Living in CA is costly and SSI was cut

[MayaBijou]

To whom concerned:
My husband & I are experiencing financial difficulty due to our being exceptionally low income & the California government cutting back what financial resources we have. We are both on SSI & I am on early partial SSA. I am looking for work however & I want to get back into my career which is veterinary technician, as long as I do not have to lift heavy dogs. I have a permanent tear in my shoulder caused by an injury & I have a torn meniscus & ligaments in my L knee but I can work in an animal clinic with small animals. I have the training & experience as well. It’s a matter of finding a clinic in the local area to get a job.
My husband had been wrongfully thrown off his SSI this past year & got back on it as soon as Social Security realized he shouldn’t have been taken off from the start. He had been forced to take a job as a security guard then fell from dizziness caused by a thoracic impaction that he has had & our PCP deemed him not able to work at that time. He is to undergo surgery for the fracture in his back causing the impaction & also has to wear leg braces. He does not know if he’ll be eligible for SSDI but if he is he will proceed to look for part time work that he could do. But living in CA is tough due to being costly.
Last month we had to get rental assistance from Catholic Charities in Salinas. They only handle once a year assistance which is understandable, & we greatly appreciate the help. We need help for this month as well & we are going to a low income legal center to get assistance with dealing with the Social Security Administration as to why they did not reimburse my husband for wrongfully throwing him off his SSI monies & also why they are additionally now taking another 78.00 from him.
One issue is that when they forced me to take early partial SSA they took it out of both my husband’s & my SSI.
We have lived here 20 + years & cannot afford to move somewhere else. We have seldom ever had issues paying our rent until last couple of months. & low income apartments/ projects are out of the question. They’re horrid. My son is a state employee & lived in one & though supposedly newer one, it was loaded with drug dealers & prostitutes, homeless fighting outside in wee hours of morning & cockroaches & bedbugs, & so small his head was against his frig when he lay down to sleep. He is young & single & finally finding a place to live in a good neighborhood. It’s expensive though. He pays 800.00/month for a room.
Housing in CA is bad for a lot of people & needs changes. The powers to be must start to realize that you can’t throw everybody into a tiny little (expensive) apartment or project with little room & no pets either, & loaded with problems like gangs & drugs & vermin.
All my husband & I want is to get through this month until we get on our feet & this is possible. We’re both skilled & intelligent & we are not that old either. My doctor told me that except for my knee & shoulder & asthma (which is better - I have good medication now) everything else is good. I do see a mental health doctor & take medication for certain issues that I feel the need not to disclose here. But the meds I am on help me function well & cope. I do not do well in crowded living environments (apartments) & my husband wouldn’t either. Most people I know are nice & many of them, older even, professionals & homeowners (esp. in the animal health world) & they’d not hear of living in an apartment or project.
Our rent is 950.00/month, & not extremely high for the area but with our given situation until we can get on our feet, we do need help through this month.
We DO plan on moving at some point but after we are in our feet & have saved the money to do so.
I do not have a car of my own yet either. My husband has one & it needs a water pump. It runs & nothing else is wrong with it but it wouldn’t go out of town extremely far & it overheats & we have to be careful with it. But doing without one is out of the question. Especially for our respective job fields.
If there is anything you can do to help us please let us know.
Regards,
Ila Vazquez

[Admin]

California is super costly. But do not reply just on SSI. We have other resources listed too for the disabled in CA. There are charities, non-profits, food programs and more. All of these can help meet your needs. Learn more https://www.needhelppayingbills.com/htm ... efit_.html