Comments on: LOST: please help! Where should the poor & disabled live?

By: 0g

0g — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:29:07 +0000

PSS: Yeah I forgot: We on SSI can only own 1 vehicle. Tough to do when you live in it! How do I do that? That means I have to GIVE it to a Dealer for trade! Get this, the new Smog Laws say you have to smog your car within 90 days before selling it, so that the new owner does not bear the burden. 90 days! They have kept my damn stickers for 45 days already–(4 to 6 weeks, the guy with the attitude at the DMV said after waiting on the phone for an hour) So, you mean I have to smog it again? It’s not even worth the money I put into it to get it this far! Ever notice BP Oil is not a gross polluter, nor Exxon nor the 100 years of manufacturing of the industrial revolution responsible. The Government cooks up these ‘righteous’ laws & then passes on their stringency & expense (always) to the poor. So you are a gross polluter because your car is 29-1/2 years old because you can’t afford another one, but no, the guy who CEO’d BP that dumped 300,000 gallons of oil (daily) into the Gulf of Mexico for 4 months just got another job. So these stupid eco laws place heavier & heavier burdens on the poor, while the rich go scott free! Who sold us the cars in the first place. Who sells us the gas? Use it while we got it to steer clear of them!

By: 0g

0g — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:15:51 +0000

Re: OST: please help! Where should the poor & disabled live?

I also live on ssi in Cali. Yes, getting a $200 cut IS the prevailing rumor, but I am not certain if that is so. It seems draconian. But this is also said to be a broke system, so how much faith we have in the government has something to do with how benign it is to us (I guess). Some places can be like that, ’snooty’ & those are the places that seem to look down on us from the highest altitude, although it is only the distance down their noses that they perceive as superiority. I have thought about leaving Cali since they give you a nest-egg of back pay to start with & attach HORRIBLE RULES to that you MUST SPEND IT IN 6 MONTHS! WTF? The government tries to be so just, yet they come out with such STUPID rules! How can people go from mental breakdown/homeless to Joe the Investor in 6 months is beyond me, even though my smart score is still up there. Tell me, Mr. President? I like the guy who said to just call SS at their 800#. Since I have to juggle the finances & find something worthwhile to spend it on in a few months, of course CA is nearly out-of-the-question. Only places where it rains all the time (attention all you manic depressive types out there) or the dessert where nobody lives are affordable. You tell me when you find out–please. “Still searching for that heart of gold —and I’m gettin’ old” —Neil Young PS: Here’s a laugh to leave you with: I am supposed to see a specialist in another county, but since an accident have camped nearer my payee, so the medical does not work in another county. Meanwhile I smogged my van & the DMV penalizes people for MOVING, putting them back to the end of the list (4-6 weeks). So I am basically under house arrest by the DumV (who threatens they can ticket or tow you off) & though I paid for stickers & re-registration (tax) on time, I am getting worse I cannot see a specialist in that county for fear of driving there & being pulled over. So WTF. I live in my van. The only good thing about being mobile is you can drive the heck out of persnickettyville & find somewhere else to camp. Yes, SD is very military & don’t appreciate us weeklings. Nor does Santa Barbara where all the homeless on nut checks stack up. You don’t fear the skin-heads as much there as the other homeless who are worse than in LA. Small-time territorials. They wouldn’t survive in LA, but thrive in SB. Get out of SDiego, I couldn’t stand it there either. The lifeguards even think they are cops. Mall-cops without the S. Hang in there, Jesus is comin’ bro & he’s not one of those church people.

By: Ken

Ken — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 06:55:27 +0000

Hello Marie,
I live in Lincoln, Illinois & personally know people on SSI. A local organization named Logan Mason Mental Health provides a social group for people on SSI. Otherwise, the poor, both working & nonworking, find an affordable place to live with an higher level of acceptance in Lincoln, Illinois than you seem to have found in Carlsbad, California.
On the possible down side for you, Lincoln is a small town (population 14,000), politically conservative, & the truly different may have some trouble finding friends unless your new friends include the other residents of Lincoln that are different. Lincoln does have a significant number of people who are different.
Throughout most of rural America you will find affordable places to live. Many poor live in apartments above business in or near the community’s downtown. You can also find Section 8 & public housing in county seats in far better shape than most big city public housing residents can imagine.
On cost of living, crime, & quality of housing, I find it hard to understand why anyone living on SSI would live anywhere other than a small town. If I was on SSI & moving somewhere I don’t already know anyone, I would find some small town, for instance Montana has no sales tax, known for having people who are different, & towns ranging from Great Plains to the Rocky Mountains. Alaska has no sales tax & will pay you to live there.

By: Brick

Brick — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:39:31 +0000

Albuquerque, NM. Great weather with distinct seasons and not too cold in the winter!

By: Michael P,

Michael P, — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 03:44:09 +0000

Hey there marie,

Well I figure i would chime in on eugene, there are many benefit to eugene overall but realize the city as a policy has been pushing for sprawl so services can be all over the place so using the bus system is not always the best solution. Also be aware if you are enrolled in any health services in CA they simply will not have a alternative or option in oregon. Oregon has had in the past one of the nations best public health assistance systems however since 2001 they have completely raided it for money thanks to the last recession. Mental health service in particular are very hard to get in oregon, the system is super swamped with people and only those with biggest needs get in. I would suggest however another major college town, they seem overall to have the things you want, so thus i would look into Davis, CA [UC davis] or Arcata, CA both have a large student residence and they are still small active and usual will have better access to public transit, art and culture.

I will tell you should really knock portland off for now, it has many benefits however it is largely over-swamped even more than the overall state and the affordable housing options here close to city are abysmal at best. the main mental health agency here is really having a tough fight to stay alive thanks to some politicking at the regional/municipal level

By: diane

diane — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:46:30 +0000

Hi Marie,
Chico, CA is a place that fits the same description given by Ann in Eugene. Chico has much less rain than Eugene and is very handicap-friendly. The town is pretty well self contained and there is a good bus system in place. There is nowhere you can’t get to without a car. The largest hospital in the area is here. There is a diverse mixture of people here. It is a college town. You might look into it. Good luck! Diane

By: clarita

clarita — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 05:12:42 +0000

who told you there’d be a 200dollar cut in your ssi ? for some reason i don’t think that’s even close to being called accurate .
in nyc we get a whopping 26bucks ADDITIONAL to cover for the increased cost-of-living here–call 800-772-1213 social security and ask them about this. when we were trying to relocate,i asked them how complicated an issue is THIS and the rep laughed and said,all you have to DO is call and give us your NEW address and yes,you will lose the extra amount BUT no way $200 !

anyway,
go on line,pick out a state and google services for the handicapped according to that state,subsidized housing,etc.
c’mon,basically you can GO anywhere you like after a little bit of HAPPY research.

By: flame

flame — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 05:44:45 +0000

hi marie…my heart goes out to all who suffer…i pray you find the nurturing you need…we all need kindness and love…it is very hard when you have an illness and people don’t seem to care…first you have to care about yourself and just do and be the best you can daily…others will always disappoint you…that is life…helping others where you can gets you out of self…it takes a long time to adjust to any new place and find what makes it work for you…i had to move into my van in order to survive here…and i have my own business…so. ca. is extremely expensive these days…i have lived all over america since 1946…every place has its good and bad points…i hope you find peace where you are…flame

By: Nina

Nina — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 05:41:44 +0000

The south is a very friendly place….one of the reasons I find it hard to leave despite having things about other places that beckon to me. People are very welcoming and friendly. I live in Louisiana- Baton Rouge or New Orleans or Lafayette are all pretty good cities, depending on your interests. Life is much more affordable here than in CA- a 200 paycut would probably be a raise here. Housing is much more affordable and that of course affects a lot of other things.

Best of luck to you.

A sugestion- think about being in a place where you have friends and are a valued member of the community. Now push that thought from thinking to feeling- how does that FEEL? Hold on to the feeling. EVery day get in the habit of feeling that way. Be thankful for those moments. You will find a place that feels that way.

By: Allah see you later

Allah see you later — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 01:35:02 +0000

Seems my experience of the North West has been one of a “hit the trail mentality”.

The missions in Eugene are/were souless places of mindless desperation and rush. The shelter in Roseburg was hugly homosexual in inuendo and the shelter in Coo’s Bay full of anal retentive spiritual frauds of the first order.

I’m in Honolulu, Hawaii, check out peer mentoring at United Self Help and North Shore Mental Health.

I’m SSDI and would like to use my federal back to work program but it is impossible for me to get fired up here. The IQ is measured in decimal point scale, Kamaiana means a form or retardation and PTSD, most like you to believe it’s familiar with island ways.

Of all hells, Hawaii is a weather heaven and little more. Especially if you looking to speak english and find motivated people. Fear motivates here and Aloha has become ahola.

I no phone right now but can be reached on my space as rainbowbeamer.

Take care….. Where do my city is, oh; where do my citys is.