Joblessness and the ravages of the economy have been at the core of homelessness for a long time. People have lost their homes, jobs, pensions…and then come other factors on top of that: divorce, addictions and uncovered conditions (in my case) like mental illness.
I first became unexpectedly homeless in 2009 in Marin County. It was scary at first – being a newbie – but marin has one helluva safety net if you want it. I got a lot of help. I learned the ropes.
It was not until years later, after my own diagnosis and treatment for bi-polar 2 that I would be able to walk from my own self-medicating with alcohol. I had never really liked drinking; never a party animal – I do not miss it and have no cravings at all. I have only to watch being triggered by severe PTSD issues I gained up in Portland (where I nearly died twice).
Well, I don’t kill that easy.
After getting the right meds and facing (unexpectedly again) homelessness again in 2014, I had a chance to access the economic situation much more objectively.
As I have suggested, I do not think I am normative. My resume is superb and when I first arrived in the Bay Area i was interviewed immediately by companies like Jawbone, who wanted me for their world-wide Brand Manager in charge of all their narratives.
I would have been stellar but even then I suspected that what I was really meant to do was serve the Homeless – yes, even then I felt I would be unhappy in a six figure job peddling fun James Bond-like equipment world-wide.
A month later companies simply STOPPED contacting me entirely – low, medium and high-end.
God had other plans for me in the Tent City.
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Jobs are a huge issue. Many in the shelters cannot get them due to past criminal records. Good, hard-working men who want to just WORK..and they are kept from it.
I met one great guy who was kept homeless in Santa Cruz because he would not sell illegal drugs (a third strike), could not get an employer to get past crimes committed and served tie for 6 years earlier in his youth, and his girlfriend (might as well have been his wife) had a nice $250 a month cigarette habit, draining their budget.
Addiction is obviously a factor for many (though less than you might think when it comes to drugs and alcohol.) In the Tent City the odd-man-out is the “Tweaker” dude at the end of the camp that NO ONE trusts are has any truck with. One or two guys drink some beers; Ive smelled ganga twice; a couple of us (three) are clean and sober all the time. The one guy is in a recovery program. The whole “core” camp supports him.
I spend good time each week encouraging others in this. I’ve had my own battles – whih I was never gonna win prior to a proper diagnosis and treatment. It’s a good thing. It makes it impossible for me to judge; but my life is never about avoiding a substance – it is about embracing so many things in life.
Not having an addiction, and not needing a lot of stuff; joined to liberal use of food services can make things pretty economically viable if you get something like General Assistance ($347-$389 a month) . It is not enough for any kind of housing – but toiletries (which Food Stamps do not cover; a haircut; clothing; bus fare; coffee; a gym membership (to shower and workout) monthly if one is living in a Tent City; phone fees, equipment, and eventually, perhaps something like a used laptop to help in a job search.
Or, if one qualifies (I do as someone who is “dual diagnosis”) you can do the “ramming into Social Security repeatedly” (many denials before success) to get SSI support (around $800-plus a month) which is enough to get a roof over your head somewhere.
I have been turned down once (everyone is – even if you are only a headless body) – now I have an advocate working the case. I will prevail because I am disabled and have not worked since 2008.
We shall discuss some other time how I am able to work so hard at THIS.
This is just the beginning of the talk on economics.
The Oakland Homeless Chronicles 