It's been a crazy couple months here. People have no doubt been wondering what I've been up to, and I feel I'm secure enough to at least announce that I'm off the street.
Things aren't PERFECT, right now, and there's still crises, but at least they're manageable.
I owe a lot to the folks here, and want to take the time to say thanks.
(What I've been up to on the flip)
So, first off, I didn't want to broadcast the name of the Kossack who has been helping me, at least not until I had his permission. So A BIG shout out to Llbear who put me and my kids up for 2 months while we wrangled our way through the maze of social services. he was a great help to me emotionally, materially, and as a general sounding board for things I still have to do, and already had to do.
So, last week, we finally got into our 3-bedroom apartment here in Portland. It's more of a duplex, and it's only 900 feet, but the lights work, the kids have their own rooms, and I'm consistently sleeping in a private room for the first time in over five years. We were lucky to find an apartment with a landlord who actually will work with "Home Forward" which is the Oregon program for helping veterans get off the street.
I'm still building Ikea Furniture, and have a great pair of chairs from the local community closet, which was a lifesaver. Add to that we have a Grocery Outlet only a few blocks away, and it looks like I will be able to live frugally.
The best part is that I managed to keep my kids in the schools that they started the year in, thanks to a new Oregon law which allows me to transport them daily to Lake Oswego. Kids are really feeling alive up here, which is a great change. Took them to the Rose City Comic-con, as well as their first rock concert ever, (Bowling for Soup at the Hawthorne) and I'm amazed at how LITTLE I've done with my life in the past few years. Maybe because there was nothing to do in my home town, or that 100% of my money went to simply staying alive, it's a wonderful change to be here.
Of course there are downsides. Just got a call today that there seems to have been a problem with my paperwork, and now I need to pay an additional 200 bucks a month for my apartment. Trying to work it out with the social worker, but I have to wait on phone calls for that.
Comcast decided to be jerks when I tried to hook up my internet, demanding a 200 dollar "Previous Balance" that I've been arguing with them about for years. Course when the only decent net provider in town twists your arm, you grit your teeth and pay.
Aaaaand the VA decided that I had an overpayment on my GI bill from the last time I used it a year ago, and took my entire disability check for this month, and will be taking 362.00 more from next month.
Plus my computer is dying. Figure I've got a few more months if I baby it... but the half hour start up is annoying the hell out of me, and the seek times on the hard drive are becoming multiple minutes... Wanted to do a replacement with my back pay, and am incredibly glad I decided to wait until I was CERTAIN I was in a stable situation before doing so, as the bills continue to roll in for the little essentials of life.
That's the part that's bugging me. It seems that the instant I get off the street the vultures descend to demand their pound of flesh for every possible old bill that I might have been unable to deal with while I was on the street. Now that I'm back on the grid, so to speak, it's open season. Can't wait until the next crisis.
But, once again, that's all MINOR stuff. The main issues, my kids in school, fed, and a stable roof over our heads is taken care of. Yes, I'm not as high on the hierarchy of needs as I'd like, but at least I'm off the ground floor...
Now to file for social security for my disability, try to fight with the VA to get my disability upgraded, maybe file for medical in Oregon for my kids, and any other programs I have to keep me at least stable.
My budget is tight for now, but workable. My house is small, but livable. My car is a piece of crap, but it runs. And I'm in a city where I can live, not just survive.
Just have to make sure I don't fall into the old pattern of giving up close to the finish line.