Homeless during this COVID pandemic time

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Maldanado
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Homeless during this COVID pandemic time

Post by Maldanado »

Hello,
My name is Brittany, I am technically homeless, and have been on and off for over 2 years but it is worse now during the COVID pandemic. I’ve lived in my vehicle (which I can only be thankful that I had a vehicle at the very least!) I was homeless for a winter, an unbearable summer as the summer heat, I felt was very much so unbearable. Also, not having much of a anything like money, help, assistance, guidance…just nothing, I couldn’t afford to waste so much gas running my A.C but at times even in the shade, inside my car.
It was well over 100 degrees, it was truly. Just, traumatizing, is the only word I can think of that truly expresses my feelings, went through another winter homeless…at its worst it was dropping to 9 degrees but the “feel like” temperature was -14. Again, I couldn’t afford to constantly keep my car running for heat and warmth, unfortunately!! Through these times, on and off I had 1 good, genuine friend, whom had nothing but my best interests at heart, doing anything to help me, truly one of the few amazing true people.
Unfortunately, my friend, only had one sole place to live. We spoke about the appreciation of simply having a roof during the pandemic, having basic necessities that so many don’t think twice about but once these things aren’t easily accessible or at all accessible, its life changing. Examples, washing your hands, a shower, the comfort, the relief from truly just having a place to call HOME, A RESTROOM is huge. Being homeless and well, if you get any sleep to get to wake us. At 2-3AM needing to use the restroom, as most wobbly half-asleep stumble into their own restroom in the comfort of their own home…being homeless? I’d have to wake up and drive, being in such a state of mind! Finding a place that’s open at those hours. That allow customers to use it at all or overnight …that proved to be extremely difficult! Having to get dressed within gas station bathrooms, keeping the best possible hygiene using those same restrooms. Brushing teeth etc. Being a female and experiencing specific monthly health occurrences deemed itself just so horrible…and just so much more!! So having these basic necessities is a dream come true which to most sounds comical but for me. It expressed my true feelings.
Fully. Unfortunately, my good friend lived with his father….in a one-bedroom small condo, which having any kind of home, I’d endure more than I thought I ever could. But my friend’s father ended up being extremely mentally ill and unbearably mentally, emotionally abusive which almost became physical too many times. It became too much, I never felt high levels of discomfort, anxiety, fear so badly…I started exhibiting physical signs from the severe stress and just so many other emotional, mental feelings.
I’m exhausted. I’m so many ways. Due FL what I’ve been put through lately, I haven’t slept in now 5 days!!! My legs, ankles and feet are so swollen and so painful just from me standing for 5 day/nights because I am so worried, stressed out, my anxiety is at all high levels. I don’t think I can handle even a few more hours living this way….how I got here? Well, I had just began staying on a couch of someone I barely knew, I was receiving unemployment payments. The unemployment department unfortunately dropped the ball…they wrongfully held my payments for 9 weeks!!! This pushed me back out into homelessness, not long after…Covid began I was homeless through all of the pandemic. Everyone had a stay-at-home order…to stay safe. I had no home. I was all alone, outside. It was scary yet unique and peaceful all at once. I really had some hard points as all businesses were closed or not open on the inside, being homeless through that was something I cannot express as a few gas stations opened etc. the fear of using public restrooms every single day, not to just use the restroom but to get dressed, keep good hygiene, wash hands constantly, I no longer would brush my teeth in them, I did that inside my vehicle and honestly was brought to tears in fear so much, I started to do anything possible in my vehicle no matter how difficult!!
I also have a 3 1/2-year-old daughter whom I made the hardest choice I ever had to, I had to leave her in my parents’ custody as it was the best for her in so many ways….I would never, no matter my pain, keep her with me, living this way homeless during the COVID pandemic. No way…but mentally and emotionally she’s beginning to crack as she gets older each second that passes. She can’t understand why mime leaves her behind, she hangs on with all her might and won’t let go she begs for me to stay or bring her with me. In my little light cat naps, every now and then…I hear her voice saying “I can’t mime, I can’t, I can’t let you go. Please!!” I see her doing everything to swallow the lump in her throat as she yells “find GO! Just go!” And pushes me away. When it comes to my baby, I don’t care about all I’ve been through…I need a home to be able to begin her transition back with me ASAP!! The longer I reach out, try to get emergency housing help, find help to find my own place to call home. The longer I go unheard, unnoticed…the more my daughter is thinking it’s my fault and I’m choosing to not take her with me or I’m purposely leaving her behind by choice and she’s changing, she’s getting more distant as I watch our little bond, fade away.
Why can’t I stay with my parents? I have many family issues. I will always appreciate more than words could express, my parents for being the safe, warm etc. house she needs… unfortunately, my sister who is 40 years old…lives there, she’s fully taken advantage of my parents and the house. I’ve never had the best relationship with her but. It’s worse than ever due to the things she’s done to me and taken from me! It’s a very mentally and emotionally abusive place for me and my parents have always and will always spoil and fully take care of her. I gave up a long-time seeking support, love, help…anything from my parents, for myself….
Where am I today? Excuse my language, I’m in hell. Due to the past summer months, I couldn’t beat the heat. I got badly sun burned to where pieces of my arms and hands looked 90 years old. From just a few hours parked not being able to find shade, everyone took it up! I snapped. I was one moment from insanity. I began to stay at a hotel in Tewksbury, MA. For the first time I had a fridge!!! A fridge! To keep groceries!! Not live off of fast food and candy! I had a stove, an oven!!!! Who would have thought!! Me!? Having appliances, these were my first thoughts! A bed!? What!! “Geez, now I feel spoiled” I thought to myself!! Well….I’ve lived here for now 6 months…every day and night. I’ve ruined my once perfect credit score of low 800’s and accumulated $25,000 in credit card debt paying for the hotel room. Yes $25,000. I was lied to for the first 4 months, promised by one manager of a deal after I stayed and books for a 30 day stay, I’d get a special rate of $99 a night…2 days later, I went down to take those steps to get that pricing.
The General Manager so rude, told me that the other manager was gone from the company who told me the deal and it wasn’t $99 it was $119 a night…I got cheaper rates on third party sites but would not be able to accumulate reward points for free night stays, but I wasn’t paying the $119 a night. Over 4 months so much happened to me here, I was paying mega bucks, never missed a payment, I was treated so rudely. I wasn’t able to get rewards points at all for my payments staying here, I had one bug issue, dealt with it myself. Then the hotel decided to cut down the entire little Forrest that touched my room window, blocked me from the main busy road….they took the entire thing out. Never mind my personal feelings about this but I was never offered to move rooms, just nothing. At all. I had a second HUGE BUG ISSUE as bugs fled the Forrest being removed and in thousands came straight for my room.!!! I’m so afraid of bugs all bugs…I had thousands of them, so many gross ones too. They blended into my carpet so well, I couldn’t take my shoes off!! I dealt with it all in my own, quietly. The men cutting down the trees, had their backs touching my window!
That’s how close I was to the trees, but I was happy with the Forrest!! The noise of trees being cut down, literally right outside your window…this noise was just unbearable. For 2 weeks, 4-5 days each week this started early morning at like 7AM went on until early evening. I couldn’t have a tv, pointless. I couldn’t hear one word! I caught a man looking at me as I laid in bed, as I saw him, he saw me see him and went to jog away quickly which I caught a picture of!! One night, my friend stayed with me as I was so scared of the workers looking in at me! I was asleep in bed, my friend was in the restroom and came out…again, dead caught a worker looking at me sleeping and dashed away so fast once he locked eyes with my friend that stood there in the middle of the room staring back at the man….I have not used any resources at all!! I buy all my cleaners, I have all my own towels, my own toilet paper, soap, paper towels, I have my own vacuum. I mean everything. Housekeeping doesn’t knock on my door anymore as I put a note up stating I’m all set. The washer and dryer 2 of each ARE AWFUL, after a small load goes on heavy. It’s still dirty and stained, the dryers!? On the highest mode, on HOT……my clothes come out wet still.
I literally have to do teeny tiny loads and put each one through each appliance TWICE! $2.50 apiece. Every time I need to do my laundry, I spend $20!!!! Twenty dollars for laundry!!! Once a week or week 1/2.Like I have that to afford. I’ve totally financially 100% taken care of my daughter since day 1! I never ever ever stopped or even tried to. I’d never put that on my parents, they helped me enough taking my daughter in and as a mother, no matter the issues I have with my family…no matter who I have an issue with…I always give credit where credit is due, always. It’s who I am. I buy all my own stuff; I finically take care of my daughter. Myself, I always help others in any way I can because I personally understand having no one, being alone and having no help!!
I eventually sent a huge email to corporate Marriott about everything…well they decided TO SEND IT OVER TO THE GENERAL MANAGER LADY HERE!! Whom is always so rude!! I was so embarrassed I could have fainted!! So, she responded, being totally rude, defensive etc. never offered any help, assistance, to my questions about if someone could help me get any money back that I lost due to their own GM not knowing basic information. She costs me thousands upon thousands lying to me, not counting all the reward points I would have gotten if I was giving the promised special rate and would have had to book through the hotel directly, no problem…
I would have gotten tons of free nights. Also, my identity was stolen here!!!! Someone made a fake Wi-Fi copying the “TownePlace Suites” one but instead it was “TownePlace Suites” see the difference??? The “E” at the end of “Towne” was missing. My phone connected to this Wi-Fi, of course I didn’t think twice about it. I got a message from my card just to make me aware and asked me to approve $850 purchase from TownePlace Suites, I of course approved it as I knew the women at the front desk would charge my card every now and again if needed. So, it was no concern to me. Until I started being told I hadn’t paid and owed weeks of payments!!! I told the GM what happened, no one cares at all. Too bad for me, I lose out. I mean this really took a huge toll! I had to wait months to get all new cards so at times I had no form of payment for months as things are so slow during the pandemic!! It’s bad. I have my own very small eBay store. It’s how I make a little money to pay for gas, phone bill, food. And what my daughter needs and of course every now and then something fun like a toy or fun painting activity or something to do with her…it’s all the income I have and is super minuscule. Well, my identity being stolen…affected my accounts!!! I believe the person was maybe trying to log on to my eBay account because it was an unknown device, they would need my phone number to send a security code. So, my eBay account got suspended….wow. This was horrible. I fought with eBay for 4 weeks, all my items were delivered, 100% feedback rate, I was willing to take any advice they gave me. They held my money for 4 weeks, wouldn’t let me post my items which that’s my lifeline. For 4 weeks! Some time I go I did make an investment to start my Small online store, well that investment turned into A HUGE LOSS after that eBay stuff because my items are all time sensitive! The faster they sell, the more they are worth and will sell for more! Some stuff yes, the older it is, the more money it’s worth but it depends of course!! So that experience took years off my life, it hurt me so bad. In many ways.
SO!!! Here I am today, in an emergency and will be put out any minute, homeless again during the COVID pandemic!! So, because I couldn’t pay anymore for the room. Hell has begun. The GM started on me weeks ago told me if I don’t pay, or get out…she’s Calling the cops, I researched some information on the law, hotel evictions etc. so I knew…I had a strong case as I have lived here for 6 months!! And I’ve paid $25,000 to them over the 6 months!!! Ruined my life, my perfect credit score, all my credit cards are maxed (I obviously didn’t say that to them as they try to get one over on me constantly to trick me to get me out!! So, the cops were called, they stood up for me, I made it clear I have nowhere to go, I will live in my car, it’s been so bad at night. Like painfully freezing. I have tons of belongings because of my eBay store inventory plus my own stuff too, my daughter’s stuff is mixed in…the holidays are right Around the corner, I have All my daughters’ gifts!! I’ll be homeless on Christmas. Christmas Eve too and beyond that’s heartless. I need help the manager who’s a man started popping up and he’s so awful…he’s the reason I haven’t slept in 5 nights straight, I haven’t sat down at all because I can’t! My anxiety, my stress, my fear…it’s the worst I’ve ever experienced. In my life. He comes to my door every day and repeats…you need to get out now. Now. You need to get out! My investors my boss THEY WANT YOU OUT! I told him his GM, he’s her boss but she called the cops like threatening me, I told her to, and they told us she had to go through the legal eviction process through court because I’ve been here way passed the tenant law beginning. I could have stopped paying right at 30-60 days when I became tenant on the day!! And purposely pulled that to just do that but I paid as long as I possibly could! I spent every last penny until I had nothing left!! For 6 months I paid…oh and I forgot to mention…once my email to corporate got sent back to the GM lady here and she responded so rudely and defensively…she then told me the special rate was $109 and when I still would agree….finally!!!! After 4 months she admits…I was right day 3, the special rate after 30 days is $99 a night!!! I spent thousands of dollars extra all because of her lies!!!! On purpose!! I really truly need someone, anyone to contact the manager here, the man and inform him of the laws and to tell him he can’t harass and torture me like this, he needs to begin the eviction process and that’s that. He’s caused me severe and BAD emotional and mental damages, to where I’m physically in pain, my legs, ankles and feet are HUGE? Swollen. My shoes don’t go on anymore!! I have to wear s sandals with socks in this freezing cold because how swollen I am from the stress. No sleep can’t sit down. He’s threatened me in a way saying “I really don’t want to have to physically remove you so please” I need help please!!
Merical Cromer
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Re: Homeless during this COVID pandemic time

Post by Merical Cromer »

My name is Scottie, a mother of one brilliant child who means the world to me and close to being homeless due to COVID.
The Covid 19 pandemic has brought a financial disaster to my family, I used to support my family before, but now I can barely catch up paying my bills. I am way behind for this month rent and the landlord has already started the eviction process, can you please help pay my past due rent of $891.
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Re: Homeless during this COVID pandemic time

Post by Admin »

Yes, COVID has been hard for a lot of people, even more so with prices of rent/housing going up. If you are homeless, then try a transitional housing program.
Many also take kids too, and transitional housing will check for COVID in an effort to try to be safe.
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