Hi everyone,
I’m looking for guidance for my current circumstances and would appreciate any kind of advice or resources regarding it.
I’m currently in my freshman year at college temporarily living in the dorms and cannot go home or receive help from my family due to circumstances of abuse. I applied for college with my mother, who signed off with me on the housing applications and student loans, but as she is currently a domestic violence victim she is unable to support or provide any further help to me than that and I am completely on my own. I am at a public university with scholarships and am paying only for my room and board, but my school does not offer dorms after freshman year and next fall I will need to find alternate housing. I learned this week they are not kicking out students from the dorms for winter break, which is a massive relief for me — because I cannot go back to my parent’s house, I am homeless without the dorms and would have ended up sleeping on the street for Christmas break. I have about 3,500 dollars in savings from working summers in high school but do not currently have a job.
My college offers housing for 2,700 dollars for the whole summer. I’ve also talked with many of my kind friends (who I love so much and am very lucky to have!) and would probably be able to swing couch surfing for the whole summer. I am unquestionably getting a job immediately to work as much as I can in summer but I also need to plan for outside housing during the school year. My mother has offered to co-sign on an apartment for the school term only next fall and will be able to chip in a little money for rent each month. This does not cover the summer or additional expenses, which I will need to pay for myself. I am also worried about her being coerced or forced into no longer helping me, which has happened before, so I need something like a financial back-up plan in case this happens and she suddenly no longer gives me money for rent in the fall.
What would you suggest my best options are? Couch surfing in the summer in various places I feel more guilty regarding, is much more complex, and would make it significantly more difficult to work but I need money to save for a backup plan and basic needs. Essentially, do you think the $2,700 for summer housing is worth it?
As I mentioned, I am also currently trying to get on EBT to hopefully feed myself for summer and break. I think they’re going to deny me because I’m on a meal plan outside of those times so I’m not sure how to proceed with that either. I qualify as a homeless student under FAFSA rules and would have no problem proving that so I have the additional option to file my FAFSA without my mother as an independent student. If I apply for a work-study next year in that application, I believe it will qualify me for EBT as well. Is this beneficial financially? Would filing my FAFSA alone and letting them know I’m homeless affect the private student loans my mom and I both signed? What are the other pros and cons to letting them know this and filing my FAFSA this way?
If you think I’m overlooking something, please let me know. Any other additional advice or suggestions regarding the best steps to take are gratefully welcomed. Thank you for all your help!
Submitted December 10, 2021 at 05:05AM by archang3lus https://ift.tt/3GnUEHw
