SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
MichaelDavidCrawford (2339)
mdcrawford@gmail.com
http://guacamoleroad.com/
I can slice, dice, julienne and puree.
Journal of MichaelDavidCrawford (2339)
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 $1K.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Sunday May 28 2017, @01:20PM
You reminded me to subscribe! :)
Glad to hear you're doing well/better... Good people deserve goodness.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by cafebabe on Sunday May 28 2017, @02:40PM
Well, you're a member of the League of Extraordinary Soylentils.
1702845791×2
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 28 2017, @02:58PM (2 children)
Sorry for the stupid question. But I was under the impression that United States won't give their citizens any help should they hit upon a hard time? or medical help should one say get cancer while unemployed.
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Sunday May 28 2017, @04:52PM
That threw me too last year when he kept talking about Vancouver. I thought he was talking about the Vancouver in Canada. Instead he was talking about the one near Portland, Oregon.
Apparently the social services in the US very wildly between states and municipalities. And no, as a Canadian, I don't know how it works in the US either.
-- hendrik
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Monday May 29 2017, @01:40AM
It was suspected that I had lung cancer about a year ago, but it turned out to be a benign cyst. The CT scan and doctor visits were paid for by medicaid.
The problem is that you can't get medicaid if your income is above a certain level, which isn't very high. Working part-time at mcdonalds you won't have medical insurance and you won't qualify for medicaid.
The federal government has some funds to pay for housing but there is a huge long waiting list. I'm fortunate in that I was given a referral by my mental health clinic.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2) by a-zA-Z0-9$_.+!*'(),- on Sunday May 28 2017, @04:21PM
if you have uneven income you should seek to spread the love in ways other than giving money: volunteer, do some work, etc. But the last thing you should be doing is giving money away, even to "good causes".
https://newrepublic.com/article/114112/anonymouth-linguistic-tool-might-have-helped-jk-rowling
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @01:05AM (2 children)
Congratulations on finding work. Yet I feel compelled to ask, did you bring enough jobs for the rest of the class? Of course you didn't.
You talk a lot. I am completely convinced your gregarious sociable nature is the sole source of your success.
As a reticent introvert who doesn't brag about every little detail of my solitary life of involuntary joblessness, I wonder, where the fuck is a job for me in this shithole of a cuntry?
Oh that's right, there's nothing for me. I'm not a professional bullshitter like MDC.
Keep crowing, Crowfard! You'll crow far!
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @01:23AM
"Things aren't as happy as they used to be down here at the unemployment office. Joblessness is no longer just for STEM majors. Useful people are starting to feel the pinch."
"I haven't been able to find a job in six years."
"And what training do you have?"
"Five years of shitposting. Six years of trolling."
(Score: 2, Insightful) by khallow on Thursday June 01 2017, @03:34AM
I gather like the rest of us, you have a brain. Now brains don't always work the way we'd like, but they are still remarkably powerful and resilient things. Perhaps, instead of shit posting to SN, you could figure out how to use that brain to find jobs and other things you want? You know, leverage millions of years of evolution and all that. So instead of endlessly complaining that you can't find a job, you use that brain to find a job. If you don't like MDC's alleged "bullshitter" approach, then use that brain in addition to find an approach that doesn't compromise your principles?
There are probably hundreds of millions of reticent introverts out there. Most of them have figured something out. Maybe you should too.