For those of you who have wondered where I have been, I have been living life one day at a time at Community for Creative Non-Violence (CCNV), working in the computer lab as a staff member.
I have not written in some time because I felt that I was beating a dead horse, writing about what it’s like to be homeless, until it became monotonous for me. Call it writer’s block or what you will, but I took time to do some other things with my life.
And that brings me to the main subject of this editorial. As much as I always said that there is no system to help the homeless — and I still maintain that to be true — something miraculous did happen recently. I started moving into an apartment of my own. I have resigned as a CCNV staff member to take time to prepare for the long-anticipated move.
I admit that getting the apartment was a battle of nerves for me. Between the time I saw the apartment and my move-in date, three months elapsed, and often I wondered if it was going to be another disappointment. In the past, I have written about opportunities for housing that did not materialize, and I could only wonder if that would be the case this time. To my amazement, it was not.
I would be remiss if I did not give credit to my core service agency, Green Door, which was the organization that made it all happen. I have been a consumer there since 2003, almost as long as I was homeless, and I was able to partake of many of its services.
My case manager was able to find the apartment in which I will be living as an available unit, and I am very grateful to her for that. Others in the agency also played a significant part in making it all happen, and I thank them all most sincerely.
Additionally, A Wider Circle and the National Academy of Sciences both helped me considerably with furniture, and I owe them a special thank-you.
As I said in an earlier editorial, now I will be facing life in Washington as a regular citizen. I will not have the acceptance that I had as a CCNV staff member in the community; it will be starting from scratch.
One thing I would warn anybody who gets an apartment through whatever means: be prepared to spend big bucks. Moving is expensive, and certain things, such as changing locks on the doors, are indispensable, even though they may be costly. Also, if there is a deposit to pay, it is not always covered by the subsidy or voucher that enables a person to get an apartment. If you don’t have money to spend, chances are you won’t make it in the new place.
As much as I look forward to living in my apartment, I will still miss CCNV. It was a good place for me, even though I will not miss the meals (that I could not stomach) and the cold showers (that happened without warning). I hope there is some way to improve these things in the future.
The shelter has long been a low priority for the D.C. government, even to the point that the inspectors did not even bother to visit the shelter in the last go-round. Unless something is done to end homelessness in a satisfactory manner — which does not mean closing down shelters and forcing people into the streets — CCNV will be valuable for the homeless population and needs to be treated accordingly.
That having been said, it is my sincerest wish that all the homeless manage to find acceptable housing and to end their homeless status. Being homeless can be devastating, and getting out of homelessness is not easy.
For people who assume that “the system” will get them out of homelessness, wake up: There is no such system, and the people who cared about the homeless seem to be a dying breed in D.C. politics. That needs to change fast.
