SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
I'm no longer homeless - I've been in a subsidized apartment for a year.
The program is called "Permanent Assistive Housing". That means I could live here for the rest of my life without paying a dime. Ultimately the cost is borne by the American Taxpayer through the Federal Housing And Urban Development Administration.
However I have a really good consulting client. I cancelled my food stamps a couple months ago. I no longer have Medicare - last month was my first month of paying for Obamacare.
Because my income is very uneven, the agency which got me the housing - Community Services Northwest is waiting until August before I'm responsible for paying the rent.
Should I be out of work again, the American Taxpayer will pick up the tab.
I presently have five grand in the bank. I figured I'd spread the love by subscribing here. I'm also going to subscribe to Radio Paradise.
I expect to donate some to the Portland homeless shelters that kept me out of the rain and snow, but haven't decided yet how much to give them.
Unfortunately I've got to find a new shrink. Molina's health insurance won't pay for CSNW's Program for Assertive Community Treatment. My understanding is that the PACT Team is for the extra-special crazies. I've always wanted that feeling of belonging to something.
I expect Molina will cover a once per month visit to a psychiatrist. I'm doing well these days; once per month for a medication adjustment should be just fine.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday May 28 2017, @09:30AM
Good on ya, man. As someone who's done the same thing himself I know how tough it can be, so kudos for pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and not going down the permanent dependance on the state well of despair and badness.
Cheers for the sub and spreading a bit of what you've managed to earn back to those in need as well. Charity's a wonderful thing but only as long as you hold back enough that it doesn't put you in hardship yourself. If you end up needing further charity on account of giving too much you're essentially just adding a bureaucracy overhead tax to your paycheck to nobody's benefit.
As for how much to save back? I have a rule for that what's served me well over the years. Six months of living expenses should be your permanent "never touch this under any circumstances while you have income" fund. That covers most emergency type badness that can befall you and does so without you having to resort to taking charity from those who really need it. I know you're not going to be able to create that right off the bat but saving for a rainy day should be very high on your priorities list until you have a good buffer between you and being on the streets again. Never sweat not doing anything with your emergency fund; not having to use up $1K in charity that could go to someone else is worth more than donating $1K.