student living out of car, help (Tampa: rent, find a job, YMCA)

[NomadQueen]

im starting school on feb 22 (less then a month) at erwin. i have a hard time finding a job due to me having major dyslexia which makes it unsafe for me to drive and severely effects my processing, both visually and auditory along with, of course, reading and math. with todays economy and everyone looking for a job i can't really compete. this is why i am going to school, so i may have a specialized skill.

i am staying with my fiance but we are no longer able to pay rent which leaves us to live out of the car till we find a job that can offer at least one of us enough hours. the problem is where do we park to sleep and where do we shower? we cant find a job or look presentable at school with ought at least a shower and i really dont want to risk getting a fine e very night we have to park and sleep.

ive called places, so far no where to park, but i still have more people im trying to get aholde of, on one has called back yet either :/ if you cnow anywhere within reasonable driving distance to Erwin Tech 2010 East Hillsborough, were we could park and or shower pleas post. thanks for any help

[annaegel]

Have you looked into the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to help you find work? They are an agency for people with disabilities, whether it is physical or mental disabilities. They may be able to help you in other ways as well, not just to find work.

Learning disabilities counts as well. If you have recent (3 years) documentation, it speeds the process, which is very slow. If you don't have documentation, they will test you to see what your disabilities are.

[Sweetterthan2]

Well the only thing I can think of is that there are drop in center's to at least get a shower. Also, I would contact the Tampa Dream Center and see if they have any spots for you to be able to get a good night's sleep.

[It's Cin!]

You should check with the YMCA, they offer financial assistance with the memberships for people who need help. If you get a membership, you can go there to shower, study, and spend some time working out or relaxing. Depending on the location, they usually open early and can stay open late (sometimes 9 pm) on certain nights. I'm not sure about the sleeping in the car thing though. Most places would probably run you off for loitering or something. If you do end up sleeping in the car, you'd probably need to change locations each night so that you dont become obvious to the business owners, security or police. Perhaps you could stop in at the 24 hour Walmart parking lots. Just do like the RV people do, stay on the out skirts of the parking lot, put up those sun shades in the window so no one can see in, and keep things as on the down low as possible so as to not draw attention to yourselves. I have had to do that on occasion while driving cross country and needing to get just a few hours of wink eye before driving on.

[Kevin from Tampa]

Metropolitan Ministries can help you. It looks like you have access to the web...they have a website. It's located on North Blvd I believe, and it's not too far from Erwin.

[FedUpInFtMyers]

If all of the above fails, please find a You Fit health club in Tampa. You can sign up for next to nothing and both you and fiance will have access to the gym and shower facilities 7 days a week for about $20 a month - for both of you. Sorry to hear of your situation. I sincerely hope that your situation improves very, very soon.

[jambo101]

Walmart tolerates overnight parking..

[Maggi07]

Have you contacted any of the homeless shelters? That's all I've got.

[bentlebee]

I'm sorry I don't know any address but I'm glad you are able to get internet access so you can do some searches on google...Good Luck

[NomadQueen]

@ annaegel
yes they have helped me get testing which helped me get extra time that i needed to get my GED, they have helped a lot. my last job which ended 3 months ago due to me moving closer to school, was 15 hours a week which isn't really enough. i kept it about a year but i had to move and havnt been able to find one close enough since then even with their help, the process is very slow it seems.

@ Sweetterthan2
thanks i'll check that out

@ It's Cin!
its a good idea but i already called them and they said their showers are closed for this time of year cuz all their pools are outdoor, though ill check again and make sure there wasn't a missunderstanding since i'd think there would be showers for after workouts.

@ Kevin from Tampa
i did call them but they said they only help families, not couples but they did direct me to other places to call

@ FedUpInFtMyers
i'll check that out thanks

Moderator cut: snip

@ jambo101
yea thats on my list of probabilities

@ Maggi07
a couple, one might work.

@ bentlebee
thanks for the good luck

thanks everyon, all advice is appreciated