OMG I'm going to be thrown into the street!

[daredtowork]

449. I would have to go back to look at the timeline

Has it been several years? I was under the impression this has been going on this past year?

The loss of job thing sounded credible to me. The landlady created a situation that stressed TTW out - which, if it wasn't a hygiene issue, probably was a short temper issue. In either case, it seems like TTW couldn't fight her landlady on the "slumlord" issues AND keep on top of things at work. It sounds like some depression is going on there.

Also nothing is more stressful than a move - packing up all your stuff and starting someplace new. So this situation can be as exactly overwhelming and exhausting as TTW describes it. Whether it WAS - I have no way to prove, but I also wouldn't doubt it out of hand either. Instead I would call this common.

But it's because I regard this as common that I'd like to see someone just address TTW's situation and perhaps vouch for it. It certainly doesn't help other poor people if they always get questioned as "likely scammers" - and this almost always happens when people ask for help on forums. But I think people do this because A) they really can't get their needs met through local resources (I'll vouch for this) and b) asking for anonymous help is less embarrassing than confronting judgmental church ladies face to face (especially if you are stressed out and depressed as it is). But where regular help, like rent, is needed - it's not possible to get enough help that way. Asking repeatedly will just make someone come across as begging all the time. So this situation is bad for everyone involved, including TTW.

Again, it would be best for these sorts of situations to be "contained" by wrap-around services, because several pieces are going to have to move at the same time for anything to change. TTW isn't going to be able to climb out of it if she continues to remain stressed by being unemployed, eviction hanging over her, ill health, etc. That same situation will go on month after month while those who helped her will grumble "I gave at the office last month...".

(From my own experience, if there has to be an order, do it this way: 1) Lift threat to housing UNEQUIVOCABLY - all other material needs are secondary to housing stress-wise, 2) Address any health issues that might sabotage work, 3) Eliminate any material obstacles to applying for work - such as access to transportation, 4) Support job hunt.)