Being Homeless

What is it like to be without? What is it like to have to worry about a place to lay your head? Try it when you are on probation with a seven pm curfew and five to seven inches of snow falling. What are you to do? I over drafted my bank account and and checked into a hotel. This is the fourth time I have done this to keep from being homeless. What are you supposed to do?

The last time I did that was because I was starting to get covid with pneumonia. What has led to this? I only make a certain amount of money each month from the Veterans Administration. The disability check I receive isn't enough to cover rent in two different states. I am trying to get my probation transferred back to Virginia. Virginia has already denied me once and now I have to reapply and pay another one hundred dollars. I also have to pay the county for being on probation each month.

Probation expects me to maintain a residence in both Colorado and Virginia. That's an impossibility. How can I pay rent in two states? I found out today I am staying in the homeless shelter until the end of February. For that I am grateful.

But what am I learning from this ordeal? Most of the homeless are like me either on parole or probation. Most of them can't get a job due to addiction issues, or physical limitations. Since we can't get jobs the income we receive isn't enough to pay the rent in Denver. I have called numerous apartment complexes and the cheapest complex is ninety dollars more than my monthly check, the most expensive is six hundred-fifty dollars more than my check.

I have also learned that some of the homeless are decent people but others will steal you blind. You also have some who no matter how nice you are to them they are rude and disrespectful as hell to you. I had young girl around nineteen come up to get some cereal this morning. I said good morning young lady which cereal will it be. Her response in a terse voice was I'll serve myself. You just worry about yourself. My response was I was only trying to be helpful. She responded with no you weren't. I said you don't have to be rude.

There is a resource center where I can sit and do my work. Some of the apartments they have provided aren't even affordable for me. How are you supposed to live if your rent is more than your income?

Some of the homeless are nice and will show you the ropes as to where to go and what to do. Some will just say forget you and tell you to figure it out on your own. I am however very thankful for all the services provided to me. I am thankful for any and all resources that the agencies can provide to me. But what amazes me is the way in which the counselors treats each individual with respect. It is interesting to see how helpful they are to us despite the fact that some of the people are very challenging.

There was a gentleman who kept banging on the door and woke up the entire room I was sleeping in. He kept arguing with the on duty case manager. Then he threw himself against the door and claimed the staff member pushed him. The staff member never touched him. The police were called to remove from the building. That was an adventure in and of itself. He threw himself on the ground and then screamed police brutality. He has already retained a lawyer.