Nearly 90 days ago, I became homeless. After about a month, I started writing diaries about my situation. Some friends have read along since diary one. (Homeless Now) Others have learned of the series more recently.
I am using Diary 50 to define some terms, introduce the "regulars" and give people a place to start from without suggesting they read the 49 previous diaries.
Glossary:
H-Day (I just made that up.) July 30, the day Nietzsche and I became homeless.
Shoulda Day (Guess who just made that up.) July 23, the day TCF Bank should have declined the next week's rent (since I didn't authorize it and it caused a nifty overdraft.)
Lisle (pronounced, "Lyle.") The town where Nietzsche and I lived.
Nietzsche - my reactive German Shepherd
PADS - "Providing Advocacy, Dignity and Shelter" An organization in DuPage and other northern Illinois counties. Provides clients with an opportunity to get a pad at one of their interim shelter sites, dinner, breakfast and a sack lunch. Other assistance available regarding housing and employment. See www.dupagepads.org.
PADS center - 703 W. Liberty, Wheaton. Site where you meet with your caseworker.
Thursdays – the one day a week that anyone can enter the PADS center. It’s a total Brouhaha!
ID Card - the laminated card you turn in when you reach a shelter site.
Lotto - drawing ID Cards until the site is full.
Lottoed out - card not drawn before the site was full. May be sent to another site. Or may be offered dinner and good luck.
Pad - small mattress between 2 and 4 inches thick that lies on the floor.
Pillow, pillow case, fitted sheet, flat sheet, blanket - linens provided with each pad.
Vehicle site - allows you to park your car from about 6 pm until 7 am.
No vehicle site - unless you were lottoed out at a vehicle site and authorized to go to a non-vehicle site, no cars allowed.
Family site - (October - April) - unless individuals are provided with a guaranteed pad or sent to this site after being lottoed out somewhere else, families only allowed. From May - September, families get first entry at all sites.
Guaranteed Pad – for those with either medical reasons, or income (preferably full time) and “90 day exit plan” – Pad is guaranteed at the night’s family site.
Southern sites (Winter only) – Most non-vehicle and all family sites are in Southern DuPage County
Northern sites (Winter only) – Many vehicle sites for individuals are in Northern DuPage County
The Rules – some are written, some are revised from what is written Many are confusing (since they differ from what is written) and applied haphazardly.
Laurie – the receptionist at the PADS center. She has to keep people out who want to come in, and keep track of who is in. She has one HELL of a job.
Tim – my caseworker, one of about ½ a dozen caseworkers. I don’t see him (in meetings) very frequently.
Jen – the ‘head’ caseworker, who leads a couple of groups I belong to: Planning Ahead and Housing
Grace – a case worker in the center & also at sites at night. ALWAYS pleasant and smiling and sweet. You just want to smack her!
Lutisha – newly in charge of the Employment program.
Miss Rebecca – the on-site (shelter) case worker who signed me in & who calls me “Miss Barbara”.
My Friends – I haven’t named them in my diaries. It just feels wrong to do that. One is an older woman in a walker, who has had a hip replacement, needs a knee replacement – and her stents from her 2001 bypass aren’t doing all that great. The other is a younger woman who works at Jewel (a grocery) and has been having issues since her colonoscopy. The man I would include on this list is Grady, a limo driver who is going to move into his own place soon. (Why do I feel comfortable naming him, but not them?!)
Linebacker Harpy (LH) – a woman who REALLY doesn’t like me. The feeling is mutual, and I stay as clear from her as possible. She enjoys stirring up trouble. I find that immature and dangerous, and think it should be cause to be banned from shelters, as much as the fights are.
TJ – a guy who hits on women in PADS, using them to get gas money & (it’s been said) more.
The Bird Lady – a woman who has her bird placed in a foster situation and who talks about Alex more than I talk about Nietzsche. After last night, she’s coming up in a future diary.
Brad – a guy who makes me laugh, because (as he pointed out) “Barb sideways is Brad.”
Kenneth B – a guy who is really nice and extremely helpful – a gentleman. And makes good root beer floats.
Lenore – drags 2 HUGE suitcases with her, wherever she goes.
Ms. No-Assistance – woman who insists she doesn’t take any assistance, though she sleeps in a shelter every night and eats (an AMAZING amount of) donated food. Rants about people who take assistance, or (for example) people in walkers who wait for the handicapped stall.
I’ll try to come up with more names, for the regulars.
DIARY LIST:
My intent next is to list the diaries in the series which have hit the Rec List or Community Spotlight, rather than pick out some titles at random.
Now, Homeless – Recommended - http://www.dailykos.com/...
Homeless 7 – Recommended - http://www.dailykos.com/...
Homeless 8 – Recommended - http://www.dailykos.com/...
Homeless 9 – Rescued - http://www.dailykos.com/...
Homeless 11 – Recommended - http://www.dailykos.com/...
Homeless 12 – Recommended - http://www.dailykos.com/...
Homeless 16 – Rescued - http://www.dailykos.com/...
Homeless 19 – Rescued & Recommended - http://www.dailykos.com/...
Homeless 29A – Recommended - http://www.dailykos.com/...
Homeless 34 – Recommended - http://www.dailykos.com/...
Homeless 35 – Rescued - http://www.dailykos.com/...
Homeless 37 – Recommended - http://www.dailykos.com/...
Homeless 44 – Recommended - http://www.dailykos.com/...
Homeless 49 – Rescued - http://www.dailykos.com/...
© 2015 sheddhead – not to be used without written consent of the author, unless quoting portions of this diary on DailyKos, with links back to the original quotation