Good Morning;
Another beautiful fall day, that's 2 in a row.
That is one of the reasons I did not make it to the library yesterday. I went to D.O.R.S., (Dept. of Rehab. Svcs.) in the morning for what I though was an intake or evaluation, but was only a mass form filling marathon orientation/cattle call. Now it's a 2 week wait to see if I am eligible to be evaluated for access to services, (and according to the website, even 'IF' accepted, there is a 6 - 12 month wait for placement.
Okay, in the title of this organization is the word 'service', seems to me they left out the word 'self', for all the assistance the worker wanted to give out. I was asked, "What do you expect/want from D.O.R.S.?", a legitimate question, I answered.."Some sort of retraining/training to enable me to get employment I am physically and mentally and emotionally capable of, and will allow me to live independently."..Good enough so far..."And assistance and/or referrals to get housing and medical insurance and any S.S benefits available"....Not so good answer.????...why???, "You should have that before you come here"...not according to the website, they may not 'provide', but the are supposed to 'refer'. Next, "What do you want to do?", ..."Anything!!!", .."No, you have to tell us what you want.",......"But aren't you supposed to do evaluations to determine capability and give guidance and vocational counseling to help me figure that out...If I could do it my self...I WOULD NOT BE HERE!!!!!"....."Hem, haw..dodge and dance...you can leave now, you're done today, look for a letter form a case worker/counselor...if you qualify!!...in about 2 weeks...Goodbye."
I'm not holding my breath...I've heard this song before. It is not so much the run around, but the attitude of the certain segment of society that is filling the mid and lower levels ..the client contact levels.. of the gov't. social service agencies, state and federal,..[in Baltimore, my evidence is local and anecdotal through personal experience and observation], and City Hall, and the DMV, police and the MTA, and most of the rest of the bureaucracy also). Female, black, and semi-literate. I have experienced subtle 'reverse racism' at times, but mostly they are abrupt, unhelpful and arrogant, and loathe to volunteer the tiniest helpful detail that is NOT formally required by law...
TO EVERYONE,..REGARDLESS OF RACE OR GENDER!!!!!
Like most stereotypes, the characters seen on TV or in Tyler Perry's plays and movies, that are so decried by some, HAVE to have a basis in truth somewhere, exaggerated or not. I am reminded of the cold war depictions of Soviet bureaucrats, impediments to everything, with a multi-copy form to be filled out to be able to fill out a form asking permission to fill out a form. Then having to do it all over again because of a misspelled word or undotted 'i'.
Anyway, I was on the bus crossing the Light Rail stop at Cold Spring Lane around noon and we hit a red light so I hopped off and jumped on the train and went up one stop to Mt. Washington and my coffee fix..(not even a cup of bad coffee at D.O.R.S., c'mon, there is usually always an urn brewing in the dayroom/waiting area of these places..???....)..and sat outside the whole day just "wallowing in the wonderful weather"....lol...until 20 minutes before close when I finally got a little cold. Then, back to the shed.
I am on my way to Towson, for a 1:00 pm. court date, so if you don't hear from me for a while, I'll be locked up for being broke and homeless and owing money.
no 'Debtors Prisons' in the U.S., that's right, now they just use, "Contempt Of Court".
I have $10.00 in Food Stamps, and $6.00 in cash, (my appeal for donations did not seem to work, maybe I should of had a picture with my sad 'puppy dog eyes' all teared up..?.............LOL).....don't think it's gonna help....lol.
Oh look, Allan's here,....of course..it's dry out....LOL.
Later......Dave.
1 comment:
Hi Dave,
I have been following your blog for a while. Dont' know if you remember Salisha but I am her brother in law. I grew up in Detroit and was constantly surrounded by homelessness. I was always upset when people simplified this human challenge. This continued when I was assigned as a military member to the Baltimore Area. I actually lived on fleet Street for 3 years and volunteered at Our Daily Bread on a consistent basis. I also volunteered at Paul's Place. Sometimes, I wanted to choke people for their ill talk toward the homeless - not so much outside volunteers - but the actual staff themselves...Regarding your blog about public servants (or lack thereof), I've dealt with that on several occasions. What are some of the bureaucratical roadblocks you face when trying to escape homelessness. From some of your other blogs, it seems slow bureaucracy makes things difficult. It also seems to me many homeless people struggle because they don't have a homeless identification or have trouble gaining access to a homeless shelter that allows for permanent address...plus there is the violene that occurs with the homeless that never seems to get media coverage. Anyways, I really enjoy reading your blog, and I hope you keep fighting. Also hope to hear some of your thoughts about the difficulties in escaping homelessness.
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