B
Just in case you really do want to know what we are up against...here's the current situation. Having weathered 3 1/2 years where I wasn't permitted to earn additional income while my only child at home was training or restrictions were implemented in regards to new owner/management for the building, meaning no boarders allowed - only co-tenancy which means full rights to this apartment rather than month by month when renting from us. So as you can well imagine I ran out of credit and cash around April last year. I also had some arrears as I was still handling the debt consolidation payments monthly until fall last year.
My young son has only been able to earn $500 a month due to restrictions on welfare, and has made $480 clear paying for transportation lunches, some clothes and his social needs from this amount. This was a 'family' non-deductible amount, so I haven't been earning anything above this amounts. My pension is virtually nill as I've done domestic labor and for one reason or another the gov cannot find the Tax records for those I have worked for at least for the majority of jobs I did. Makes me wonder did they not declare my having worked for them? So I applied for social assistance as my youngest son has been in a long battle for his very life and I had to remain at home caring for him.
Rent is presently $765 a month. It could be increased monthly once per year at $25 a month increase.
$ 25-$40 a month for hydro,
Shaw bundles land-line phone, full cable and good internet at the current rate of $104 mon. Was #167 month before plan changes came into affect and I could reduce the service bundle.
The basics for the bathroom, kitchen, laundry and household maintenance is about $160 a month,
including basic cleaning and kitchen household needs est. at $15 mon. -
supplies such as toilet paper est., at $15 a mon.,
Kleenex est., at $8 a mon.,
paper toweling est., at $4 a mon.,
basic laundry supplies est. at $20 month,
and basic coin laundry averaging $36 Each mon. per month including, linens/towels/clothing
+ basic 3 loads weekly and monthly bed covering,curtains or misc items - a possible additional 3 loads monthly at $12 month Each monthly. Tl $98 month for two person's basic coin laundry.
The additional est. of $50/ month budgeted for - is for any potential rent increase or for small household repair needs, or for carpet cleaning requirements from time to time.
So this is $1,116 a month.
Plus the $251 debt consolidation payments for the loans and credit balance ( this is the interest amount at 29 % ) and the consolidation fees over 4 1/2 years of which there is 3 years remaining approximately.
I paid the fees, interest and loan amount due steadily for five years and since then the past 1 1/2 years consolidated my prior loan amounts and credit card. I also cleared up two miracle overdrafts of $500 each, reduced where I could, got rid of the pets, took a no-fee bank account, used energy saving light-bulbs, didn't buy diddly-squat for myself unless a real need, went binning ( now security has pressured everyone to lock their bins up and harass people even older refugees from accessing that which is thrown out and still useful, the cost of basics such as food and toiletries has gone up an average of 20-30 % in the past year here.
My eldest son woks in a warehouse, and recently has been sending $250 a month towards this debt interest payment I have been able to catch up on the arrears I had with Shaw bundled services, and grocery debts, as well as some personal loans.
I was able to pay the full rents, utilities, and keep up with some vital basics for Mathew ongoing as well as pay down anything over the current one master card I now have. In the last year though, some very extreme needs arose for cleaning this apartment, getting the repairs done, some fridge parts, a replacement glass-sliding door for the bedroom and dealing with an infestation of mice ongoing.
Recently my only child at home with me, had two teeth filled and I just got the news he has two impacted wisdom teeth which fortunately our present dentist is willing to extract in her office, one at a time. I am not sure yet it seemed to me there could be as many as four wisdom teeth to come out - two at least really need to come out soon.. He will also need some partial braces after these are pulled to straighten his jaw line out.
I have also been addressing my health needs for some basic nutritional and supplemental needs as I had been experiencing severe cramping. I also needed glasses which I have for reading as the prescription pair I had is so inadequate at the budget level of coverage here. I had my dental work done and half a pair of new dentures made - the rest will have to wait until next year as I am not able to get them covered all at one time and cleaning or repairs done this year.
So the grim news is my youngest, needs some time off his computer training work to address his needs for dentistry and recovery as this is pretty major surgery on an out-patient basis. In hospital with a specialist would cost us too much money and likely be left undone. He also needs for the next year the security of a home and as I have let you know as this month we anticipate a cut back of an average of $700 monthly. Including school start-up or grant amounts which weren't a lot however less than $200 a yr. Then the family bonus is cut off as well as the welfare support and the Christmas family bonus. This averages out to be about $700 a month averaged over a year.
My current one open master card is at $1,850 as I had to take out the rent and utility money this month on the card on top of the balance from the past two months where I have desperately addressed job searches, the carpet cleaning, wall washing, repairs, fridge parts replaced, glass door replacement or mice infestation while Plaster of Paris mixed with steel wool has plugged the holes they have chewed into the walls accessing our apartment. The cracks in the walls as the building continues to settle has been repaired with the plaster of Paris. I have yet the bathroom and kitchen caulking to do and then there is a great need for painting as it has been over ten years in this apartment.
As I am down $1850 and have a decrease monthly of around seven hundred a month. I have been panicked in the past two months because I didn't want to be evicted due to repairs or hygiene as landlords are always on the prowl it appears to rid their other tenants of the presence of social burdens. In reality most landlords we've had deliberately harass us try to intimidate or cause some incident - including neglecting repairs. should you take this to bat with an organization you're branded as a trouble-maker and somewhere someone down the line will take it out on you or your children.
One would think that now My young son is eighteen all our problems are solved. Were he to have fallen into foster care they would supply an additional two years support for him.
I haven't funds to move with or to pay a new deposit - low income housing is normally way out from Malls and dental/medical centers and requires what I do not have available or haven't had to pay for which is a monthly transit pass at $140 month for a 2-3 zone pass. The hydro in these units is higher by far than what we presently pay for so with the transit needs and higher hydro we might as well battle it out here.
Usually in modern buildings unlike this one the rent is much higher from 12-1400 a month and the hydro is electric running at a averaged amount of 2-300 monthly. Although this building is well over fifty years old and un-insulated it is in a prime location where i can walk to nearly all the places I need to go.
I am a good grocery shopper usually and have been to many on many a bargain hunt. While it is restrictive, dietary-wise, as to what and how often one eats, especially red meat or fresh fruit or vegetables - I have improvised and picked berries and bought reduced items on sale or frozen. Once in awhile roast is on sale two for one and I have cut up the meat in slices and frozen them for stir-fry.
Meanwhile I am weary - mostly of the long-standing and prolific abundance of social/economic related struggles with in mind many people just do not have the construct of past experience to understand our plight or the endangerment society has within structures applying both racial and religious bias along to the impoverished, weak and vulnerable. Now, it seems nearly everyone is in panic mode and avoiding anyone with dire straights. There are so many people in similar situations in these times.
So the bottom line is we both need a Miracle.
What does a miracle look like? To us?
One Master Card fully paid.
A $1,000 gift card debit style - Each*
This is to facilitate recover from dental and nutritional needs and work related stress reduction as well as for me to get on top of the rest of the repairs, cleaning, painting and job search/co-tenant advertisement.
I have recently applied for a deli cleaning job - a restaurant cleaning job, a dental office cleaning job, tried to sell my sketches, tried to advertise for a co-tenant, and I have prayed.
So far other than our dental assistance of late which is timely and by loving people, there is just the homeless I employed to carry heavy items for me or do the washing of the ceiling. Other than the man at the bus stop giving me $20 one day as I was short...there hasn't been anyone else leaving much on my door-knob unless you count a homeless man who brought me outdated perfume cosmetics and skin cream he found in the Bay's garbage bin.
However, my eldest daughter recently got her paramedic certificate and is paying off debts related to geting this, as well as she's a mom of my only grandchild thus far - has sent two boxes of clothing and some shoes and boots which I really am grateful for as the mice had chewed my underwear and some other clothing old as it was.
Is it any wonder my youngest son went off to train with a computer company without any certification? Instead of having the faith to trust the Lord for the computer school and one yr's college offer - paid for, or went to the family of his girlfriend and close associates for comforting when I certainly have had more on my plate than even he could tolerate. His healing, for his prior Leaky Gut Syndrome, Liver condition and eyesight is further complicated in that who's he going to speak about these matters to. especially as a teenager. Now he has a small hole in his right ear from a recent, severe infection. However, complicated through my duress, circumstances and the deaths or moving away from our area, of 22 family and friends, who previously offered their support my son has been a real trouper. Yet, I note a unforeseen weariness, growing in his demeanor.
So, there it is. That's what is presently our basic survival needs.
Otherwise, it may be I will be typing to you from a library computer while living in some dingy hotel somewhere downtown Vancouver's Notorious East-side and my youngest child may well fall toward indebtedness in an attempt to keep out of the holes of the systems fabric and social services networking.
Or worse ! As his health is still stabilizing and these seemingly normal procedures really require at least a home base back-up and some nutritional assistance in convalescence.
Why bother to ask for assistance now? With such current needs, when it will only go on later with another and another crisis. Well, over eighteen years we have managed with very little intervention.
Thanks be to God *
Yet what came little or larger in the manner of helps made ALL the difference where and how we ended up alive or not literally at times, or in a more normal environment or in a homeless shelter.
Prayer moves mountains.
There is no quick and easy answer to impoverishment however we count our blessings and ask for your prayers as you feel led of the Holy Spirit.
Needless to say one doesn't take on hobbies lucrative or not on this budget or make a lot of social connections and go with the flow in society. One would be fortunate indeed to have the empathy of relatives still living or in contact with you -
I believe we will both come out of this fine - I have to remain positive. I can keep looking for some part-time work or a co-tenant and meanwhile preparing the apartment for such as well as taking better care of my health and getting at least a top pair of dentures - which helps a whole lot when making an application.
So do the proper clothing which I must add has made it possible to hold my head up more of late as well as the peace I feel that I will not end up with my loan amount or creditors calling for their payment immediately due to any missed payments.
At nearing 62 and with limited job skills which are not manual labor...at minimum wage I have a lot stacked against me as to taking care of retaining the only possessions we have which took a long ten years to accumulate or preventing the loss of the only relative home base my youngest son has available to him ongoing until he's well on his feet in a full time position and free of these health concerns.
With our deepest thankfulness for your time and concerns,
for prayers for love and miracle deliverance,
Love always in Christ
BoundNFreed and the little duckling still in the nest.
My young son has only been able to earn $500 a month due to restrictions on welfare, and has made $480 clear paying for transportation lunches, some clothes and his social needs from this amount. This was a 'family' non-deductible amount, so I haven't been earning anything above this amounts. My pension is virtually nill as I've done domestic labor and for one reason or another the gov cannot find the Tax records for those I have worked for at least for the majority of jobs I did. Makes me wonder did they not declare my having worked for them? So I applied for social assistance as my youngest son has been in a long battle for his very life and I had to remain at home caring for him.
Rent is presently $765 a month. It could be increased monthly once per year at $25 a month increase.
$ 25-$40 a month for hydro,
Shaw bundles land-line phone, full cable and good internet at the current rate of $104 mon. Was #167 month before plan changes came into affect and I could reduce the service bundle.
The basics for the bathroom, kitchen, laundry and household maintenance is about $160 a month,
including basic cleaning and kitchen household needs est. at $15 mon. -
supplies such as toilet paper est., at $15 a mon.,
Kleenex est., at $8 a mon.,
paper toweling est., at $4 a mon.,
basic laundry supplies est. at $20 month,
and basic coin laundry averaging $36 Each mon. per month including, linens/towels/clothing
+ basic 3 loads weekly and monthly bed covering,curtains or misc items - a possible additional 3 loads monthly at $12 month Each monthly. Tl $98 month for two person's basic coin laundry.
The additional est. of $50/ month budgeted for - is for any potential rent increase or for small household repair needs, or for carpet cleaning requirements from time to time.
So this is $1,116 a month.
Plus the $251 debt consolidation payments for the loans and credit balance ( this is the interest amount at 29 % ) and the consolidation fees over 4 1/2 years of which there is 3 years remaining approximately.
I paid the fees, interest and loan amount due steadily for five years and since then the past 1 1/2 years consolidated my prior loan amounts and credit card. I also cleared up two miracle overdrafts of $500 each, reduced where I could, got rid of the pets, took a no-fee bank account, used energy saving light-bulbs, didn't buy diddly-squat for myself unless a real need, went binning ( now security has pressured everyone to lock their bins up and harass people even older refugees from accessing that which is thrown out and still useful, the cost of basics such as food and toiletries has gone up an average of 20-30 % in the past year here.
My eldest son woks in a warehouse, and recently has been sending $250 a month towards this debt interest payment I have been able to catch up on the arrears I had with Shaw bundled services, and grocery debts, as well as some personal loans.
I was able to pay the full rents, utilities, and keep up with some vital basics for Mathew ongoing as well as pay down anything over the current one master card I now have. In the last year though, some very extreme needs arose for cleaning this apartment, getting the repairs done, some fridge parts, a replacement glass-sliding door for the bedroom and dealing with an infestation of mice ongoing.
Recently my only child at home with me, had two teeth filled and I just got the news he has two impacted wisdom teeth which fortunately our present dentist is willing to extract in her office, one at a time. I am not sure yet it seemed to me there could be as many as four wisdom teeth to come out - two at least really need to come out soon.. He will also need some partial braces after these are pulled to straighten his jaw line out.
I have also been addressing my health needs for some basic nutritional and supplemental needs as I had been experiencing severe cramping. I also needed glasses which I have for reading as the prescription pair I had is so inadequate at the budget level of coverage here. I had my dental work done and half a pair of new dentures made - the rest will have to wait until next year as I am not able to get them covered all at one time and cleaning or repairs done this year.
So the grim news is my youngest, needs some time off his computer training work to address his needs for dentistry and recovery as this is pretty major surgery on an out-patient basis. In hospital with a specialist would cost us too much money and likely be left undone. He also needs for the next year the security of a home and as I have let you know as this month we anticipate a cut back of an average of $700 monthly. Including school start-up or grant amounts which weren't a lot however less than $200 a yr. Then the family bonus is cut off as well as the welfare support and the Christmas family bonus. This averages out to be about $700 a month averaged over a year.
My current one open master card is at $1,850 as I had to take out the rent and utility money this month on the card on top of the balance from the past two months where I have desperately addressed job searches, the carpet cleaning, wall washing, repairs, fridge parts replaced, glass door replacement or mice infestation while Plaster of Paris mixed with steel wool has plugged the holes they have chewed into the walls accessing our apartment. The cracks in the walls as the building continues to settle has been repaired with the plaster of Paris. I have yet the bathroom and kitchen caulking to do and then there is a great need for painting as it has been over ten years in this apartment.
As I am down $1850 and have a decrease monthly of around seven hundred a month. I have been panicked in the past two months because I didn't want to be evicted due to repairs or hygiene as landlords are always on the prowl it appears to rid their other tenants of the presence of social burdens. In reality most landlords we've had deliberately harass us try to intimidate or cause some incident - including neglecting repairs. should you take this to bat with an organization you're branded as a trouble-maker and somewhere someone down the line will take it out on you or your children.
One would think that now My young son is eighteen all our problems are solved. Were he to have fallen into foster care they would supply an additional two years support for him.
I haven't funds to move with or to pay a new deposit - low income housing is normally way out from Malls and dental/medical centers and requires what I do not have available or haven't had to pay for which is a monthly transit pass at $140 month for a 2-3 zone pass. The hydro in these units is higher by far than what we presently pay for so with the transit needs and higher hydro we might as well battle it out here.
Usually in modern buildings unlike this one the rent is much higher from 12-1400 a month and the hydro is electric running at a averaged amount of 2-300 monthly. Although this building is well over fifty years old and un-insulated it is in a prime location where i can walk to nearly all the places I need to go.
I am a good grocery shopper usually and have been to many on many a bargain hunt. While it is restrictive, dietary-wise, as to what and how often one eats, especially red meat or fresh fruit or vegetables - I have improvised and picked berries and bought reduced items on sale or frozen. Once in awhile roast is on sale two for one and I have cut up the meat in slices and frozen them for stir-fry.
Meanwhile I am weary - mostly of the long-standing and prolific abundance of social/economic related struggles with in mind many people just do not have the construct of past experience to understand our plight or the endangerment society has within structures applying both racial and religious bias along to the impoverished, weak and vulnerable. Now, it seems nearly everyone is in panic mode and avoiding anyone with dire straights. There are so many people in similar situations in these times.
So the bottom line is we both need a Miracle.
What does a miracle look like? To us?
One Master Card fully paid.
A $1,000 gift card debit style - Each*
This is to facilitate recover from dental and nutritional needs and work related stress reduction as well as for me to get on top of the rest of the repairs, cleaning, painting and job search/co-tenant advertisement.
I have recently applied for a deli cleaning job - a restaurant cleaning job, a dental office cleaning job, tried to sell my sketches, tried to advertise for a co-tenant, and I have prayed.
So far other than our dental assistance of late which is timely and by loving people, there is just the homeless I employed to carry heavy items for me or do the washing of the ceiling. Other than the man at the bus stop giving me $20 one day as I was short...there hasn't been anyone else leaving much on my door-knob unless you count a homeless man who brought me outdated perfume cosmetics and skin cream he found in the Bay's garbage bin.
However, my eldest daughter recently got her paramedic certificate and is paying off debts related to geting this, as well as she's a mom of my only grandchild thus far - has sent two boxes of clothing and some shoes and boots which I really am grateful for as the mice had chewed my underwear and some other clothing old as it was.
Is it any wonder my youngest son went off to train with a computer company without any certification? Instead of having the faith to trust the Lord for the computer school and one yr's college offer - paid for, or went to the family of his girlfriend and close associates for comforting when I certainly have had more on my plate than even he could tolerate. His healing, for his prior Leaky Gut Syndrome, Liver condition and eyesight is further complicated in that who's he going to speak about these matters to. especially as a teenager. Now he has a small hole in his right ear from a recent, severe infection. However, complicated through my duress, circumstances and the deaths or moving away from our area, of 22 family and friends, who previously offered their support my son has been a real trouper. Yet, I note a unforeseen weariness, growing in his demeanor.
So, there it is. That's what is presently our basic survival needs.
Otherwise, it may be I will be typing to you from a library computer while living in some dingy hotel somewhere downtown Vancouver's Notorious East-side and my youngest child may well fall toward indebtedness in an attempt to keep out of the holes of the systems fabric and social services networking.
Or worse ! As his health is still stabilizing and these seemingly normal procedures really require at least a home base back-up and some nutritional assistance in convalescence.
Why bother to ask for assistance now? With such current needs, when it will only go on later with another and another crisis. Well, over eighteen years we have managed with very little intervention.
Thanks be to God *
Yet what came little or larger in the manner of helps made ALL the difference where and how we ended up alive or not literally at times, or in a more normal environment or in a homeless shelter.
Prayer moves mountains.
There is no quick and easy answer to impoverishment however we count our blessings and ask for your prayers as you feel led of the Holy Spirit.
Needless to say one doesn't take on hobbies lucrative or not on this budget or make a lot of social connections and go with the flow in society. One would be fortunate indeed to have the empathy of relatives still living or in contact with you -
I believe we will both come out of this fine - I have to remain positive. I can keep looking for some part-time work or a co-tenant and meanwhile preparing the apartment for such as well as taking better care of my health and getting at least a top pair of dentures - which helps a whole lot when making an application.
So do the proper clothing which I must add has made it possible to hold my head up more of late as well as the peace I feel that I will not end up with my loan amount or creditors calling for their payment immediately due to any missed payments.
At nearing 62 and with limited job skills which are not manual labor...at minimum wage I have a lot stacked against me as to taking care of retaining the only possessions we have which took a long ten years to accumulate or preventing the loss of the only relative home base my youngest son has available to him ongoing until he's well on his feet in a full time position and free of these health concerns.
With our deepest thankfulness for your time and concerns,
for prayers for love and miracle deliverance,
Love always in Christ
BoundNFreed and the little duckling still in the nest.
