Tony was back in my office Wednesday, this was the second time this week. Tony wanted some support to help him try to keep his apartment which he rents through one of the local housing authorities. He wanted some help to fill out his annual housing authority document indicating he was who he is a mentally disabled, low-income person who is scarred shit-less of the System. The system which. I sadly, am part. As most of you know, I am an information and referral specialist. I tell people where to go: people with disabilities who need services to survive I am the System.
Tony wandered into my office, first a couple of years ago,and that visit was simple, I referred him to some housing options and some other options like where to get food stamps and where to get food boxes. You must realize, I DONOT DO CONSUMER SUPPORT!! Consumer support is something social workers, housing coordinators and support coordinators do—not me. I used to do that, and I don't like doing that—I was a housing coordinator for the independent living center in Salt Lake City. I tried to empower my consumer as much as I could trying to get them to do their own work as much as possible as being “independent as possible”. Really, I just don't like doing this one to one stuff—getting 'real' with the people. It's just too messy. So, Monday of this week when he walked past my window I knew Tony was going to come into governor's council office and then they would send Tony in to me, and sure enough that is exactly what happened.
Tony lives on subsidized housing, the Feds basically pay 2/3s of Tony's rent. Apartment owners and land lords love it. One of the most widely used programs is called “Section-8”. Section-8 is easy and in many cases guaranteed money. The money goes directly to the property owner and everyone is happy. But once year the property must be inspected by the Fed to make sure the Consumer and the Fed is not being taken advantage of. In many way the process is traumatic to the renter. He is usuall y notified with a document left hanging on the front door t their apartment or slid under the door—traditionally these folks have learned paper taped to their doors or slid under those doors is 'bad news' never 'good news', their world is going to get messed up one way or the other.
Tony is in his late forties or early fifties, most likely a candidate for mental heal services if not being developmentally disabled. Actually, I think Tony is pretty bright, but has been trained by the 'system to act a dumb as possible. On the initial visit of the week, I looked at his document, a pretty standard piece of Apartment crap which management wants filled out. The document is pages long with lots of print ans spaces to be filled in and signatures to be written and then returned. Tony needed help filling out document—which I was not the person to assist. I sent him to the Housing Authority, IL even the Community Action Program. The first visit of the week I spent a half hour with him and sent him on his way.
Tony returned on Wednesday clearly agitated and once again filled my office with presence and aroma. No one wold help him and he had to get it done or they would kick him out. Why couldn't the world jutst leave him alone—he I not going to be responsible if they pushed hi too far. I took the document read through it and noted the document had to be filled out and returned to management by the end of Friday. Tony had just a little more then two days to fill out the document.
Wednesday, I was under the gun, my boss had returned to work a day a head of when I thought she was and I was still reeling from the Intervention! I had phone calls to return and new calls coming in I was swamped. I did not need to do client support on this of all days. But if I did not do it—it, was not going to get done and sometimes you have to do what you don't want just to get by.
The document was simple, EZPZ, but the ore I sat with Tony and helped him answer the questions and check the appropriate boxes the angrier I got thinking of how stress this was on Tony, and me in the day when I rented and seemed to always be getting 'notes' on y front door. I remember how returning home from work on a Friday afternoon getting such a note would wreck my entire weekend. But we got the task done—I even made a copy for tony instructing Tony to keep the document somewhere safe to 'spring' on the land lord(manager) if the original he turned in should mysteriously come missing,
Tony thought having a backup was great! In an instant Tony had become empowered, in a small way had be able to take a little control over his life. Tony had learned something which evened the playing field just a little—he had a chance.
Tony was a little bit different when he left my office, he still smelled, had three days stubble on his face but Tony was a little bit stronger. Tony was going to save his apartment and live there another year—even if we wanted to go 'month to month'. I am sure I will see Tony again, sooner then later. I did something I knew better then to do—I “fed” the animals and if you feed the animals enough they always come back.
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