Dear DU-ers: I still need your support to avoid becoming homeless.

[daredtowork]

54. There Have Been Some Similar Posts - You Might Be Confusing Them

I understand where you are coming from: defenses just go up whenever you hear "begging". It happens on the street, it happens on the Internet. You automatically assume there should be some "screening system" out there to vet the real needs of people.

But there is no "screening system". If you are in a position to or are inclined to help people, all you can do is seek the best information about the situation you can and be wary that there are scammers out there. Then make your own decision. You have no business making that decision for other people - and you definitely have no business derailing aid that could avert someone from homelessness.

One thing everyone should be aware of is the process to get SSI/SSDI can take YEARS. It is especially difficult for people who weren't in manually labor jobs and for people with complex medical conditions that don't fit neatly into bureaucratic boxes. Ever since the economic meltdown of 2008, there has been an enormous backlog in these applications as well: not just because unemployed people were falling back on SSI/SSDI as a "safety net", but because the stress of longterm unemployment and going through traumatic experiences like homelessness were exacerbating underlying medical conditions and causing downward spirals into disability. Society created these stresses but then didn't create a safety net for the people exposed to them.

Once people apply for SSI/SSDI, they can't work because that would prove they "can" work - and they won't get SSI/SSDI. But then how do they pay for rent and basic necessities? At this point they can only fall back on "welfare". The problem here is that welfare is usually so minimal that it's not enough to preserve people from homelessness. But people waiting for SSI/SSDI will usually try to avoid homelessness as long as possible, because if they can just make it until they get SSI/SSDI they will have continuity in the place they have lived for how ever many years instead of having to give up all their possessions and having to go through the chaos and stress of homelessness (on top of the medical problems they are already suffering) just because they are trying to apply for SSI/SSDI.

This is a major screw up of both Welfare Reform and the SSI/SSDI system. Countless people have gone through this. I'm going through this right now. The only reason I'm not here begging on the Internet is I have my own "workarounds" going, which include an extremely understanding landlord, a housemate that has taken over the utility bills for the time being, and juggling all sorts of trades. I suspect most people in this situation are forced to give up their homes and their autonomy and move in with family.

I can't vouch for this particular person or case. I encourage people of means to give generously to people waiting for SSI/SSDI, but also give smart and get to know who you are donating to. But please don't issue stern "NO BEGGING ON THE SIDEWALK" orders without making an effort to understand that society has created a situation that drives people to that. It's really none of your business anyway.