Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Free Government Phone Service

I have been working a low wage job most of my life and I barely make enough money to support my family. Many times the money I make does not cover our family expense. Needless to say, I have had to apply for government help. One of the government programs that I applied for is the free government phone service. Through this program, our family was able to get a free cell phone with free voice minutes. This program has been really helpful to us because we would not be able to afford home phone service otherwise.

I had found out about the program through a friend that was also using the program. There are many cell phone providers that have this service. Some of these include Safelink Wireless, Reachout Wireless, and Assurance Wireless. These carriers may not operate in every state so you would need to check their website to find out whether they provide service wherever you live. In order to apply for the free phones, you have to be within 135% of the federal poverty level. If you already get other government service like Medicaid, food stamps, subsidized housing, or subsidized energy then you should be able to get free government assisted phone service too. Just go to the cell phone provider’s website and fill out their application. Each service offers differing amounts of free minutes. For example, Safelink would offer 250 free minutes per month. If you happen to use all the minutes before the month is up, then you could opt to buy more minutes.

Having a cell phone is really important to us. It allows us to contact our family and friends so that we can keep in touch. If we had no phone service, I think life would be pretty difficult and also it would be unnerving. You never know when an emergency may happen and you need to call for help.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Free Government Cell Phones

A few days ago I was driving on a country road when I hit a nail on the road which blew out my tire. I live out in the countryside and the road that was driving on had very few cars passing by. The nearest gas station was probably about 20 miles away. I did not have a cell phone with me to call for help because cell phones are too expensive for me. I work as a hired help on a farm so money is hard to come by. I save every last penny that I make and I still have a hard time getting by on life.

After waiting for several hours, a car finally passed by and helped me by letting me use his cell phone so that I could call the tow truck. When I finally got home, I realized that this kind of situation could easily happen again. I needed a cell phone for sure. Due to my current financial situation, I did not think it was a possibility to get a cell phone. That all changed when I heard about the free government cell phones program. I was reading an article online that said that people were getting free government phones through companies like Safelink Wireless, Reachout Wireless, or Assurance Wireless. In order for these people to receive the free cell phone, they have to be within 135% of the poverty level in their household income. With the government phones for free the people also get free voice minutes which could be as high as 250 minutes per month. Some of the people that have applied for this program include seniors, disabled people, people receiving Medicaid, food stamps, housing assistance, energy assistance, or just about any other Federal assistance available. I knew I would be able to get a phone because I do receive some of the other government assistance. In order to find out if this program was available where I lived, I had to call up each wireless company. You could also go to their website and enter your zip code to see if their service is available in your area. From their website, you could also print out the application.

I sent my application in and soon thereafter I received my free government cell phone. Now I do not have to worry so much when I am out driving on a lonely road. Plus I could always dial 911 even if I use up the 250 free minutes. For those people who end up using the 250 minutes before the month is up, you could also purchase extra minutes. I have never used up all my minutes in a month. I think the amount of minutes given is pretty generous if you use it only for emergencies.