Homeless? It could happen to any of us. (Lincoln: insurance, how much)

[Gunluvver2]

I have been fortunate. I may not have everything I WANT but God has blessed me by providing everything I NEED. Although I live in a thriving community (Lincoln, Nebraska) I see people who for one reason or another do not have the basics. I have friends and family whom I can depend on for help if I should ever need it. However a lot of the people I see on the streets probably do not have that support structure in their lives. Maybe some of them have created their own problems? Who knows just by looking?

I have the skills to survive for months at a time in a Wilderness setting but I don't know how long I could last on the streets of a large city if I suddenly became destitute and homeless. How many of you have thought about this happening? What kind of solutions have you thought of if it should happen to you?

Obviously there will not be many homeless people reading this comment UNLESS they are using a publicly provided computer at a Library, Church or some other charitable facility. But if any homeless are reading this tell me how you meet your day to day needs.

GL2

[MsBea_1]

I figure we are one or two paychecks away from being homeless. It's scary!

[kisterj]

I personally worked with some of these folks and they just need our respect and to be treated like human beings. They won't always treat us that way due to the mental illmesses and addictions they face BUT we can be human to them. I have talked to several and they are a great bunch of people. They are on the streets for many reasons.
I myself am one paycheck away from the streets myself.

[ehenningsen]

There are people in society who's body cannot support the amount of mental torture in their brain, I was one of those people for quite a long time..

At one time, when I was 19 I was desperate, not a single thought that was racing in and out of my brain brought a single level of comfort.

Its so hard to explain, except that there is nothing in life at that time that could make it better. Nothing could fix it, every thought that went through my head actually felt like as if there were spikes on it tearing through all of my other thoughts. It wasn't like a headache, but rather a sever mental ache/burn that was so bad that I was rendered basically functionless for several years. In my head I was thinking I did the unforgivable sin, and I prayed to god to end this, I prayed to him to not send me to hell, but to just make me dissapear and not even be an afterthought..

The pain was so bad, that there was no rationale in my head, the only thing that I could relate to from the outside world was that I had a severe mental illnes, but some people told me that I was demon possessed and it was from the fact that I didn't live for jesus right.

I felt that every thought coming in was wrong, but barely and so I held on to the tinyest faith that someday, hopefually that feeling that lets me know that my thoughts are wrong will grow enough to allow me to communicate, function, or even get off the couch and stop reapeating thoughts and words that I said out loud..

12 years later I am here, but only because of one thing, I new that I was going to die, there was no doubt about it. So, I told myself that I am going to give myself one more shot at life before I die, and through all the pain I just kept working and working..

And now I work overtime hours and am in school fulltime with a 4.0 average....

But you see, if I didn't have family or friends at the time that were willing to put their fear of their life to the side because of how much of a freak I was (And I was a freak, I would never have, nor will I ever do anything to harm anyone), they still let me in and allowed me to progress..

I still have a delusional disorder, but after working through 3rd degree burns through 99.9% of my mind, I have learned the very basics of survival and now see that most of society lives off of tomorrow and something that doesn't exist. But that is not my concern, I have to do what I have to do today so I can make it to tomorrow..

By the way, the 99.9% 3rd degree burns is now like 40% 2nd degree burns.. It maybe age or clinging on to the few things that did make sense and working my problems out through the very basic laws of logic and rolling up my sleeves no matter how much I suffered and felt the deamons bashing me.

I now don't feel any deamons around me and am very function, but still, there are still too many avenues my brain can take to make me suffer at all times, but the good thing is that I am much better and am able to take care of myself..

But for those who are on the streets, we need to give them respect and include them IN EVERY SINGLE PRAYER...

[Happygolucky]

I guess I can say I was very fortunate growing up. I was taught to save my pennies and save I did.


If I was one or two paychecks away from living on the streets, I certainly would not have a computer with inter-net access and banging away on some forum. I would be more worried about how I am going to pay bills.

That just proves my point when I say "People do not know how to prioritize their funds".

I am about 200 paychecks away from living on the streets, and darn proud of it.

[ColoradoHereWeCome]

Happygolucky, I completely agree with you. Completely. The people who are homeless, I feel bad for, the people who aren't and complain they will be but have cable, internet, cell phones, new clothes, etc..I don't feel bad for at all.

[amgor863]

Years ago, I worked with homeless teens. It is scary. I never thought it could happen to me, but after my husband left me, it almost did. I'm educated (Bachelor degree) and always thought I could find work in an office. Then 9/11 happened in NY (where I live) and it all went downhill. To make a long story short, I'm working for a low wage, with no benefits in a city where rents start at about $1000 for one room... I'm also taking care of my elderly mother. I know a lot of other people (all over the US and in Europe) like me. Life is hard.

[Happygolucky]

I know a lot of other people (all over the US and in Europe) like me. Life is hard.

What does Europe have to do with what is going on in the United States?

[naughtygirl48911]

sometimes someone is one or two paychecks away from homelessness and dosen't even relize it, for example, what if suddenly you suffer a dibilating illness that takes away your ability to work, all the sudden that check that would cover the rest of the months bills is none existant, it comes to paying for food or paying the rent, i have been in that situation, over a year ago i at the age of 24 suffered a stroke and other complications that took away my ability to work, and as many people don't know it takes 6 months of being off work in a medical situation before one can collect disability so to be prepared for anything one should have 6 months worth of bills and regular living expenses saved as well as a extra 6months savings in case your insurance doesn't cover all your medical expenses,and yes insurace is necessary in every situation,

[SCGranny]

We 'had it all' and then my strong and wonerful hubby got hurt. The employer denied responsibility, and we had to sue for his Worker's Comp, find doctors and attorneys and the money to pay for them. I had to pull out of college and work 3 jobs, struggling to raise 3 small children, while watching DH continue to deteriorate. I was hard and cold and mean because I was terrified every day of ending up in the street. My family did not help at ALL - matter of fact, when we won our suit and DH got his surgery (3 years later - all the muscles had atrophied and he was permanently disabled), they wanted OUR money. We used it to pay off everything. We ended up by taking in two nephews from different sides of the family because THEY 'couldn't support them".

That taught me a LOT. It taught me what was really important, and that I could only depend on myself, no one else. It taught me to store up food like a squirrel, to work even when I didn't "have" to, and to have failsafes in place; money stashed, seeds to grow things, a garden and a greenhouse, and chickens underfoot. You couldn't pay me enough now to live in a thriving metropolis, because people are cheek to jowl, and there are ordinances that prevent your being able to plan to survive if something bad happens. We sold everything and moved to a tiny rural community in the middle of nowhere so that we could have what we needed and wanted without folks saying that it was illegal. We don't go out 4-5 times a night, don't see movies, don't travel, don't spend money at all on frivolous THINGS and are 'comfortable'. I bought this laptop for several reasons - being rural, one does not get great access to food, and so I place orders for bulk foods on the Internet and have UPS or FedEx use THEIR gas to deliver; I IM my children instead of calling them, and I stay on forums with other folks who live in a rural environment to share ideas and advice. We can heat our house with wood and bake our own bread, and can grow, hunt, clean, and butcher our food. This past weekend I made a huge pot of potato soup, and we have been eating it all week. I found CityData when I was looking for a rural community, and the local folks gave me good advice on where to locate and where NOT to. The friends I made here while looking for a place, then moving to a place I had never seen, provided me with help and advice, even telling me where to go to get electricity and phone hooked up, and who to deal with financially. When my dau and I came out here to look at property, I used the Internet to send pictures and proposals and information back and forth, since DH was too disabled to come out.

Our children learned to be self sufficient as well in those hard times; they all got jobs from the age of 14, and put themselves thru college or joined the service. They can all grow or hunt their own food, they all understand money and economics. (Every one of us sold out all of our investments early last year when we saw which way the wind was blowing - without even talking to each other!)

There are people with mental and physical diseases who wander the streets, but some are people who did not plan and would draw the line on what they would or would not do to survive. I was told while I worked those three jobs that I could get help from Social Services (not true - because I WAS working, I made too much). Social services actually encourages folks to sit on their whereases and NOT try, otherwise they get no (piddling and insufficient) help from them. The joke around the town we used to live in was "hire HER, she'll do anything for a dollar!" Danged straight. And I still will... because I and my children know what it is like to be hungry. Like Scarlett O'Hara - "I will NEVER be hungry again!"