TL;DR:
Legally Blind and Albino. Bad parents and just finally beginning to get somewhere in life. I am going to be homeless August 1st due to the unfortunate financial circumstance of my current landlord (he is losing the house on very short notice). I have a part-time job, and return to college in September (financial aid + loans cover schooling 100%, I pay nothing upfront as things current stand). I make around 1.4k a month with good job security but have little savings. I’m located in Western Massachusetts. I have no one to turn to. Any and all help would be appreciated.
PF-
I seem to have found myself in quite the situation...
Little Background:
Albino, Legally Blind since birth, come from a bad upbringing (go to bottom of post for a brief summery of my life) and have been trying to fight my way out since I was emancipated at the age of 16. I collect Social Security Disability Income due to my vision (obviously) at the rate of $765/month from SSDI with an additional $149/month via a Supplement Check (This is given to Massachusetts residents who collect SSDI for being legally blind). I am currently located in Western Massachusetts.
I am a 23 year old college student majoring in Computer Science. I decided to go to college in hopes of getting a job in the field of computers (Programming/IT). My goal is to remove myself from the system when I become more financially stable as I do collect SSDI because I am legally blind and for no other reason. In a step to obtain this long term goal I have recently been successful in the landing of a gig at the campus Help Desk. This is an actual part-time job and not a work study position so I am not limited on the amount of money I can make (I am a “trust fund student employee) however it is through the school so I need to be enrolled to be able to keep the position. I have been working there for about 3 weeks.
The Situation:
My friend and I have been renting an apartment from his father for the last 3 years. Everything on the books. I do know how some people will lie due to collecting from SSDI/SSI. We however have not. I started college a year ago and it has been going great. However when my friends dad purchased the house he signed a really bad agreement and he didn’t realize until recently. This deal was made in 2012 much before I or his son moved in. We moved in, in 2014.
Essentially the agreement breakdowns into this:
The house cost $45k.
He would pay monthly payments until he paid them back all of the $45,000 with an additional 6% on top of that. It gets bad because there is a clause that states if he did not pay it back by August of 2017, they would perform a balloon charge for the remainder of the 45k he may owe + the 6% + lawyer fees.
The agreement that was made was not done through a bank and was instead made directly with the previous owners.
As it stands, I can no longer live here, even if he could sort this out it’s a situation that is not very stable and I no longer feel as if he could offer me housing security.
Here are my earnings broken down:
My Monthly Income from the Help Desk:
-
11(hourly wage) * 23(avg hrs/wk) * 4(wks in month)
-
That’s $1,012.
-
I get paid Bi-weekly.
What I collect from Social Security Disability Income & State Supplement Check
- $765 (From SSDI)
- Please note that SSDI deducts 1 dollar for every 2 dollars you earn, discluding the first $65 you earn, so this will vary. (link to law)
- $149 (From State Supplement Check) This is given to me because I am legally blind.
The equation determining my total monthly income:
This is to determine what social security will be deducting from my SSDI
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11 * 23 * 4 - $65 = $947
- (My work earnings minus the first $65 earned.)
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$947 / 2 = $473.5
- (My adjusted work earnings divided by two to determine SSDI deduction)
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$765 - $473.5 = $291.5
- (The SSDI subtracted by the deduction amount found in the last equation)
Putting it all together:
- $291.5 + $1,012 + $149 = $1,452.50
- (SSDI adjusted) + (My work earnings) + (Supplement Check)
My expenses:
Cell phone - $45 a month for 8gb. Planet Fitness Gym - $20.20 a month That’s it for what I have to pay for expenses that are on autopay
What I have done so far:
I have already spoken with many friends and some friends are able to give me a coach to surf on. However this is not optimal when collecting SSDI as I need a solid address with a lease to prove my expenses. I do not have parents to give me shelter. My mom lives states away and my dad is a deadbeat. I plan on applying for low income housing come Monday. However this can take months. I will also be applying for Food Stamps / EBT (errbody eats). I will also go to the local food pantry but that is only given at a bi-weekly bases. I could live at a homeless shelter but college is just around the corner and I can't be dealing with that, school and work. I need something that is stable, somewhere I can leave my belongings and assets safe. I don't have much so what I do have I really need to keep.
Now the school I am attending does offer campus living. However I am a commuter and have applied and filed FAFSA out as such. Also if I live on campus I am locked into a 3 year contract with the college. Not the best idea for me, but an option.
Another option I have is renting a room at a shared living apartment where you pay $350 for the room, everything included. This price spikes to $400 during the winter months/school months (do to heating, etc...).
Now what I am really worried about is this. During school I will have less than 20 hours a week. (Realistically 16-18 with the ability to obtain more hours via covering shifts) That means my income goes down to maybe 1.2k or less. That also means during the adjustment months for SSDI I will have almost no money to work with. SSDI takes at least one month to readjust to the new income. The really scary part is that I need to get school supplies. Books… The dreaded books... Financial aid should help cover some of their cost and my friend has informed me that a lot of textbooks have a copy put on hold for students to use within the college library.
My story in as little as possible: (Please no pity party. I just want you to understand where I came from and why I am trying so hard to move forward in life.)
I am really scared PF. I have been through more than you could imagine to get to where I am in life. I really have seen it all (HAHA, I am blind, you can laugh it’s funny). I was raised by my mother until I was 11. I was sexually assaulted when I was 8. I bounced between foster homes because my mother didn’t want to deal with me when I was 11, and when I did live with my dad he had outstanding warrants on him for drug dealing heroin and that forced me back into the foster system. I emancipated myself at 16 while still in High School and moved in with a close friend. I lived with what I thought was my best friend at the time, only to later find out he hated me and had wanted to just see me commit suicide (he was my only friend at the time and this was super hard on me). Before turning 18 my mom had told me she saw me turning into my dad. Addicted to H and by 21 expected me dead. My dad told me that I was a piece of shit gamer faggot and would never amount to anything. I have always faced huge amounts of bullying because of who I am both physically and emotionally. I’m hispanic but look like I’m white because I’m Albino....man I didn’t choose any of that. I have even had to live out of a car because while living with my dad his ex had kicked us out. Showering in a gas station is not fun when you are in middle school.
PF if you have any advice, any suggestions, please post them. So far I see the shared living as my only hope but I was just looking to see if there was any advice that could help me out. Any lawyer advice that could help remedy this. Anything that I overlooked. I am just reaching for anything right now.
PS. Happy father’s day. Also my birthday is the 28th (That’s when I officially turn 23), So happy birthday to me.
Quick edit: Sorry if the formatting isn't perfect. I tried my best.
Submitted June 18, 2017 at 09:37PM by Doesntmatterrealy http://ift.tt/2tDoGBG
