17 Years Military to 10 Years Homeless in Los Angeles
- 10 months ago
I first met Bob last Sunday. I was invited to join West Valley People’s Alliance on outreach in Chatsworth, a suburban neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. I forget how hot the in the San Fernando Valley gets. It was 109 degrees out. Far too hot for anyone to be outside, but tens of thousands of homeless people do what they can to survive.
Bob spent 17 and 1/2 years in the military until he was hurt on the job. It took almost five years of tests before they could validate his medical discharge. Around this time, Bob was going through a divorce, which made navigating the bureaucracy even harder. I have heard similar stories from other homeless veterans.
Bob should be getting approximately $2,700 every month in VA benefits and $2,100 from Social Security. That amount combined would be enough to get Bob and his wife off the streets into an apartment. Instead, Bob receives $143 in total benefits every month. He cannot even get food stamps because they look at what Bob should be receiving, which on a computer is too much to qualify, but in the real world, Bob has to live on $143 every month.
Bob likes to work on cars. Make sure to watch to the end to hear his 3rd wish. Bob makes extra money through his mechanic skills, but because of his disability, he cannot work enough to maintain a normal job.
Bob's wife has been in the hospital for two weeks. During a homeless sweep, police and sanitation were pushing them to hurry up. Bob's wife cut her leg during the sweep, which eventually got infected. Homeless sweeps and the criminalization of homelessness are growing in Los Angeles. Politicians just passed 41.18, which makes it illegal to sit, lie or sleep in or upon any street, sidewalk or other public way. THEY DIDN'T PROVIDE MORE HOUSING OR SHELTER BEDS - they just made it illegal to live outside!
Bob spent 17 and 1/2 years in the military until he was hurt on the job. It took almost five years of tests before they could validate his medical discharge. Around this time, Bob was going through a divorce, which made navigating the bureaucracy even harder. I have heard similar stories from other homeless veterans.
Bob should be getting approximately $2,700 every month in VA benefits and $2,100 from Social Security. That amount combined would be enough to get Bob and his wife off the streets into an apartment. Instead, Bob receives $143 in total benefits every month. He cannot even get food stamps because they look at what Bob should be receiving, which on a computer is too much to qualify, but in the real world, Bob has to live on $143 every month.
Bob likes to work on cars. Make sure to watch to the end to hear his 3rd wish. Bob makes extra money through his mechanic skills, but because of his disability, he cannot work enough to maintain a normal job.
Bob's wife has been in the hospital for two weeks. During a homeless sweep, police and sanitation were pushing them to hurry up. Bob's wife cut her leg during the sweep, which eventually got infected. Homeless sweeps and the criminalization of homelessness are growing in Los Angeles. Politicians just passed 41.18, which makes it illegal to sit, lie or sleep in or upon any street, sidewalk or other public way. THEY DIDN'T PROVIDE MORE HOUSING OR SHELTER BEDS - they just made it illegal to live outside!