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