Note: All names have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the people involved

“Hey! Hey Slut!” said Charley, 5. Charley continues to repeat himself as he taps and pulls on the legs of Carrie’s pants.

Carrie and her partner, Miranda, are social workers at a child-care service in Muncie. They help Charley and his mother, Marcy, 20, get their life in order. Carrie and Miranda spend nearly every day visiting multiple houses, working with family’s problems ranging from a lack of money and education to crack-addicted boyfriends.

Carrie began her social work in January of 2006 and initially she admits she was scared entering the homes of certain clients. Although, after three months of work, she isn’t afraid “to walk on up into any of those houses.”

Having children at an early age and failing to graduate from high school has created a disadvantage for Marcy, but she doesn’t let that dampen her spirits, although both Carrie and Miranda hide a deep concern for the recent changes in Marcy’s behavior, appearance and attitude.

Besides living in a government-funded house, Marcy also receives food stamps and Women, Infants and Children aide from the government.

WIC is federally funded program helping out low-income families by providing the mother with financial assistance, nutritional education and counseling and referrals to health and social services.

Most WIC services are provided at schools, hospitals, community centers and public housing sites. Marcy is lucky to receive WIC funding because the government does not set aside funds to allow every eligible individual to participate in the program. As Charley continues begging for Carrie’s attention, Marcy explains how the week has caused her stress and hardship – a seemingly common occurrence in Marcy’s life. Carrie ignores Charley’s disrespectful cries for attention.

“I’m sure he’s heard that phrase a million times,” said Carrie. “He’s obviously heard that coming out of his Mom’s mouth and everybody that comes in and out of that house.”

When entering Marcy’s house one would think it’s just another modular style house with fresh paint and new windows. Marcy lives in a Government funded house, but no signs outside label it as such.

In January, Marcy received a letter from the government explaining she was one of the few lucky people in Muncie to begin receiving Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, which will pay Marcy’s rent for many years to come.

On a hot day in July of 2005, Marcy and her children waited in a line of hundreds to sign up for Section 8 at its offices along South Madison Street.

Although hundreds of people in Muncie sign up to receive Section 8, less than 10 percent of the people will ever receive the funding. Section 8 chooses recipients at random and most people wait six to eight months to hear if their application is accepted.

Once Marcy opened her letter of acceptance from Section 8, her life began to change for the better. In early February, Carrie and Miranda helped Marcy find her house. They visited a few different places, but some wouldn’t meet Section 8’s standards for living. Carrie said Marcy seemed very excited about the opportunity.

After acceptance, recipients usually move to a new home approved by Section 8. At this point it is their responsibility to keep screens on the windows at all times, keep the yard clean and have working smoke detectors on each floor. Section 8 also performs random visits to make sure the home is up to its high standards of living.

But inside the home some of the Section 8 standards aren’t being met. The carpet is swept and a few pictures adorn the smoke-stained walls. Marcy’s three children, Charley, Linda, 3 and Michael, 1, have scattered their toys across the floor creating a living room resembling the remains of a plane crash.

Prior to entering the house, Charlotte and Nancy exchange glances, knowing the adventure ahead of them. After entering, the pair avoids the children’s toys, sit on the couch and proceed to ask Marcy about the developments in her life. Marcy names off quite a problems relating mostly to boys and her friends. The pair look at their clipboards and takes notes regarding Marcy’s exposition.