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Less Home

Submitted by Sarah on Mon, 10/16/2006 - 5:57pm.

My housing has been in jeopardy for several days now, a few times it looked as if I was going to fall through that safety net of social services available to low income folks. I'm still not entirely out of the woods but am another successful step closer to housing security again.

I'm disclosing this because during this process, when I am able to think more clearly and get some mental distance from it all, I've realized that I have some things to say.

First, this is not easy. This is an entirely different universe than the universe of living with secure housing. It just is and there is nothing to debate. This is a different universe with different rules and experiences.

In my experience, social service folks, especially the front line people, are usually doing the very very best they can. They are often dealing with new more complex paperwork that not only confuses their clients but is often inefficient and confusing for them. Less funds, more paperwork, less staff, more need.

Read more.

So much juggling is involved. Timing, approval, appointments, availability, and more. Everything has to mesh into place at the right time in the right order.
If I was a robotic wonder, I could sail through this easily, as long as I did not malfunction. But I am human. Someone who actually is really spiffy and swift with paperwork, someone who is responsible, early to appointments, quick with getting the forms where they need to go. I'm friendly, organized, intelligent, experienced.

My health challenges are stable. I have good health care and needed medication. I have more self insight than I know what to do with. But with the snap of cosmic fingers, all this could mean nothing. I could find myself homeless.

What about someone who isn't as fortunate (I have to admit I don't entirely feel fortunate at the moment, but I am.)? What if I was that someone, maybe not yet stable, dealing with unchecked health problems, what if when I looked at one of those forms..........my vision blurred and my mind simply shut off? It happens to all of us. Stress takes a toll.

All the talk of homeless people as if they are somehow inferior, lazy, and animalistic truly reminds me of what modern day Nazis tell each other all the time. Same rhetoric, same mean spirited elitism.

Sure, some people behave badly sometimes. Some people have enough money to cover up their behaving badly. Some of us don't, so when we behave badly, we are out there in the world for all to see.

The next needed step to assure my housing was just approved by someone who doesn't have to approve this at all. She is doing this from the kindness of her heart. Some more paperwork and activity and I will probably do fine. Unless something else happens.

We truly are doing the very best we can. We all deserve an opportunity to find our place in our community. No matter what our address is.

Sarah's blog
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Nice

Submitted by Rob Richards on Mon, 10/16/2006 - 7:18pm.

Thank You, Sarah.

Certainly adds a bit of

Submitted by Norm on Mon, 10/16/2006 - 7:50pm.

Certainly adds a bit of perspective. Thank you for sharing. =)

Norm

It is a tough world out

Submitted by Crenshaw Sepulveda on Mon, 10/16/2006 - 11:48pm.

It is a tough world out there, even for those that do have a roof over their heads, and supplies of tasty foods to eat. I believe that we can accomplish much good in this world if we band together in the realization that we are more alike than different. I am reminded, from time to time, when a populist candidate comes along that the republicans will raise the spectre of "class warfare". They will say that the populist is trying to divide people and claim that classes actually exist. Conservatives hate the notion of people actually realizing that such warfare actually exists. While that is not surprising, what is surprising is that the conservative will actually use this class warfare to their advantage. Often they will pit the middle class against the poor. They will convince the middle class that it is in their best interest that the poor be dealt with, and being dealt with means removed from the sight and presence of the middle class.

In your post, Sarah, you wrote an eloquent account of one person's struggle with being "homed" or homeless. And while you indicate that you are "low income", the problems with keeping a roof over one's head reaches well into the middle class. Right now many adjustable intrest rate mortgages are going up. What this means is that people will have to pay way more for the same house they live in. People get into these schemes thinking in the future they will be able to refinance, or perhaps score a big profit and move to even more expensive digs. The interest rates are going up. We will start reading about foreclosures at a rate that was only common during the dust bowl years. Things are tough out there. Ronald Reagan was partially correct about a trickle down economy, misery trickles down, wealth trickles up. Once the economy starts feeling the pressure of the foreclosures and declining property values, people will start losing jobs, all over the board, low paying jobs, higher paying jobs. The economy can be brutal. Losses of jobs in the housing industy will lead to losses in other industries.

We have to cut out this nonsense about scapegoating certain members of our society, the homeless in particular, but there are other groups being scapegoated as well. We have to realize our best interests can be acheived by understanding we are more alike than different. If we can do that then we might even get to the respecting of others, particularly those in the so called lower classes. We have commonality, we have respect, who knows what we might be able to accomplish then. It ain't hard, it really doesn't cost much. A little understanding and a little respect.

"I would make it impossible for the covetous and avaricious to utterly impoverish the poor. The rich can take care of themselves."
^@^

I hope everything works

Submitted by OperaGirl on Tue, 10/17/2006 - 8:23am.

I hope everything works out...=)

Its even worse for children...

Submitted by bubbaz (not verified) on Tue, 10/17/2006 - 9:28am.

Its even worse for children...

Me (and my brother..) never really mentally got over the years of transient living with my mom all those years ago: (car -> motor lodge -> back to car -> apartment -> car -> back to motor lodge..)

Id say families and the disabled get the crap end of the stick on this one...

The safety net just dont seem to be there...

Good luck by the way

Submitted by bubbaz (not verified) on Tue, 10/17/2006 - 9:35am.

Good luck by the way, I hope it all goes OK for you.

Thanks Sarah,

Submitted by Phil Owen on Tue, 10/17/2006 - 5:56pm.

for your courage, insight and conviction.

Also, I'm not interested in seeing you (or anyone else on this blog, or anyone at all, really) wind up in dire straits. How can we best be in solidarity with you?

Thanks Phil

Submitted by Sarah on Tue, 10/17/2006 - 6:22pm.

So far I'm on track but my next month isn't guaranteed yet. If the worst happens, I'll have to pack up my stuff and move, probably put it in storage somewhere, and couch surf til I find a place.

I think everything will be approved, I've just had several near misses and odd events already, so I'm understandably jumpy.

I so appreciate you asking.

I did twenty years of social

Submitted by Mike on Wed, 10/18/2006 - 5:32am.

I did twenty years of social service delivery and gave up in 2002. The Reagan revolution had just taken its toll on me and the the safety net.

Today, I encourage my daughters to stay away from social services. There is too much need and too little safety net. I think our national employment and safety net has been reduced to "you can work at McDonalds or Walmart or you can join the military."

Stay in touch with your housing challenge, Sarah. I agree with Phil, let us know what we can do to help.

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