[birdcrazy]

I haven't come here for awhile but I'm having an especially hard time and the only advice I get from my aunt is "accept your reality". Well my reality sucks. I had a recent hospitalization and they changed my main meds from Depakote, Latuda and Trazadone to Depakote and Seroquel. After the med change I spiralled into a severe depression. My reality involves just loosing a job I desperately needed, fighting with SSI to keep it now since they think I don't need it since I tried to work, husband desperately ill and going to several Drs appointments a week and has surgery next week, we're being evicted from our home, we are sometimes short on food, house we are in now is currently infested with fleas and bedbugs and we can't afford to get rid of them, family no support and just wants to fight with me, etc... I am an intelligent individual with a college degree and lots of experience and I should be doing much better off than I am now but bp has me stuck well below the poverty line... Me and my husband are contacting every single agency we can think of for help with little response... What do we do?

We can only offer suggestions, of course. Here are a few of mine:

Is there any flea-bedbug free zone in your house? If so, I'd spend most of your time there and skip the rest of the house.

Since both you and your husband are unwell, it is a time when you need to grasp each others hands tightly and hold on. You've got each other. You need each other. Both of you understand the struggle, but you are not alone.

I have never been in your spot with SSI, but it sounds like you need it now more than ever. You've got to communicate that to them. Don't fight them. Tell them there is no other option for you at this exact moment. Can your psychiatrist and/or therapist help with this? Ask them.

You will do better, even if right now you're struggling. I understand not liking "accept your reality" because maybe that sounds permanent. It's not permanent! Even if you have to make changes you don't like in the near future, after any changes are made, you'll work with them. You will adjust, and then you will move forward again.

I love birds, too! I guess you can tell. We are always blessed to have them nearby outside our doors. I have one within my doors, too.

[birdcrazy]

All the furniture in the house is infested. It is really my uncle's home and the trailer park doesn't want us there anymore. We are just living off my SSI and a little bit of food stamps. My husband has a hearing next month to try to get his SSI too. We get too little food stamps because my uncle won't sign papers we pay rent to him because he collects benefits too and any extra income he reports to them would decrese his benefits... Other relatives did that to us too. We have a meeting with a housing place tomorrow but we in the past tried the same organization with no luck so I don't have much hope in them

birdcrazy, I am not entirely sure what they may be able to offer, but have you considered contacting NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)? They have a free helpline that can provide information/phone numbers for various resources for people with mental health issues. Many of the people that call the helpline have limited financial resources. NAMI never charges for their support, and some of the resources they know about can help those in financial need. Their website is www.nami.org

[birdcrazy]

Well I got in an emergency session with my caseworker tomorrow and I got the eviction paper today.... Sigh gotta take that to the housing meeting.

Positive: got a couple job leads in the area, one of them temporary and the other one actually permanent with benefits... For a company that I completed an internship with years ago and I have most of the right stuff, only thing I'm really missing is they want experience with volunteers which I don't have but they want someone who knows their stuff about Michigan birds..

Birdcrazy, you certainly do have a lot on your plate right now. It sucks your uncle won't confirm your rent.

Another thought...Have you tried calling 211 to find out about available resources?

We live way below the poverty line too. It's not easy.

Wishing you the very best luck with the job!!

[birdcrazy]

Housing agency can only help us after we found housing ourselves first and they suggested we would be better off if I could seek employment to increase my income. My caseworker said same thing.