I had thought a few thousand folks would turn out for the Woman's March - after all, the area in front of the library where I sit is far away from the 3 mile starting point up at Judkins' Park. Instead, I first heard the screeching of the crowd around noon and it's been non-stop since then (and it's now almost 2pm). The crowd is insanely huge and appears to be growing as it treks through the city.
So once again.... what is Trump going to do for us??? Speeches are elegant and lovely, but they do nothing for the man sleeping on the sidewalk in the freezing cold. Does Trump need a count of every American who sleeps in a doorway? If so, I'll provide it. Does he need the tears of those who once believed in the American Dream and now seek out drugs on a daily basis to dull their pain??? I am also happy to go around and collect the numbers in that category.
Yes, Seattle has a 'homeless' count that it does yearly.... but instead of that I think that we need to provide a homeless count with details that shows why and how long these people have been homeless..... oh, and there's soooo very, very much more we need.....
~ Dying in Seattle as the Country Dies
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Dear Trump - what can you do for me and my city?
Today thousands are marching against Trump and his supposed racism, etc. Thanks to my neuropathy I'm marching with my fingers instead of my feet. And after listening to the speech Trump gave last night to the nation, I have some questions for him and will be sending the following document his way...
Dear President Trump,
I'm currently a homeless woman who's spent the past 18 years as a single mother working in the I.T. industry as a Software Programmer and Quality Assurance Engineer. Despite my many illnesses, I endured the 18 years to make sure that I could put a roof over my daughter's head and food on the table. In 2015 I came down with neuropathy in addition to my epilepsy and other health issues (it's a long list). My daughter is now 21 and on her own - happily working in a job that barely allows her to put food on the table despite the fact she works as an assistant manager at a warehouse. She's paid less than $30K/year and is given no benefits at all. Without Obama insurance she'd be paying close to $450/month for insurance - something she simply can't afford with as little as she brings in after taxes (before taxes she brings in roughly $2400/month).
But back to me .... I've had the worst past 6 months of my life as a homeless person for the first time. It's made me realize a few things...
1) There is a HOMELESSNESS EMERGENCY here in Seattle. There are so many people homeless and living in tents that the downtown area has become a health hazard for all. Despite the number of people living on the streets without a home to go to, there exist next to no bathrooms in the downtown area. This means that finding human poo at bus stops and urine in most public elevators is a common daily occurrence.
2) There is a DRUG EMERGENCY. Just saying NO doesn't work. In the past 20 years the number of people on hard drugs (like heroin) has more than quadrupled. The saddest fact is that the majority of those who are using drugs now are young, white children (under 24).
3) Even for the middle class most of us live one paycheck away from being homeless - I'm an example. I left behind most of my belongings when I left my home because I simply had no where to put them and no money to buy storage --- my family lives 3000 miles away from me and was in no shape to help me given their own health issues and financial problems.
The biggest reason for my homelessness is that I'm too proud to go ask for help. I *want* to make it on my own. I tried to get a part-time job in I.T., but those appear to not exist (I've applied to an average of 15 jobs a week for the past 6 months looking for part-time work - or work where I don't have to use my hands for more than a couple hours a day).
So my questions to our new President Trump are:
1) What are you going to do about the homeless emergency in Seattle? So far all I've heard is that you're cutting the funding we get for the homeless 'emergency' we are currently battling. Have you ever been to Seattle? I'm happy to provide a personal tour of the city and it's ranks of homelessness.
2) What are you going to do to help those who have no insurance once Obamacare goes away???? You're repealing the Obamacare that has at least provided me healthcare for the past 14 months. What's the alternative??? I'm willing to work in any fashion I'm capable of .... what do YOU suggest I do? More than anything I'd like to drive a homeless initiative where those homeless could build their own tiny homes. It would be less than half the cost of other initiatives that Seattle's tried over the past decade and a half. I'm happy to provide a project outline with costs included if you like.
3) What jobs are you going to provide? Having talked to those who are homeless, I can honestly say that 75% of them really, really want to work. But trying to get a job nowadays takes a lot of work. Try applying to Home Depot yourself (please do - I'm not joking that trying these things yourself will give you a real feel for those who live in your nation).... not only do you need to have access to a computer with the Internet, but you need to be able to maneuver your way around their intricate website. Just applying to Home Depot for a friend took me 3 hours. And to apply to Costco took another 3 hours. This was once I finally realized that I needed to NOT use any of the first page of links (they're all ads with unending questions)... but needed to go directly to the company's website. I'm sure there are many folks who would never figure that out, and would simply give up.
4) What about housing? There are thousands of apartments going up in Seattle where the cost is between $1500 and $2300 for a one bedroom. And you have to make 3 times the rent to be eligible to rent. This means that a person needs to make $4500 to $6900 a month. This means that someone has to find a job that pays at LEAST $28/hour.
So that's all I'll ask since I think it hits the highlights. If you could answer these questions dear President Trump I'll don your paraphernalia and be on your side.
Overall, I believe that the pen is mightier than the sword (or the silent march).... I just hope that I receive more than an automated answer. Also, I'm not kidding on the 'homeless' tour I offered above. I think that seeing it would give you a far better perspective that anything else in today's day & age.
Kudos,
Mindy Weidner
mina.weidner@gmail.com
206.395.5534
Dear President Trump,
I'm currently a homeless woman who's spent the past 18 years as a single mother working in the I.T. industry as a Software Programmer and Quality Assurance Engineer. Despite my many illnesses, I endured the 18 years to make sure that I could put a roof over my daughter's head and food on the table. In 2015 I came down with neuropathy in addition to my epilepsy and other health issues (it's a long list). My daughter is now 21 and on her own - happily working in a job that barely allows her to put food on the table despite the fact she works as an assistant manager at a warehouse. She's paid less than $30K/year and is given no benefits at all. Without Obama insurance she'd be paying close to $450/month for insurance - something she simply can't afford with as little as she brings in after taxes (before taxes she brings in roughly $2400/month).
But back to me .... I've had the worst past 6 months of my life as a homeless person for the first time. It's made me realize a few things...
1) There is a HOMELESSNESS EMERGENCY here in Seattle. There are so many people homeless and living in tents that the downtown area has become a health hazard for all. Despite the number of people living on the streets without a home to go to, there exist next to no bathrooms in the downtown area. This means that finding human poo at bus stops and urine in most public elevators is a common daily occurrence.
2) There is a DRUG EMERGENCY. Just saying NO doesn't work. In the past 20 years the number of people on hard drugs (like heroin) has more than quadrupled. The saddest fact is that the majority of those who are using drugs now are young, white children (under 24).
3) Even for the middle class most of us live one paycheck away from being homeless - I'm an example. I left behind most of my belongings when I left my home because I simply had no where to put them and no money to buy storage --- my family lives 3000 miles away from me and was in no shape to help me given their own health issues and financial problems.
The biggest reason for my homelessness is that I'm too proud to go ask for help. I *want* to make it on my own. I tried to get a part-time job in I.T., but those appear to not exist (I've applied to an average of 15 jobs a week for the past 6 months looking for part-time work - or work where I don't have to use my hands for more than a couple hours a day).
So my questions to our new President Trump are:
1) What are you going to do about the homeless emergency in Seattle? So far all I've heard is that you're cutting the funding we get for the homeless 'emergency' we are currently battling. Have you ever been to Seattle? I'm happy to provide a personal tour of the city and it's ranks of homelessness.
2) What are you going to do to help those who have no insurance once Obamacare goes away???? You're repealing the Obamacare that has at least provided me healthcare for the past 14 months. What's the alternative??? I'm willing to work in any fashion I'm capable of .... what do YOU suggest I do? More than anything I'd like to drive a homeless initiative where those homeless could build their own tiny homes. It would be less than half the cost of other initiatives that Seattle's tried over the past decade and a half. I'm happy to provide a project outline with costs included if you like.
3) What jobs are you going to provide? Having talked to those who are homeless, I can honestly say that 75% of them really, really want to work. But trying to get a job nowadays takes a lot of work. Try applying to Home Depot yourself (please do - I'm not joking that trying these things yourself will give you a real feel for those who live in your nation).... not only do you need to have access to a computer with the Internet, but you need to be able to maneuver your way around their intricate website. Just applying to Home Depot for a friend took me 3 hours. And to apply to Costco took another 3 hours. This was once I finally realized that I needed to NOT use any of the first page of links (they're all ads with unending questions)... but needed to go directly to the company's website. I'm sure there are many folks who would never figure that out, and would simply give up.
4) What about housing? There are thousands of apartments going up in Seattle where the cost is between $1500 and $2300 for a one bedroom. And you have to make 3 times the rent to be eligible to rent. This means that a person needs to make $4500 to $6900 a month. This means that someone has to find a job that pays at LEAST $28/hour.
So that's all I'll ask since I think it hits the highlights. If you could answer these questions dear President Trump I'll don your paraphernalia and be on your side.
Overall, I believe that the pen is mightier than the sword (or the silent march).... I just hope that I receive more than an automated answer. Also, I'm not kidding on the 'homeless' tour I offered above. I think that seeing it would give you a far better perspective that anything else in today's day & age.
Kudos,
Mindy Weidner
mina.weidner@gmail.com
206.395.5534
The latest trend - being homeless for the 1st time ever....
So the other day, walking through the Seattle Central Library I saw some 'art' talking about homelessness. The thing that caught my eye was that over 50% of those who are homeless, are homeless for the first time in their lives. I'm not sure if my recent experience was the first time I was homeless, but it was the first time that I was homeless without a job or a home to return to at all. In the past I always had a job while I was homeless so that I could afford a hotel, or I had an apartment that I could eventually return to... once I was ready to face the violence that existed there.
This time, starting in August of 2016 I was homeless with my belongings on my back (or being pulled behind me), and I sincerely had no where to go. How did I get this way? Well, after 16 years of working in I.T., I came down with neuropathy. Neuropathy causes numbness and severe pain in your nerves. In my case it affected both my hands, and my both my legs. The legs I could live with (although it requires that I use a cane most days), but the hands caused me severe issues.
Along with neuropathy, I have epilepsy that causes me to 'twitch' or 'jerk' when I'm hit by a seizure. At the last place I worked, epilepsy caused me to jerk my hands and I'd end up submitting information that I wasn't quite done working on. As a result my co-workers lost faith in my ability to do the job.... I can't blame them. I'd assume the same thing in their shoes. Since then (end of 2015) I've found medication that stops the jerking and, for the most part, stops the neuropathy symptoms in my hands and arms.
After losing my job at the end of 2015, I was forced to live on my savings and the measly amount of unemployment I got. Thanks to WA state not being able to file paperwork correctly, I only received half of my unemployment (I'm still trying to get a court case to get the other half - they misfiled paperwork when I was on unemployment in 2012 and in 2013 I moved without forwarding my address as I was trying to escape the ex- who caused the violence that I mentioned above (to summarize the state owes me just over $5000, but instead their incorrect records show that I owe them $25K!!!!)
Back to homelessness though - on the 7th floor of the Seattle Central Library I noticed a scrolling ad that mentioned that over 50% of those who are homeless are homeless for the first time. This led me to ponder whether my current homelessness was officially my 1st time being homeless or if I was truly homeless before?
Whatever the answer, I do know that the past 6 months of my life have been some of the most difficult months of my entire life. I often find myself laughing at quotes like "Homeless people *want* to stay homeless because it's easy money". In the past 6 months I've spent more time in lines and working on getting benefits than I ever did when I had a 40/hr per week job!!! And for far less return. Currently I only get $197 a month for disability benefits from the state and $194 in food stamps. Formerly I made $5500/month AFTER deductions!
Thanks to increasing my medication to almost the maximum dosage, my neuropathy in my hands has minimized enough that I think I can return to work. At least I hope so. I figure I won't actually know until I'm working on a daily basis. Trying to return to the white collar world from a homeless state of being is another adventure I'm finding is much more difficult than one would expect. For instance, do I take my rolling suitcase with me in to interviews? And if not, what do I do with it? There is no where homeless folks can get short term storage for their belongings and using a regular storage place is far more expensive than I can afford. Leave it with 'friends'? Unfortunately, most 'street friends' are more likely to barter all your belongings before you get out of your interview.
Oh - before I start telling my story since August 8th (I've written the entire thing down in a number of different notebooks) I want to mention that this is all from my perspective and names of people have been changed to protect their identities.
This time, starting in August of 2016 I was homeless with my belongings on my back (or being pulled behind me), and I sincerely had no where to go. How did I get this way? Well, after 16 years of working in I.T., I came down with neuropathy. Neuropathy causes numbness and severe pain in your nerves. In my case it affected both my hands, and my both my legs. The legs I could live with (although it requires that I use a cane most days), but the hands caused me severe issues.
Along with neuropathy, I have epilepsy that causes me to 'twitch' or 'jerk' when I'm hit by a seizure. At the last place I worked, epilepsy caused me to jerk my hands and I'd end up submitting information that I wasn't quite done working on. As a result my co-workers lost faith in my ability to do the job.... I can't blame them. I'd assume the same thing in their shoes. Since then (end of 2015) I've found medication that stops the jerking and, for the most part, stops the neuropathy symptoms in my hands and arms.
After losing my job at the end of 2015, I was forced to live on my savings and the measly amount of unemployment I got. Thanks to WA state not being able to file paperwork correctly, I only received half of my unemployment (I'm still trying to get a court case to get the other half - they misfiled paperwork when I was on unemployment in 2012 and in 2013 I moved without forwarding my address as I was trying to escape the ex- who caused the violence that I mentioned above (to summarize the state owes me just over $5000, but instead their incorrect records show that I owe them $25K!!!!)
Back to homelessness though - on the 7th floor of the Seattle Central Library I noticed a scrolling ad that mentioned that over 50% of those who are homeless are homeless for the first time. This led me to ponder whether my current homelessness was officially my 1st time being homeless or if I was truly homeless before?
Whatever the answer, I do know that the past 6 months of my life have been some of the most difficult months of my entire life. I often find myself laughing at quotes like "Homeless people *want* to stay homeless because it's easy money". In the past 6 months I've spent more time in lines and working on getting benefits than I ever did when I had a 40/hr per week job!!! And for far less return. Currently I only get $197 a month for disability benefits from the state and $194 in food stamps. Formerly I made $5500/month AFTER deductions!
Thanks to increasing my medication to almost the maximum dosage, my neuropathy in my hands has minimized enough that I think I can return to work. At least I hope so. I figure I won't actually know until I'm working on a daily basis. Trying to return to the white collar world from a homeless state of being is another adventure I'm finding is much more difficult than one would expect. For instance, do I take my rolling suitcase with me in to interviews? And if not, what do I do with it? There is no where homeless folks can get short term storage for their belongings and using a regular storage place is far more expensive than I can afford. Leave it with 'friends'? Unfortunately, most 'street friends' are more likely to barter all your belongings before you get out of your interview.
Oh - before I start telling my story since August 8th (I've written the entire thing down in a number of different notebooks) I want to mention that this is all from my perspective and names of people have been changed to protect their identities.
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