emails part 1: what are your barriers to getting housing...?
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Thu, Apr 4, 8:47 AM
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I live at the Queen Anne DESC shelter. I have lived there on and off for over 2 1/2 years. There is a shelter supervisor there named Dylan Bundy. Dylan is a true and honest humanitarian due to this many of his staff do not take him seriously. As they work to enforce the shelter rules he is constantly trying to explain to them why they should treat their homeless clients with respect and dignity For example as in my case as a homecare aide with private clients when I first came to the Queen Anne Shelter I was required to provide them with a "schedule" in order to come in after 10:30pm from work. I explained to him that once I show you that I have a current home care aide license that you can verify on the Washington state online web portal and show you a Washington state payment authorization. You need to just take my word for it. He understood and agreed. Why? Because it would be inappropriate for me to tell my client that I need a note for my homeless shelter. But you do need a note a most shelters from your employer - cmon.... how humiliating can you get?? I'm already homeless. Now you are forcing me to tell everyone.
One time I was on the street with a clip board collecting signatures as a paid signature gatherer. One of his staff, on her way to work said "hi"...signed my petition and then later that night asked me for a work schedule at the shelter......uh....didn't she just observe me engaged in self-employment?? She is merely spewing the party line! And this staff member wore tie dye and Birkenstocks and in her liberal naivete she had no idea she was violating my dignity. My first Home Care client was my late wife so I explained to another staff member that since she is my supervisor and I'm her husband I can pull out a blank sheet of paper and write any schedule I want and they are required to accept it whereupon the staff replied: " that might be true ...but you can't tell them (his co-workers) that..." These anecdotes are not unique I have been "exited" from more than a few shelter program for failing to provide a "schedule". Understand,however, all these staff members are good people trying to do a good job but they are restricted and hampered by a broken system of impotent policy objectives.
Presently, Dylan is moving to another shelter and I intend to go and live there just to ensure I will not be abused again by staff that are only interested in enforcing rules rather than achieving the purpose of the rule in the 1st place.
One evening Dylan asked me this question:
"what are your barriers to getting housing?"
I told him I would answer the question in writing since this is a more detailed and succinct form of expression for me. My objectives in providing this
detailed response is that:
1.) Someone important and influential will read and respond to this and help me to get an apartment
2.) Someone important and influential will read and respond to this and the DESC bureaucracy will evolve in such a way that more people will be better served
I have CC'd all the important people I could think of in an effort to achieve these goals. I have a wealth of information and insight about homeless services in Seattle because I have lived at the Union Gospel Mission (Link Program), Blaine Shelter, William Booth, and DESC's Queen Anne Shelter and the #49 (Metro Mobile Motel). Since leaving my apartment I have kept a blog in which I have detailed my experiences. You can find it here: https://
I have a poetry blog here: http://rodgerpegues.
The most salient barrier I have to acquiring housing is my rental history since I was evicted from my apartment. I didn't owe any money and I was not engaged in any illegal conduct or activity. I was evicted from a Seattle Housing Authority building solely for paying late. I made a critical mistake at the eviction trial - I told the truth. I told the judge that I pay late on purpose in order to get late paying notices which I can take to Social Service Agencies and get rental assistance. He (the Trump-votin dishonorable Sean O'Donnell ) wanted me to verify this by bringing in a witness from a Social Service agency to confirm that this is their policy. I didn't do that. He also gave me the option of getting a payee. I didn't do that. I was evicted.
These were all personal mistakes on my part: 1. being a chronic late payer. 2. not following the eviction judges orders. Presently I am working with the Urban League to get the eviction removed from my history. I have filled out their forms and provided them with my proof of income (As an Amazon Warehouse Associate and a Home Care Aide I clear about $1500 a month), other than collecting this information and putting it in a folder no one there has probably ever even opened my file to work on it. Yes, I email them and I go there. But in our system of numbers matter more than people, it is in their best interest to seem to be helping 1000's of people rather than "really" helping 100's!!!
The second most salient barrier I have to acquiring housing is my attitude of entitlement. I believe as a life long Seattle resident (I was born here and I went to Garfield High School class of 1978), as a former Special Education Assistant with the Seattle School District for over 10 years, and as a community engaged professional musician (https://www.4culture.org/
DESC is not trying to get me housing. Here's why, I work full-time, I am well dressed, I am not the chronic homeless (yes I am after 2.5 years but I'm talkin life time commitment here of 10 years and up with repeated bouts) and most of all - my substance abuse does not affect the tourist industry! I am not an obvious addict. I don't shoot drugs in alleyways where nice people might see me. Let's see over the past 2.5 years I have had 3 housing case managers at DESC. These programs were terminated due to funding cuts or I don't know..the point is that's a lot of management for a 0 result??? Presently at the QAS I am not eligible for housing case management..as if it could really make a difference. Yes so to the point: DESC systemically and institutionally discriminates against people who work. As a homecare I have had clients that live in the DESC buildings......I have seen people that I formerly lived with at the Shelter in their DESC apartments living great! while I must serve as their homeless home care aide. Over the past 2 years I have seen the entire population of the QAS graduate to either another city, another shelter, incarceration, death or housing as I have remained there as one of the most long term people. When I went to REACH to get case management they denied me and sent me this email:
"Our screening committee met on Tuesday and we discuss your screening. It was determined that at this time you do not qualify for our program. The reasons behind our decision are as follow:
(1) You demonstrate the ability to independently access and navigate services
(2) You are currently working
(3) Although you have some medical issue they are not severe, which is what we look for in our referrals
(1) You demonstrate the ability to independently access and navigate services
(2) You are currently working
(3) Although you have some medical issue they are not severe, which is what we look for in our referrals
Regards,
Nereida"
Nereida"
Wrong Wrong Liar Liar!!................
Sincerely,
Rodger Pegues
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