Help Me Help My Brother
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Let's take a walk in someone else's shoes for a few minutes.
Imagine the last 20 years of your life has been an ongoing struggle of constant pain, migraines, and a headache of some sort every day of your life. You were forced to give up your pursuit of a computer science degree at a UW Madison.
You've tried over and over again to support yourself and to be a "productive member of society." You've visited hundreds of doctors and been through thousands of test to no avail. You've tried to hold down two and three jobs at a time, but sooner or later you work yourself to a point where you can't get out of bed for 3-4 days because you have completely debilitating migraines and full body pain. If by chance, for a little while, you were able to barely survive (which is well below the poverty limit) only to be completely kicked off of any assistance programs you were on.
The system is black and white, and the gap between on and off is immense. There is no program that allows you to do some work and receive some assistance.
It's all or nothing.
So, in the end, it had to be nothing. It was the only way you could consistently avoid homelessness.
Through the years and prescription narcotics and coctails of medications hurled at you by your doctor's you have learned to accept your situation, and to maintain a simpler lifestyle. This has kept you much much healthier. You feel it, and your family can see it. You're able to at least spend time with your family without crashing into a migraine now. This is a huge step for you.
But this also means that you are practically destitute.
You live on a bed with the large hole in the middle covered with pillows and blankets because you can't afford a new mattress.
After your rent is paid each month you have $250 to pay any bills (medications, phone or internet, cat food, and feeding yourself). No one can call internet a luxury in WI when you can't do anything outside for months, let's be honest.
Why not move? Because you can't. All your benifits are tied to where you are now. You would be cut off from everything and have to re-apply and start over with new applications for everything once you moved and resided in another state for several months. That's how the system works. You're basically a hostage.
Oh, and because your heat is included in your rent, Scott Walker has cut your food assistance to $15 per month.... per MONTH. I suppose you could eat nothing but ramen noodles, maybe an apple or two and get by on that. You better hope you don't want anything other than tap water to drink though. Madison has good tap water though so it's ok.
You did have a car at one point and could visit your family on occassion. But it got a flat, and you've never been able to afford to fix it. Nor could you afford to get it inspected, or re-registered. So it just sits in your parking spot now.
It's a bleak outlook.
This is the life my brother lives. He saw this assistance further dimished to pay child support to a family that would turn us away at the door when we tried to bring Christmas gifts to his daughter. But he paid ever cent of it before he took a penny to feed himself.
There are some items he is in DESPERATE need of at the moment.
1. A quality mattress and bed. One that will last him 8-10 years and give his body the support he needs for the condition he is in.
2. Some help with food. He goes to shelters, and churches when he can't afford to feed himself now. It's heartbreaking.
3. Clothes and quality shoes. In getting healthier, he's lost a good amount of weight.... but his wardrobe hasn't. And he walks everywhere right now. The pair of good shoes we bought him are now a few years old and worn.
4. Probably the least essential, but getting his car fixed so he can at least easily get to doctor's apointments and the pharmacy, and to visit his parent's every now and then. Especially since before you know it, it will be freezing there again.
There's only so much I can do on my own. Every penny helps. Whether it's a $1 or $10 or $100. Please help me help my brother out!
He deserves it.
Thank you.
Imagine the last 20 years of your life has been an ongoing struggle of constant pain, migraines, and a headache of some sort every day of your life. You were forced to give up your pursuit of a computer science degree at a UW Madison.
You've tried over and over again to support yourself and to be a "productive member of society." You've visited hundreds of doctors and been through thousands of test to no avail. You've tried to hold down two and three jobs at a time, but sooner or later you work yourself to a point where you can't get out of bed for 3-4 days because you have completely debilitating migraines and full body pain. If by chance, for a little while, you were able to barely survive (which is well below the poverty limit) only to be completely kicked off of any assistance programs you were on.
The system is black and white, and the gap between on and off is immense. There is no program that allows you to do some work and receive some assistance.
It's all or nothing.
So, in the end, it had to be nothing. It was the only way you could consistently avoid homelessness.
Through the years and prescription narcotics and coctails of medications hurled at you by your doctor's you have learned to accept your situation, and to maintain a simpler lifestyle. This has kept you much much healthier. You feel it, and your family can see it. You're able to at least spend time with your family without crashing into a migraine now. This is a huge step for you.
But this also means that you are practically destitute.
You live on a bed with the large hole in the middle covered with pillows and blankets because you can't afford a new mattress.
After your rent is paid each month you have $250 to pay any bills (medications, phone or internet, cat food, and feeding yourself). No one can call internet a luxury in WI when you can't do anything outside for months, let's be honest.
Why not move? Because you can't. All your benifits are tied to where you are now. You would be cut off from everything and have to re-apply and start over with new applications for everything once you moved and resided in another state for several months. That's how the system works. You're basically a hostage.
Oh, and because your heat is included in your rent, Scott Walker has cut your food assistance to $15 per month.... per MONTH. I suppose you could eat nothing but ramen noodles, maybe an apple or two and get by on that. You better hope you don't want anything other than tap water to drink though. Madison has good tap water though so it's ok.
You did have a car at one point and could visit your family on occassion. But it got a flat, and you've never been able to afford to fix it. Nor could you afford to get it inspected, or re-registered. So it just sits in your parking spot now.
It's a bleak outlook.
This is the life my brother lives. He saw this assistance further dimished to pay child support to a family that would turn us away at the door when we tried to bring Christmas gifts to his daughter. But he paid ever cent of it before he took a penny to feed himself.
There are some items he is in DESPERATE need of at the moment.
1. A quality mattress and bed. One that will last him 8-10 years and give his body the support he needs for the condition he is in.
2. Some help with food. He goes to shelters, and churches when he can't afford to feed himself now. It's heartbreaking.
3. Clothes and quality shoes. In getting healthier, he's lost a good amount of weight.... but his wardrobe hasn't. And he walks everywhere right now. The pair of good shoes we bought him are now a few years old and worn.
4. Probably the least essential, but getting his car fixed so he can at least easily get to doctor's apointments and the pharmacy, and to visit his parent's every now and then. Especially since before you know it, it will be freezing there again.
There's only so much I can do on my own. Every penny helps. Whether it's a $1 or $10 or $100. Please help me help my brother out!
He deserves it.
Thank you.
Organizer
Christina Hutchinson
Organizer
Houston, TX