Hi! I have been Disabled with Fibro since 1999 and can not afford to live on Social Security Disability. I only get $25 a month in food stamps. I can not legally work for the next 2 years because my Student Loans are being forgiven due to my Disability, so I can not earn "one cent" they said. Does anyone have any suggestions of what to do, how to eat, how to afford rent? I have lost 50 pounds and now weigh 100 pounds because I can not afford food. I am dying and just need some help on how to survive. Do they expect us to kill ourselves?
Dear Sheila
My heart goes out to you and not sure what I can say to be helpful to you . I imagine you have appealed and applied to all agencies which I can’t even think of names of them now . What about contacting an advocate for the disabled ? I think that may be a good place to start . As far as food check out food banks and churches . This is all I can think of now . Oh can you check about a raise in your food stamps to re-evaluate your income ?
All the best
HUGGGGGGGGGGGS
Suzie
I am so sorry you are going through this!
What I have found to help myself:
Rent Help through HUD (Housing of Urban Development)
Here in Iowa there is a program called Iowa Share, I am able to order food packages. These pkgs are fruit, vegies & meat, fruit & vegies only or to add them to the f,v&m pkg, meat only or to add to the f,v &m pkg. Then there are extra things you can order if you choose one of the items above. The most expensive on the first half of the listing will be $16. I can use cash or Food Stamps.
Is there an Aldi grocery store within a 50mi radius of you? It is an inexpensive grocery store. One store in Council Bluffs had a special on milk buy 1 get 1 free, (limit 5 per person). At the Ft Dodge store the manager told a man, "Sir, I cannot sell you my entire inventory of bottled water, there are people here who need it."
Heat Help (this works for both heat & air-conditioning). I usu receive $440 (from Nov to Apr) for heat help & $90 in cooling help & it goes directly to the electric or gas company.
If you live in a big city, there is also the Salvation Army, Catholic Social Services, Lutheran Social Services, reduced bus fare, & the homeless shelter will feed you.
You can get a free phone, it isn't fancy, but it works!
Okay this is all I remember now, I may add on later. Hope this helps you!
M
Thank you for your support. I am in Puerto Rico and do not know what to do about HUD. I guess I need to start looking into things here. I am from Florida and didn't get any help there either. But thank you for your ideas and kind words. My Grand Parents used to live in Council Bluffs before they passed. Small world! Hugs! Sheila
suzie said:
Dear Sheila
My heart goes out to you and not sure what I can say to be helpful to you . I imagine you have appealed and applied to all agencies which I can't even think of names of them now . What about contacting an advocate for the disabled ? I think that may be a good place to start . As far as food check out food banks and churches . This is all I can think of now . Oh can you check about a raise in your food stamps to re-evaluate your income ?
All the best
HUGGGGGGGGGGGS
SuzieThank you Suzie! Huggggs to you too!! <3 Sheila
Sheila here is a link to the Puerto Rico HUD website to get things rolling.
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/states/puerto_rico_virgin_…
You’re getting some terrific support here.
Hugs.
SheilaErin said:
Thank you for your support. I am in Puerto Rico and do not know what to do about HUD. I guess I need to start looking into things here. I am from Florida and didn’t get any help there either. But thank you for your ideas and kind words. My Grand Parents used to live in Council Bluffs before they passed. Small world! Hugs! Sheila
BaltimoreBaby said:
Sheila here is a link to the Puerto Rico HUD website to get things rolling.
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/states/puerto_rico_virgin_...
You're getting good some terrific support here.
Hugs.THank you so much for that! Yes, I found the same thing. Do you have to be a family though, or can it just be you and your emotional support dog(my family)? Do you know what they look for?
SheilaErin said:Thank you for your support. I am in Puerto Rico and do not know what to do about HUD. I guess I need to start looking into things here. I am from Florida and didn't get any help there either. But thank you for your ideas and kind words. My Grand Parents used to live in Council Bluffs before they passed. Small world! Hugs! Sheila
hi, if you have food stamps, that must mean you have health and human services. have you asked them for help in paying your utilities? if you are getting only $25 in stamps, here in Nebraska that would mean "we" would get getting about $1000 in disability. That seems like a lot, but if you are paying rent and no help on utilities, it really isn't much. please check into that hud site, but also DHHS. I am in the same position, and my stamps went from $100 a month to $16. you don't have to be a "family:, - it's just me and my little shitzu. Oh and that's another thing, dog food gets expensive. are there any animal care people there where you could sign up for free or low cost dog food. Also, I have a friend who does ironing for people for cash. She picks up their clean clothes, irons them and puts them on hangers and charges $10 an hour. try to think of something you can do for cash.
Carolyn,
I make 900 a month in Disability but do have to pay rent, 400 a month. Then there is the cell, 40 , headache medicine, 120, and other little bills that add up. It is not enough to survive on your own and pay for rent and so one. It's just not enough. But thank you for your answer and your support. It's just me and Karma(chihuahua) but I call us a family. I'm in Puerto Rico which is a very very poor country and people do not want to pay. Most of them are on welfare too. I'd call it quit's and go back home to my mother but she is an abusive alcoholic. So I'm damned no matter what I do. I will look into hud here but am not a resident yet. I could see surviving on 1500 a month, but 900 is literally killing me. Thanks for your support and take care. Sheila
Hi Sheila , I understand your income and where it has to go and that you don’t have a penny more to go anywhere else . I have many friends in that same boat . A few friends of mine got lucky and got onto 80/20 housing or Section 8 , similar to Hud where they pay 80% of the rent and in most places the utilities are included . While you are staying put where you are as no place else to go right now I would look in to making whatever applications for low income housing that is available where you are . The more applications as you have out there the better are your odds that something may surface . And being alone and not a family does not reduce your chances . In fact you are alone and disabled which even puts you on a good priority list . And as I mentioned before I think it is a good idea to get an advocate for the disabled in your area who can help you with these things .if you can not physically get to a food bank for free food find out who can deliver it to you . I think there is an agency and/ or volunteers for that . Reach out beyond the scope of what you may not think is possible . Much love and
HUGGGGGGGGGGGGGS
Suzie
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Thank you Suzie. I’ve applied for low income housing structures. The HUD list here is closed, full of applicants. I’m crammed in my mother’s 1 bedroom mobile home. I have no privacy but my mom dies help me a lot. Thank you for your thoughtful response. I hope you have a good New Year 2019! Erin