Hunter Brown ? Works at Starbucks
i got hurt on the job and was fired because of it. yes, corporations know how to work the system and workers comp does not do sh*t for you. i did not get unemployment as it was "for cause" because I could "not do the job" and it was past the 1yr statute of limitations to sue for wrongful termination by the time i could even find an attorney that would even listen to me.
as a result of losing my job and being hurt, I was out of work and sometimes could not work or was limited in what i could do. I was homeless for about two years. i lived in a vehicle. hard to heal in that situation. i could find NO help from the supposed food pantries. funny how its easy to DONATE but hard to get help.
as i worked as i could to buy gas and food, i did not qualify for any assistance. because i was homeless, i did not have any rent expenses and so my expenses were not enough compared to my income to qualify for any assistance. maybe if i could have freed up money spent for food, i would have have a chance of having enough money for rent, eh? you tend to spend more on prepared foods also since its hard to prepare yourself. i mean if you are at the park every day with your picnic, someone will notice.
it is the worst thing in the world to be hunted by the police when you have no place to go. laws against the homeless and sleeping in your vehicle need to be changed. i had a car; no way i was going to sleep on the street or in a tent along the highway like others do. but every day i worried about getting cited and getting the $3k fine (+ court costs and probation) for illegal camping. one night while i slept in my car, some drunk kid did a hit and run on me as i was parked along the street. that certainly did not help my healing. called the cops and they caught him..no insurance. occasionally i would get a knock in the middle of the night. hold your breath and hope they go away and make sure to change up your parking more in the future....
i never begged for money once. friends did let me use their shower or couch surf here and there. but just the penalties for being homeless are ridiculous and should you get caught in the legal system it would be a black hole you would never dig out of. first the fines, the court and probation appts...time consuming and the expense of getting to them...next the criminal record you would have to disclose or would be uncovered by employers.
with time, managing my injury carefully, i healed and now i am once again working and making good salary. i have two college degrees. of course, always a risk of re-injury, which is a source of anxiety. however i will never again donate to these food pantries and charitable organizations because i realized it is all just a front for collecting $ and you can't ever get help if you need it. unless you are like, an illegal. somehow they qualify for every subsidy. go figure. all their advocacy groups researching and promoting them, i suppose.
as far as helping the homeless, the mentally ill need the proper care. the rest of us need a fighting chance to get back on our feet by getting rid of the laws that discriminate against and harass us. i didn't need your quarter. i needed a chance to get my life back in order without the legal system stacking against me to lock me in the downward spiral. and a little help from all the charities i had so freely and generously supported before this experience, would have been nice and earned my even more grateful support afterwards.
Like ? Reply ? 125 ? Jul 17, 2015 9:24pm
Cori Overton ? Everman High School
Its very hard to get back to "normal' after that unsure emoticon last summer my husband and I plus our 2 kids fell on hard times and couldn't even get into a shelter.... Yet they had plenty of room for a man with a literal stack of $100 bills in his pocket. So many people abuse the resources that its hard for those who really really need it to get help. I once had a neighbor who was single and had no roommate, she always whined about struggling so hard with rent.... Her rent was $50, thanks to section 8, BUT my family has been on the list for 4 years and still haven't got help.
Like ? Reply ? 15 ? Jul 17, 2015 9:55pm
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Mary Brown ? Washington Park High School
According to a number of Republicans the churches and not the government should be helping the homeless. Doesn't seem to be working too well.
Paul Howe ? Kansas City, Missouri
Seriously Mary.....what value has the $trillions that Democrats have spread around achieved? War on poverty (i.e., distribution of wealth) has been a complete failure. What it has accomplished is to create a generation of dependency.
Like ? Reply ? 6 ? Jul 17, 2015 7:56pm
Beverly Frogge Enyeart ? Lincoln, Nebraska
It has provided food, housing and medical care for children, elderly and the disabled. All good things that I don't mind my taxes supporting along with my charitable giving.
Like ? Reply ? 76 ? Jul 17, 2015 9:26pm
it must be hard to be neo con and fight to take away assistance to these people.
meanwhile war money voted in the billions and give to the really rich a top priority
