Posted on 02/14/2009 11:38:08 AM PST by shielagolden
Henrietta Hughes says she's not milking the system
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA - A woman making national headlines after a tearful moment with President Obama has a new home.
Thursday morning, Chene Thompson handed Henrietta Hughes the keys to her home in Hendry County. Thompson is the wife of State Representative Nick Thompson (R-District 73). Hughes and her son will live at the home rent free.
At President Obama's town hall meeting in Fort Myers on Tuesday, Henrietta Hughes stood up and told the President she has been homeless since 2003 and can't find a job.
She also says she's reach a dead end with government assistance and none of the local charity agencies will help.
However, a local organization is coming forward saying Hughes isn't being honest about how much help she's had in the past.
The director of We Care Outreach Ministry, Tanya Johnson, says just last month she offered Henrietta Hughes permanent housing and a place to stay free for three months, but Hughes refused.
"We would have allowed her to stay for the first 90 days, no income. You know free," said Tanya Johnson.
We Care Outreach Ministry is a faith based organization in Fort Myers.
Johnson says she also gave Henrietta and her son Corey, money, food and offered Corey job training courses, but it was refused.
"We have extended a lot of her services to her," Johnson said.
But Henrietta Hughes says these services weren't free and the apartment in East Fort Myers came with a price tag.
Hughes says Tanya Johnson wanted $400 a month immediately.
The disability check Hughes gets is a little more than $800 a month.
Hughes owes money on a loan, has her car insurance payment, a monthly storage bill and says she couldn't afford the rent.
"Where was I going to get $400 a month to give her if I got these expenses," Hughes told WINK News.
WINK News Reporter Nick Spinetto went back to talk to Tanya Johnson. She stands by her story.
Henrietta Hughes says she's never taken advantage of the system and doesn't choose to be homeless. Like other programs she's tried to get help from,she says We Care couldn't meet her needs.
State Representative Nick Thompson and his wife Chene are standing by the Henrietta and her son, Corey. They spoke out against the allegations Henrietta is milking the system, even when confronted with the fact WINK News found out the Hughes' sold property, back in 2005. This is after Henrietta and her son lost thier home in 2003 and started living in their car. Henrietta and her son sold the land for $47,000 dollars. But Chene Thompson says that was all the money they had for several years and it's gone.
"They have nothing today. They need help today. They didn't need help in 2005. They need help today. So whether they had $47,000 or $147,000 in 2005, it doesn't matter. They don't have any money today," she said.
The Thompson's say they are sad Henrietta has to defend herself against these allegations and they will continue to help her. They also hope it doesn't deter other people from helping.
I hope her idiot benefactor is suitably disappointed by the ingrate’s attitude.
just wait till the benefactor starts getting calls that the gas, power and water bills are due and what is she gonna do about it..
this “lady” will milk the system for everything its got IMHO..
I hope he gets so bombarded by these victims that he has to run from room holding his ears, because they give disabled and true needy people a bad name. These people had $47000+ in 2005 from a lot sale, and they couldn’t buy a trailer or some other paid for place to live in Florida, even an RV would have given them a home and the rents by month in some RV parks in southern states are reasonable.?? Unreal..
She and her son cleard $47,000 in equity from their home SALE in 2005. With that money between the two of them they could have started a business and NOT mooched off public assistance.
My wallet bleeds for her.
When the Fox news person asked her how long she had been homeless, she answered, “ January 18th, we left New York and stopped in PA for a while then came down here.” We got a loan and couldn’t pay it because of the high interest.”
I would like to know how she got a ticket for the front row in an Obama town meeting. She was dressed pretty nicely for a homeless person. This is a scam.
All she needs now is 8 more kids.
Real estate at $47,000 and below in DFW:
http://dallas.craigslist.org/search/rea?query=&minAsk=0&maxAsk=47000&bedrooms=2
There is so much in that one sentence, I don't even know where to begin.
Did the porkulus bill change the welfare eligibility regulations? I’d hate to see these folks rail roaded into working for a living.
silly person, having their own business would mean they’d have to get up and go to work in the morning, work all day, probably into the night, day after day..she doesn’t strike me as having much get up and go..
“... Hughes and her son will live at the home rent free.”
Reparations 101
Heh heh, just wait till the rest of the fambly shows up...inlaws, outlaws, cousins and uncles, a few longlost chirren by various daddys.
Wanna bet neither one even looked for a job? I bet their first move was to find out where they could get free hand outs and mooch on the tax payer.
Milkin’ the system? Oh hell no. She be eatin’ the whole damned cow!
Recently arrived from New York. With 800 a month free and clear, and New York welfare, she was probably doing just fine for herself. Wonder why she left that land of milk and honey.
She gets $800 a month?? How is she homeless? I lived in Florida near the beach for $150 a week during the winter, with a KITCHENETTE!
Bullcrap.
They did not relocate from NY to Fla until Jan. 18, 2009. They probably ran out of scams they could pull in NY and needed fresh mooching grounds.
Looks can be deceiving. True professional welfare recipients will tell you proudly their way of life is a full time job.
Being from PA, I am pleased to see she didn’t stay here but continued south until she reached Florida.
Which gives me an idea for some infrastructure stimulus. What about a 90 mile bridge to Cuba? With only a southbound lane, of course. All these morons can drive right down I-95 past Key West and right on to Havana, which has been declared almost heaven by Michael Moore and the left wingers. In fact, I’ll bet that if that is built, we could get people to give donations to the southernmost gas station in Key West to provide a free tank of gas to make sure they make it to Cuba.
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