I'm trying to maintain composure, especially when the person is trying to help.
Let me be clear. I have contacted everyone from 211 to Hope House, Salvation Army, Delaware Public Housing, Delaware State Service Center, The Housing Alliance, and the list goes on. I have several pages worth in my notebook of places/people I have reached out to, including dates and times as well as info I was given.
One of the most annoying things I came across is people telling me to contact so and so or such and such cus they will definitely help us. So when I do reach out I am told that they can't help us. Over and over and over again.
The state did help us for a few months out of the funding from Covid. Guess what? That funding ran out. We already received help from TANF. Again, it ran out.
There is a huge housing crisis in Delaware. Many many families are homeless not just us. The problem is that in this state, they consider $27,000/yr the poverty level. What happens to those like me who are drastically below the poverty level? We fall in the cracks. We do not qualify for low-income housing in this state. We simply do not have the income that is required. We don't even have the money to pay for the credit/criminal checks which run anywhere from $35-50 depending on where you are applying. None of that money is refundable.
Yes, I have applied to public housing here. We have been on the waiting list for Delaware Housing Authority for 23 months. When I initially applied, I was told the waiting list would be 1 1/2 to 3 yrs long.
That's the other issue. No matter where you apply, the waiting lists are 3 + years long. We are homeless now. We need help now.
Dave even tried to get a job. He's not supposed to work because his left knee is shot and he has to have a full knee replacement. He has to wear a knee brace all the time to his orthopedic doctor's orders. He cannot walk without it.
Do you want to know how bad things are? Dave applied to be a bell ringer at the Salvation Army. They told him no. They also said he was an insurance risk. Everywhere he has applied to has told him the same thing. So yes, he has begun the application process for disability, but that takes months to years to go through if it does go through.
Through all of this horror, we had to send our youngest daughter to her friend's house. We didn't want her to have to deal with being homeless. She's in 10th grade and needs to stay focused on her schooling and not have to worry about living out of a van. We didn't get to spend Thanksgiving with her not that we really had a Thanksgiving to begin with. Having our family split up hurts so much.
I would also point out that I am disabled. Due to my mobility issues, my eldest daughter, #helly-watermelonsmellinfellon is my caregiver. She doesn't have a driver's license, so she cannot get a job at Uber or Doordash. Besides, we live out of the van. There is no vehicle for her to use. Plus, the water pump on the van is going.
#helly-watermelonsmellinfellon is doing what she can with her ko-fi. It's a good thing my kid can write her socks off.
