October 26, 2012
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The Sad State Of Section 8
Someone I know works with the homeless in this state.
She has a HUGE workload…and always there are more people in need, then there is assistance for them. She tries to use things like Section 8 to get them into housing…but it’s difficult. Yes, i know…people talk about these programs as if it’s a matter of saying “Hey…I need a place to live, and have no money…Gimmeee!”.
Nope. Not like that at all.
If you are a homeless parent with small children, and slept on someone’s couch last night, you are NOT eligible for emergency assistance. Even if you have no where to go tonight. Even if you and your children must sleep in a car…(that is if you even HAVE a car) you are not desperate enough. If you do qualify, there is a waiting list in almost every part of the country. A lot of people are ahead of you…so don’t count on shelter before the weather turns cold. On the happy side, you ARE allowed to shelter in Hospital ER waiting rooms, if the temperature does under a certain level.
If you do qualify for Section 8, there are hoops to jump through.
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2000-title24-vol1/content-detail.html
There are reams of regs…including they can deny you, or kick you out if a family member has ever trafficked illegal drugs. Now isn’t THAT a kick in the pants? I know plenty of people who have such critters in their family tree. They may never have benefited from the ill gotten gains. They may have despaired of the trade, and the addictions…and honestly had nothing to do with it…but too bad. You are BANNED…because you came from the same gene pool as a law breaker. Next time, pick better parents, you dead beat!
Now the thing is…I know two people who actually did live in cars at some point in their lives. It isn’t something you boast about. It’s not a noble life choice…but a matter of need. I considered it. But I could not leave my daughter behind, nor could I bear the thought of tucking her into the back seat of a Honda. I could do that myself…but not to her. Both the people I knew bettered their situations. Neither availed themselves of social help, to my knowledge. But that too, was THEIR choice. I can’t judge another person for their own decisions. I try not to, anyway. But what they chose, or did not doesn’t make a person in need less of a human being if they choose differently. I don’t think the woman (and yes, i know…there are homeless men too.) who is living on the street with her children is doing so because she is lazy, stupid, or a crack whore. Some might be…but not all. And certainly not most. In the last two decades we have refined the rules to make sure that no one just asks for help, and gets it.My point? You have to be desperate. You have to have no choices…no money, and no where to turn…and even THEN, there may not be help for you. My friend told me she’s heard from women who were raped in front of their children—because they were homeless. Why? Because their attacker KNEW they had nowhere to run. So for those who make welfare, WIC, and public housing sound like some grifters dream? FUCK YOU. Pay attention. You are not better. Your are not “too good” for that to happen to. You are simply LUCKY. My friend tells me the people she deals with are not people who made “poor choices”. Some came from other lives—and things did not work out. Funny…how that happens. No one’s life is disaster proof. No one is immune to misfortune. And no one decides to live with their kids in a car, because they think it will get them free housing, or an express lane to food stamps.
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/topics/housing_choice_voucher_program_section_8
Educate yourself.
Stop judging people you don’t know.
And more than anything, understand that it can happen to you…and just might amuse the universe to make you know it for real. I would add that a number of our homeless are now veterans. Great way to say “we support our troops”…but could give a shit if they freeze to death after they serve.
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Comments (44)
HA! “Pick better parents, you deadbeat!” I completely understand about being born into the wrong gene pool and having a reputation for having deadbeat blood relatives. Thankfully, there are people out there like you who can see who’s who. Thank you.
this sure is a hard slap of reality. it’s hard for fortunate people to know what it’s like. while we were on the brink of bankruptcy–we might still have to file for it–we’ve always had the choice to move in with his parents. but that was the absolute last resort.
you are a wonderful mother and human being. resilient and damn strong. i admire you. and envy you your tenacity. i need to grow up at some point, as you have. i know when it comes down to it i will clean toilets to keep my daughter safe and fed
this is a hard thing to think about because many of us are not too far from those who are completely desperate
it’s scary
No one’s life is disaster proof. No one is immune to misfortune. And no one decides to live with their kids in a car, because they think it will get them free housing, or an express lane to food stamps.
so fucking sad
and this past year made me think of all sorts of awful scenarios
women have a legit reason to feel insecure in this society
the mother getting raped in front of her children broke my heart. damn
@sleekpunk - Thank you.
I have never needed public assistance…but some day, I might.
My family was working poor when I was a kid…but I never looked down on anyone else. I have no time or patience for those who do. All that says to me is that they have been too damned fortunate.
@bonmots - I hear you, Lady.
But you never have said that if someone is in a bad patch, it’s because they DESERVED it. I read posts like that around here, and I want to go ballistic. You are good people…and I hope it gets better for you and yours!
@bonmots - I know…it chilled me.
You know it can happen…but knowing it HAS?
That shakes me to my core.
@galadrial - i could never say that because in my marrow i don’t believe it. i have seen far too many good and talented and educated people lose most things they have. it’s bad luck or bad decisions or things beyond their control.
@galadrial - thank you. things are looking up a bit– financially anyway
@bonmots - Glad to hear.
You are rather special…and one of these fine days, you will find your groove. Of that I have no doubt. I happen to be a fan of yours…so don’t be so impressed with me!
@galadrial - hah pffffff i am in turn a huge fan of yours. every word you write is golden. so there
you should be making money blogging too
but thank you. i’ll graciously take your praise
@bonmots - Ok…we agree. The Mutual Admiration Society has commenced!
Take care of your bad self, you!
I count myself lucky every day because that homeless person could have been me. It’s too bad that many of them are the victims of mental disease, and the system just isn’t set up to deal with that.
Thanks for this post and I hope some of those people who complain about assistance will readit.
I saw a guy on TV once in a bread line. He was my age, lost his job, then his house, then his wife, and had no job and no money. He was interviewed and said that he never dreamed that this could happen to him–in a line to get something to eat.
I realized that could be me quicker than his episode.
There are lots of tragedies in the USA—Human Trafficking, Hunger, foreclosures, etc.
I try to thank God every day for the food and shelter that I enjoy. I am no better than anyone else.
frank
I take my hats off for you. EXCELLENT POST! I wish I could recommend this post more than once. I agree with everything you say. It is sad, that I have to read often how people put down those on welfare or homeless on Xanga.
Let’s hear it for the war on drugs. [bronx cheer]
Thank you for saying this.
I will comment, but I’d like to apologize for the serious expletive at the end.
I got sort of steamed up.
@whyzat - Well, it’s possible that they will, but arrogance and ignorance seem to run hand and hand in humans. Very few people ever wake up from their treasured perceptions, particularly where others are concerned. Thanks for the good thought though!
@ANVRSADDAY - When I was living in Mercer County, there was next to no homeless shelter available. The fact that it housed the state’s capital, and the county seat didn’t matter. It also contained Trenton, one of the heaviest need areas in the state. I actually looked into a shelter a few years back…but was told that my daughter (then still in her teens) might be at risk in one.
Sad testament.
@angys_coco - I read the other day that more than half of our nation has less than $500.00 saved.
It hit me hard.
Five hundred dollars is a week, maybe two in a cheap motel.
It’s not a third of what you might need for security, if suddenly you needed a place to live. They call it “safety nets”…but the scarcity of aid to those who have true need would suggest otherwise.
@ascultafili - I assume your comment is about the people who are blocked from housing because a relative is a dealer?
I also am told that if you get section 8 housing, it is carefully watched. If someone suddenly is staying with you, you can also be tossed on your ass…for violating the habitation rules. That means if your daughter or son have kids, and no where to live, they can’t go your place…or you end up in the street too.
There’s gotta be a better way.
@xXrEMmUsXx - Thanks for the read…and nice to meet you!
Most of the programs to help the homeless need serious reform. It’s a difficult process because people don’t actually see each other as people. The rich see the homeless as all lazy druggies and the poor see the rich as a snobby face slapped onto a bank account. These are people we’re talking about and it’s so frustrating to try and bridge the gaps in knowledge.
@galadrial - Yes. They have unlimited excuses to deny you.
i agree with everything you said especially the paragraph starting with “My Point?”. too many people don’t understand we are all interconnected. they don’t grasp what simple expressions such as “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link” is telling them. then they are arrogant about their own ignorance.
@TheSutraDude - Thank you Dude…it actually troubles me deeply.
When someone else has a rough patch, it’s because they DESERVED it somehow. When the scornful do? Had to be someone Else’s FAULT. I wonder how well they will walk when the shoe is on the other foot?
@Ooglick - My concern is not the rich…but the middle class…who DON’T make 200K a year. The poor are more likely to give from the little they have. Stephen King did a piece where he pointed out that the “charitable giving” of the 1 percent always caps at about 3-4 million…because you can’t write off more on your taxes.He actually suggested that he himself be taxed at a higher rate…because HE CAN AFFORD IT…his own words.
We are afraid of the rich, who have a much better deal now, then they did in the 50′s—remembered as our economic Mecca…when they were taxed at closer to 70 percent. And they STILL managed to thrive.
I work in public housing and agree with most everything you said, the exception here is that no one in your household can have drug charges, we don’t hold you responsible for your relatives actions though. The biggest problem I have is that there are just too many people who fall through the cracks and don’t have any alternatives…they don’t fit any categories, it’s a sad state of affairs. This was a great post, I wish more of us thought along these lines, after all, we’re all in this together.
@mlbncsga - Thank you.
The ” relatives”part could be invoked if your have a son, daughter, brother, sister, or spouse who lives with you.
I worry more about the families who did nothing wrong—but still face homelessness. I took my daughter to the Central Park Zoo back when she was sixteen. It was a warmish day…until about three. We made our way back to the trains to come home, and the homeless started to come out. Desi saw a mother sitting on the ground, holding her own daughter in her arms. They had a small sign, She looked at me, horrified, and said “Mom? They have no place to live!”
It still bothers me that I had no good answer for her that day…and bothers me more that I still don’t.
I look at the precipice of homelessness in Los Angeles and it is daunting. $500 saved up is not going to help me (I have around $1,000) because first and last month rent will be higher than a thousand.
I do have work sort of lined up and so that income if around less than minimum wage ($8/hr) would come out to $64 (fifty a day is what I usually settle for)
There are long lines for section 8 in Los Angeles and there are programs that house and be halfway homes for a transition (using up city’s temporary help funds). However Los Angeles realize it is cheaper to house the homeless than to leave them on the street. Yes Los Angeles and other cities will give homeless one way tickets back to home as a cheap solution for some of the homeless.
The brother of my boss recently got out of jail and he is being exploited to help in redoing the bathroom of his brother. The brother has a truck and tools but whether or not he will be able to rent a place will take a while, getting a “new” start is not easy.
@PPhilip - I’ve heard that when someone is released from prison, they face a truly wicked time finding not only work, but places to live. Add that to the plight of the vets, and simply families face a reversal in fortune, and you have one HELL of a mess.
I wish the man well.
I am never sure what to say on posts like this one. I didn’t know how difficult it is to get section 8 housing, I understood the waiting lists were long, but I didn’t know the rules the place on people that get it.
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/obama-ayn-rand-is-for-misunderstood-teenagers?ref=fpblg
good post.
Number one single cause of homelessness is medical bills – anybody immune to cancer? Then you could be homeless someday. Number 2 I believe is mental illness, also can affect anybody.
I don’t think “laziness” is even on the list.
Most people are about one paycheck away from the streets. One wrong decision away from living in their car.
I’ve worked in the homeless shelter here. I’d say a lot of people who needed that place made decisions I would not have. But that doesn’t make them or me better than the other. Just different. I don’t think a shelter would be a place for me but it works for a lot of them. And I am really glad it is there for those who need it.
Working there, I also got to help some of the lucky ones who got housing. A couple of ‘em I thought were whiny jerks. A lot of ‘em I thought were on their way to better things. Some, I realized, might have reached their peaks.
I figure we are all living the best lives we can muster. Give the next guy the benefit of the doubt.
@Erika_Steele - I was sort of mortified when I saw it all laid out. How does ANYONE even figure out the rules? The case workers are weighed down…and it looks like it won’t get better any time soon. A minimum wage job will not put these people in affordable housing…but it might be just enough to cut them off from aid, and that is some scary shit.
@complicatedlight - Thanks.
@agnophilo - Try telling it to the Ayn Rand fans, who think of these people as “leeches”. But they ARE people…and it would be nice if we could treat them that way. Hell…it would be DECENT.
@to_be_creative - I’m with you. But there is not only a wall between the rich, and the poor…there is a WIDE river of denial, and people want to cut the programs that keep the homeless alive. It reminds me of the concept of putting people out on ice floes. The thing to bear in mind I guess, is that anyone could be the next batch.
@galadrial - And christian…
@agnophilo - Oh Great…NOW they’re gonna show up and say we’re bashing them.
@galadrial - I was saying compassion toward the poor would be the christian thing. It would be.
@agnophilo - And that is very true.
The rush to judgement is “non christian”.
But they tend to try to use the bible to try to explain that away.
AMEN