The Dilemma of Many

I have worked all my life, never collecting unemployment in my 54 years. Never did I think I would be homeless but that is now a real possibility. I was laid off from my job of 17 years as a reporter for a local daily newspaper, which came as a total shock. I received severance pay, which was great as it kept me going through October. By then I had thought, I will have another good job, either writing or public relations.
The job search began and after two or three months I realized my field of expertise, even with a bachelor’s degree, was becoming obsolete. So I finally switched gears in November to try out a job as a home health care companion. I got a job right away and at the same time got a job writing freelance for another local paper. I thought things were looking up but the pay was much less than I had been getting and I only got four clients, which did not pay my bills. I had to start dipping into my severance money to live because unemployment was stopped. In January, I went to the One Stop Career Center and got a grant to take classes to become a CNA, but classes don’t start until April and I was about out of money.
I applied for my mortgage company to grant me a moratorium so I could skip payments for a few months to hopefully get back on my feet, but learned that when the moratorium was over, my new house payment would be $1,000 rather than $691. Even with full time CNA work, that will not be enough to cover those bills. So at this point, I have to move out.
Thankfully, my neighbor across the street, who is elderly, needs help now getting around after major surgery and she has an apartment behind her house and that is where I am moving. I can still work, take classes and take care of her for free room and board. So I will not be homeless, but had it not been for her, I have no clue where I would end up.
I am using the local food banks as well. I see the long lines and depleted resources. I do get heating and electric assistance but was just approved so it came too late to help me out. So you have a well educated person who wants to work who cannot find work, along with countless others. What happens to them?
I feel horrible for my two teenage daughters who were forced long ago to live with their dad because I simply cannot afford them. My 18-year-old sees me struggling and is depressed wondering whether or not to even bother with college. After all where did it get her mother? And she is doubly depressed trying to find a job. It scares me for her future. I am encouraging education but also encouraging her to find even part time work just to network and meet other people. Maybe she will have more luck than me.
So the next time you see a homeless person, don’t look down on them because you never know their story. They could have been high paid executives at one point. All it takes is one tragedy to pull a family apart. There but for the grace of God go I.