Home is where the resources are. . .

One day a week I work as a caseworker at Guadalupe Social Services. We are a direct assistance agency. My job is to speak with clients and give out food and financial assistance for rent or utility bills. Clients can only receive one service each month (one food bag or one bill payed). On top of that, they can only receive financial assistance once a year. Sometimes it seems like a band-aid on a much larger social problem. I have to remember that meeting immediate needs is just as important as fighting to change the system that created those needs in the first place.

As I stand in the back of the main office at Guadalupe Social Services I patiently wait to have a look at the intake list so that I can get the name of my next client. There is a woman at the front window asking about the rent assistance form. She is of short stature and toting two small children along with her. She is concerned because her rent is three months past due and she has received an eviction notice from her landlord. She has to come up with the money by the next day otherwise she will need to find a new place to live. In the Hollywood version of this story a handsome caseworker swoops in to save the day, finding the funds to secure the family’s home, filling their kitchen with good nutritious food to eat, and finding steady work for the family so that they never need to worry about being in this situation again. In the real life version of this story the woman was informed that we did not have the funds to pay all of her back rent and that she would be better off leaving her home and staying with friends for a few days until she finds a new place. The rent funds that we would be able to give her would be better put to use on a new place. After some discussion it was determined that she had some family she could stay with. She left the office with a look that was a mixture of defeat, sadness, and panic. She would have to pack up all of her family’s belongings that night and move out by the morning. No easy task in general. Now take into account the fact that cars are a commodity scarcely found among most of the communities here. Next, add in the stress of multiple small children running around needing attention. Top it off with the worry of what you are going to feed your family for dinner (we’re not talking “should we have chicken or pork for dinner?” we’re talking “are we even going to have enough food to cook a dinner?”)

It was after witnessing this event when I recalled an idea that was discussed at one of our community night reflections: “How many barriers are there between me and homelessness?” In other words, how many resources do I have at my disposal that I would have to blow through before finding myself calling the sidewalk “home.” For starters, I have the HM program and all of its resources. I have multiple family members who could take me in, give me financial support, or both. I have friends in many different cities who would take me in. I have a bank account with some money in it. I have assets in the form of physical goods that I could sell for some extra cash (there goes my car, furniture, clothes, shoes, kitchenw are, and other various material possessions). Honestly, there are multiple “back-up plans” that would have to fall through for me to land in a place even remotely close to what that woman was experiencing.

This past summer I would joke about how I was homeless and living out of my car. I was a nomad with no apartment or house of my own. I traveled from place to place visiting friends and family. I stayed on couches, in guest rooms, and in tents. I never had to worry about whether or not I was going to have shelter for the night. I never had to worry about whether or not I was going to have anything to eat. I never had to worry about w hether or not I would have enough money for gas to get to my next location. In retrospect referring to myself as “homeless” was an inaccurate and insensitive description. I had good company, tasty food, and a warm bed (except for maybe a few nights of camping when I had a semi-warm sleeping bag) each night.

What makes me so different from these people that I have the resources to make it through this life comfortably? It is a question that I cannot seem to find an answer to other than that I was born into a different situation which for me is not enough. So I answer my question with another question: What can I do to create comfortable situa tions for others? It’s a question that can be answered in multiple ways. It’s something to think about, and something to keep in mind as I continue my year as an HM volunteer.

And now for your viewing pleasure, a medley of some of the places I have been able to call home over the past couple years.

Peace Out

Love,

Babs