Project Kengikat

Housing Certification

// March 15th, 2010 // Uncategorized

This past week was a pretty busy one for me. It was mostly spent doing things for myself as far as housing is concerned. It has almost been a year since I have been in my own apartment so I’ve been busy with all the meetings and recertification that goes along with that.

The first thing was inspection of my unit by the building management and then getting all the papers I needed to have to renew my lease agreement. This included getting required papers from my social worker, which was rather easy this time around, but I will go into that later. My meeting with my building manager was very smooth, as she is always helpful and always on top on things that need to get done. There was an hour blocked out for me to go over and sign all the documents again, but it only took about 30 minutes because I had everything she had requested, which made things go much faster.

When they came to inspect my unit they were only here for about 10 minutes, if that and once they had left I was told that my unit was very well kept, clean and in a great shape. I wasn’t marked off for anything on the long list of items they had on their list. They also came back again last week to reinspect the closet where the hot water tank is stored. They wanted to make sure I do not store anything inside this area and to make sure the floor is kept clean as well.

I never really understood why people store things like brooms, mops and what not, in or around the area where the hot water tank is located. I guess when people have small places and they dont want to have things like this is site all the time it is stored there. I must admit that I too have been guilty of doing this as well. However my broom and mop are now stored in the kitchen and nothing is stored in the closet where the hot water tank is located.

Last week I also needed to be recertificated for my food stamps and this was the very first meeting that I had with my new worker. I have spoken on the phone with her a few times and each time she was very helpful and surprisingly pleasant. This is unlike any experience I have ever had with DPSS. If you recall there was a time when of of the supervisors Ms. Barger was so rude and threatened to cut my benefits for a mistake that their office had made and once I went down to speak with her she tried very hard to provoke me. When she wasn’t successful she pressed the alarm for the police and said she felt like I was going to harm her. I am so happy I stood my ground and refused to allow her to get away with this and in the end I walked out of the office with my benefits fixed, but the simple fact that she would do something like this was very disturbing to me. Even when I wanted to file a report on her her supervisor said this was not something I should really do, however other employees who say her treat me this way told me not to leave until I was able to file that report. Her supervisor never allowed me to do so. After another problem with her I simply allowed my benefits to be terminated for something that was once again their mistake, but something I was not willing to upset myself over. Later when I was told about this apartment and I needed to have an income to qualify I went to the West LA office for DPSS which is where I am now. However even there things have not gone smooth at all and each mistake made to my benefits have been made my my worker and not me, but I am the one who suffers for such mistakes.

However this has not been the case with my new worker and I am not sure how long I will be able to have her, because workers change without notice and you dont have any say in what takes place. Until this takes place I will be happy in knowing that she is both pleasant and does her job well. My meeting with her went very smooth, again because I had all the things she required and I was also able to request some things from her that I will need for my appointment later this week with the Los Angeles Housing Authority.

My new worker is funny and was so helpful in answering all my questions and even supplying me with answers to questions I had not asked, but would come up at a later time. The appointment was fast and before I left she checked to make sure everything else was in order with my case. Again this is something that never took place with other workers. The only thing I need to send her is my new lease and housing agreement once I get them along with a current gas bill.

My monthly meeting with my case manager here went well too, but then again it always does, she too has been very helpful and kind. Each month I meet with her to turn in what are called “service logs” to show that I am going to the doctor, seeing my case manager and I can even turn in service logs for all the volunteer work I do. This is so the housing authority can see that I am keeping my end of the deal in return for them paying a portion of my rent. I am full responsible for the rest.

This week will be no expectation, I will once again be very busy with things for my housing starting tomorrow with my recertification with the housing authority. Now the very first time I went to see them when I was going through Skid Row Housing Corporation I had a very hard time. First of all the person helping with the application was very rude and acted as if I was some how bothering him when I asked questions or tried to get him to fill the application out on one meeting, not several meetings over several weeks like he wanted. My meeting with the person from the housing authority was also very unfriendly and rude, the person even made a comment about my HIV status. However this past time for this apartment things went very smooth and I was so shocked as to how I was treated. It is a sad state of affairs when someone says they are shocked that someone treated them with respect and dignity. Even more sad is the fact that people feel they have no other choice but to allow people in “position” to walk all over them and treat them like crap simply because they hold the job they have and feel they are some how better then the person they are paid to help.

My meeting with the person was pleasant and I didn’t feel like I was being judged or should feel ashamed for my situation. This took away all the stress and anxiety of having to once again disclose my HIV status to someone I dont know and someone I will never speak to again. I am prayerful that the meeting on Tuesday will go just as smooth and  there will be no problem with me remaining in housing.

It’s hard to believe that it has almost been a year since I moved into this apartment with nothing more then my bike, some clothes, blankets, my laptop and camera.. I wouldn’t even have had food if it wasn’t for my two best friends   Tina and Andy, to be very honest, I wouldn’t have much of anything had it not been for them. The list of people I know I can count on no matter how hard things get, no matter where life takes me, no matter how sick I may become is very short, but I am so happy to know that Tina and Andy are at the top of that list and it is so good to know that they will always love me, always be my friends……my family.

As I sit and type this blog out I am just so thankful to God for all that he has done for me, all he has allowed me to see and LIVE through, I am thankful for my life, my health and my friends. Friends who stood with me throughout my journey and are still right here as my journey continues and God continues to open doors of opportunity for me to be a vessel for his message of love for all people no matter who they are, where they come from, what they have been through, what they look like, no matter their race or creed, skin color, sexual orientation, Black, Brown, White, Red, Yellow, Pink, Purple, Lavender and everything inbetween, God loves ALL of us and his message is LOVE for ALL humanity. PERIOD.

I’ve come a very long way since I first moved into this apartment, it is no longer empty, my true friends have grown, myorganization moves forward and it too has grown, in my life there is peace and happiness, filled with love and joy. I have a new little buddy Dodger whom I love so much. He has been such a massive blessing for my life and has provided me with unconditional love and friendship. I am still growing and each day as God continues to shine down on me and in my life, things will move forward and get better and even when they seem to be going south or when I had bad days or set backs, I know in my heart I will get through it all, because of my faith and the awesome people who are now in my life.