Unemployed for over a year, a single mother of three has questioned the criteria for people in her position to apply for financial assistance.The former Government employee, who asked not to be named, said she was told to spend down her son’s college fund to qualify for financial assistance.And she was told that she would have to put her oldest, 19-year-old son out of the house to qualify for financial assistance.Despite pleas to two Government Ministers and in spite of her situation there would still be no relief from Government even though her employment ended in June last year.In a tearful interview, the 47-year-old Warwick resident said the recurring promise by the new Government to facilitate 2,000 jobs in five years does little to help Bermudians like her.A mother of three sons aged 19, 18 and six, her last full-time position was made redundant in 2007 and since then she has only had part-time employment.Her full-time job ended after two years as a senior transfer administrator for an exempt company.Until desperation set in, she viewed financial assistance as a last resort once she depleted her savings.Once she applied she was told she would qualify if her oldest son found somewhere else to live. And her rent would have to be three months in arrears for assistance.Feeling like she had nowhere else to turn she met with her MP, Attorney General Mark Pettingill who referred her to Minister Wayne Scott. He upheld the reject status of her application.At $2,000 a month to rent a two-bedroom apartment and challenges with her monthly light bill she applied to get money out of her pension fund which paid her rent for three months.In tears she said her options and savings are running out and she broke down in tears as she recalled working all her adult life to support her children.“I’ve always worked since I was 13 years old; I’ve always taken care of my responsibilities,” she said. “I never had to depend on anybody, I was self-sufficient.“I have no idea what I’m going to do to come up with rent money, because you can only borrow off your pension once every five years.”Asked what it’s like not knowing how she and her family will get by at the end of the month, she broke down in tears again.“Emotionally it’s really just starting to play on my mind now, because I’ve haven’t been working.“If I’m depressed maybe I’m not conscious of it but one day last week I just couldn’t get out of my bed.“I’ve tried to stay positive but I don’t want to split up my family; I don’t want to lose my apartment, my mother’s retired and my sister’s not working full-time either. She’s only working a couple of days a week.”As a former exempt company employee, she said: “I’ve seen expats hired who are not qualified but they get in the door and Bermudians don’t.“As a Bermudian it irritates me and I’m very bitter at times, because I know I’ve always been a hard worker.”To upgrade her skills again she said she is starting an insurance course to get her designation while unemployed but she desperately needs work.“It was only through the kind support of a few charities that I was able to get some help with my Belco bill and money for groceries,” she said.As the mother of young black males, she was adamant that they should never be dragged into “all the gang activity that’s been going on in Bermuda”.“I don’t want my children to end up caught up because they can’t find work,” she said. “It’s already a strike against them just being black males in Bermuda.”She questioned whether the Government truly has her children’s best interests at heart.“All this money that came through Bermuda through Google and Bermuda doesn’t charge exempt companies corporate taxes.“Now they’re talking about giving the CEOs and CFOs of these companies permanent residency as an incentive to keep their business here.“It’s been my experience working for these companies when they’re ready to pack up and leave they do and they do what’s financially feasible for them. They don’t care whose got a mortgage to pay or anything, they do what they have to do.“I’ve never been kicked out of an apartment or told that I will be forced out because I’m not able to pay. And there’s a lot of people out there who owe people lots of money while I’m down to the bare necessities.“When I stopped working I cut off my cable, I don’t have the internet. I basically have rent, utilities, food and any medical expenses that come up.”Thankfully she said her son’s recent knee surgery was covered by a Government subsidy because he’s still in school.But she said: “The expenses for his doctor is like $1,500. Thankfully, they’ve agreed to a payment plan and he’s doing good.”Not knowing how she’s going to survive past October 31 however, is another story.“It’s disturbing especially because I didn’t lie about my situation or my son’s money.”Asked what she wants she replied: “I want the security of a job, steady income, health insurance for me and my children, the ability pay my bills and live a halfway decent life in my own country.”When contacted for a response to this story, Attorney General Mark Pettingill said: “When the One Bermuda Alliance Government came into office we were faced with falling revenue and high expenses which has led to an annual deficit in excess of $300 million.“Whilst I appreciate that there are many people struggling in this difficult economy, there is only so much the Government can do to assist as there simply isn’t the money to help all those in need.“The Government is very sympathetic and would like to do more to help those struggling to find a job and pay their bills.“But as we have said, to turn our economy around is going to take some time and we are working very hard at this every day and the results are certainly beginning to show.”