funds and we were unable to pay for our son's børnehave. I went to the kommune and filled out the forms for a friplads::::and this was accepted on the 19th of December::::to begin with January.

So we owed for one month's børnehave.

In January I was shocked to see that my A-Skat had risen 1000 kr. I called and asked why. I was told it was because I had a job. I told them I did not have a job. I asked again if I could receive help with transportation to skole. The first person said no, then another came on and said we could meet and discuss it.

On the 11th I went to the kommune and asked to speak with my socialworker. She came out and we talked in the lobby. I asked again why so much A-Skat had been taken out, and she said it was a mistake. I said that if I did not receive help for transportation costs I would have to discontinue skole. She came back a half hour later with a paper so I could receive the balance of the mistake and transportation money for January. I asked if I were entitled to reimbursement for the transportation of the previous months. She asked me to have the school send an official paper stating when I had started. The school said the kommune had that paper. So I sent her a copy of the notice I first received from the school which had the date I began.

On 26/1-00 I met H. L., pantefoged, about the missed børnehave payment. We went through all our bills and income and it was plain to see we could not afford to pay anything. So she decided to divide the bill into ten months. I hesitantly agreed to this, but asked her to please check to see if it was not possible for our friplads to be accepted retroactively::::since the kommune has determined we are deserving of this break, perhaps they would be nice about it. She promised to check on the possibility, but was highly doubtful.

Soon after we received a paper saying we were to have deducted 185 kr. from my bistand per month over the next ten months, signed by Helle Larsen.

In February we were hit with massive bills. Unforeseen expenses came up, and I took care of them best I could. But, once again, the cost of transportation to school was too much::::a choice of going to school or feeding my family. By the 18th of February we were completely broke. I called and begged my socialworker for help\'20reminding her of the reimbursement for the transportation::::as well as that I had received no help for transportation for February.

I went to the kommune, met my socialworker in the lobby and received my transportation money.

But as things go, our gas ran out in the stove, so a third of that money was spent. On the 23rd I called again and begged for money for food to feed my family, which I received, after a discussion with her in her office in which she said she was disappointed in me for not living off the money she released earlier.

In March, the transportation money appeared on the meddelse, as well as the 185 kr. deduction for the missed børnehave payment. There was other money taken out which I didn't understand, but I didn't feel in my right to ask.

In April, what had been a mysterious small deduction in March, ballooned up to 1400 kr. And I was again being charged ATP::::as if I had a job. I wrote a letter asking why.

On April 20th we received a meddelse saying the money we owe for børnehave is being taken out from børnefamilieydelse all at once::::1500 kr. This I had discussed with Helle Larsen on 26/1-00 as being impossible::::for it would cause great financial hardship. Helle had agreed, thus our payment agreement

On April 25th I received another letter from Helle Larsen reguarding a debt from my failed business. At this meeting, Maj 2nd, I asked her about our agreement, and why, and how, our agreement had been broken. She said that it was within her right to take money from the børnefamilieydelse::::so she did it. Her agreement with me, she said, doesn't matter, for now the debt is paid. I struggled with telling her about the immorality of such an action. She didn't get it.

Upon my insistence she did waive beginning collection on my old business debt for six months. She said she had the right to take 50% of our børnefamilieydelse. So I expect, in six months, or perhaps sooner, if she feels like it, she will begin doing this over a period of the next six or seven years. This will be difficult for us::::impossible. And in that she broke her last agreement with us, what's to stop her from breaking this future agreement and taking more from my bistand, at her whim? So we live in uncertainty and fear

On April 25th I also received a letter calling me into the kommune, scheduled for 4/5-00. They are withholding my bistand altogether for they say once again I have a job.

In this meeting, Maj 4th, I was told that she mistook my declaration of my wife's SU loan for a job::::though it was clearly marked in the kommunes form and in my letter. In my letter I also asked questions regarding the 1400 kr. deducted from April and questions about the ATP being deducted. She had simply not bothered to read the letters. She stated that the 1400 kr. was deducted because I had missed a meeting with the foreman of my school::::a meeting which I did attend. She asked why I had missed so much school, and I explained about my children's illnesses, having to go to court on my business debts, and that for a period I had no money to pay for transportation to school. She promised to call my school's foreman and find out if I did go to the meeting. She came back with my money for Maj, but with the 185 kr. taken out which Helle Larsen said would no longer be taken out::::since she has already taken 1500 kr. I told this to Jette, handed her the agreement paper and asked if she would talk to Helle in hopes that we could get the 1500 kr. back. There was also a deduction of 900 kr. again, she said, based on the fact that I missed that meeting with my school's foreman about missed school.

It is now Maj 22nd. We are completely broke, and have heard nothing from Jette.

I call and speak with Jette. I ask if she has spoken with Helle about the 1500 kr. No, she hasn't been able to get through. I ask if she has spoken with my school leader about the supposedly missed meeting. No, she hasn't been able to get through. 18 days of not being able to get through. I told her I needed emergency funds to feed my family through the end of the month. She is in a meeting until noon, but has left a form for me to fill out, then she will try to come out and talk. Once I fill out the form, which states that I need food to feed my family, and hand it in, I'm told she is unavailable, and they'll pass it on. So I go to school. From school I call to make sure she has gotten the paper. I am put on hold for 45 minutes. I say to the receptionist that I will come back to the kommune and see her. I come back and ask to see her. After she walks down the hall and talks with Jette, a receptionist comes back and tells me that I can't call her until Friday. I say that I have no food to feed my children, and I am asked to wait. 30 minutes later the cashier calls me over and gives me some money.

I'm attending sprog skole. I am the best in my class, do my work, work hard, and do alot of extra assignments. I am also busy teaching myself computer programming from books borrowed from the library. I have offerred to work in the activeering program; I have tried to find work myself but have had no luck. If I could be left in peace, and not have to stress about paying my bills and feeding my family, I could learn Danish and begin creating jobs once again.

I need help in conveying this to my kommune.