Homeless Grandmother

There was housing assistance for the mothers after they had lived there for a month, but that never worked as I saw in the times I was there. There were funds available to get an apartment for their family for mothers with children, but not me.

Why couldn't the shelter help you get relocated?

There were no funds made available for me...the grandmother. I had no children under my care, which would make me eligible for Government programs. I felt worthless and angry, as I knew our system of government had failed another huge block of people. I did not want to join the group but was not serviced by the tax dollars I'd contributed to all my life, but it didn't look like I had much choice.

The Government failed you?

The proper phraseology our government uses for their lack of intelligence and caring is, "You fell through the cracks," a term used when you are deliberately overlooked as not important.

What were some of your experiences at the shelter?

Our nation suffers every day from lack of governmental diligence. The cost of one news report about a politico's sex life that we heard about between cartoons the children at the shelter watched on television would have helped many of us "homeless people." I will never forget that moment, because one child looked at me and asked, "Are they talking about him doing the same thing my daddy did?" His mother would not be back for several hours as she was out job hunting. I looked at him and told him the truth. "Yes, I believe they are."

Who are the greatest victims of homelessness and domestic violence? That little boy, along with the rest of the children I met, will know for the rest of their lives that adults are destructive in their behavior toward others. Have these homeless children been let down...one time too many? Please, think about our children.

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