Homeless For Half a Day - Day 2






Strategic Social Experiment - heartprints inc.

I wake up and my stomach feels like it is in a little ball. I barely slept, about 4 hours. I say a pray, take some deep breaths, and feel a bit better. I make sure I am aware of this challenge, and also to keep a positive spirit about this journey.

I notice a commercial for home foreclosure prevention, it's a PSA from Mark Mallory about a phone a thon. (877)728.9987. I call. I get a long recording, and after a couple minutes, the system hangs up on me. I call again, then the recording states they are not in at this time. Great, a service that should be around the clock, and it's not even a holiday, and they can't answer?! We need this service! I call a City employee, they don't have a clue what this number is or the project is for. My frustration begins to show itself again, I am short, and hang up. I call Laketa Cole's office and leave a message (still no follow up, been a couple weeks, but understand as she is running for re-election to her Council seat). I email them at their site http://www.buzzusnow.com/. I fill out their online form. I get a call back while I am calling them, click over, and it went to voice mail. They share that they are having a phone a thon with WCET (great, everyone can hear this challenge on TV, wonderful, ha!). I call in, goes to voice mail. I see a pattern similar to the 5/3 and Federal Government assistance programs and what happens when you try to get something done. I am not happy.

I decide that Albert Einstein was correct when he said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result". I am now dedicated to finding out how to subvert this hunger, as it is influencing my headache to reappear stronger. I do not like this pattern, and as I am performing this social experiment, and look at my cabinets/fridge full of food, and as enticing as it is to cheat and eat some of it, I venture downtown to the Hamilton County Job and Family Services building. Parking sucks. No meters available, so I park around 1/4 mile away at a two hour meter. I enter HCJFS. The lines are out the door. I arrive at 10AM. I wait in line for 20 min, and am surprised it did not take longer, but the beginning of my optimism is directed back to glass half empty once I discover I waited in line for a number, and 20 pages of paperwork to fill out.

I am impressed at how fast I fill out the paperwork, but disgruntled as no one calls my name for an hour. I see a case worker, so I thought. Appears after waiting and waiting, you meet with someone to merely put your information into the system, then they set you up with a case worker related to your situation. I explain my experiment, they give me a card and number to return tomorrow. It was a made house in there, and I am glad to be gone. I was actually asked if I was a lawyer, as I was dressed nice. Noted to self to dress down if I am going to be "homeless". I begin to realize and remember that appearance is judged strongly by everyone in our society. We are human, this doesn't surprise me.

I begin to focus my attention on where I would go to try and get a job if I was laid off, and needed to pay bills, for gas, feed kids, and take care of mortgage. I began to think about going to the library, but found a place called Super Jobs off Central Parkway. Here you can get job assistance, job listings, utilize computers, and also fax machines.

I go there. I get set up with a job coach and entered into their system. I explain my experiment and also how I am trying to bring awareness to their assistance and other organizations that can support those in need. I do not learn much from my coach, and she actually asks me for assistance with her non-profit. She is also intrigued by my networking, linkedin, heartprints, and asks if I can help her. I am frustrated, and am also happy that this place exists merely on the fact that people can go here to utilize computers and fax machines for internet and communications to reach out for work. I see potential here for this organization to plug in more with companies that are hiring.

I began to drift in thought and think about, "What if I didn't have a car, phone, ... what if I was illiterate...?!". These resources are great, but can be challenging if you have a disability. I re focus back to my agenda. To discover organizations that are relevant to the "heartprints help guide", and to share my intelligence gathering for "community driven positive impact" work.

I over hear a story about a gentleman that feels he is wrongfully terminated from his job, and the lady he is talking to is sharing her story about how she was laid off, and feels wrongfully so after they hired someone else for her same position.

I began to think how someone without a job, yet would need legal services would obtain some. I visited the Justice Center. I went to the Information Booth, and I asked here where one would go to obtain legal services if they feel they were wrongfully terminated. She said, "I don't know". I laughed, and said, "If the information booth doesn't know, how will I know?!". She directed me to where one pays tickets. They laugh at me and say, "Who sent you here?!". They sent me to Room 115. They say, "Why did they send you here...?!". I told them my experiment and situation, they tell me I need to go to the Court House. I go to the Court House. They ask if this would be for Small Claims or more than $3K. I say, "Hypothetically, what if it was for both?". They say it can only be one, here's paperwork for small claims (<$3K), and I need to go to Room 315 for a case over that amount. I go there, and they give me a piece of paper to fill out, I explain I am doing research, they say, "Well, if you want a trial by Judge, it's $300 to file, if you want a trial by Jury, it's $500". I think to myself, "What if you have no money, no job, and can't even afford to fill this out and submit it?!".

I walk around the corner, and pass the "Legal Aid Society of Cincinnati". I enter, and wait on the slowest elevator known to mankind. I go to the 2nd floor, which I would walk to if I could have entered the stairwell, and save 10 min. on waiting. I get off the elevator, and explain my experiment. She says, "I don't know where you would go". What?! She provides me with some other resources that may help after I ask her if there are other avenues or groups that can. I begin to realize if you don't ask more questions, and are not courageous to ask, you may miss out on learning about where to go or what to do. Before I leave, I ask if I can utilize the stairs, I cannot unless I have a badge, and I do not have a badge. I wait on the elevator for 10 min., again.

I spend the rest of the afternoon thinking about how I would manage my bills, as the little money I would have would have to be utilized for mortgage, food, and utilities for basic needs. I remember I have student loans. I call them, explain my experiment, and ask what they would recommend. They share that you can put your loans into deferment, and ask if I want them to send me information. I say yes, and before I hang up, ask if the interest accrues on the loans while they are in deferment. Not to my surprise, they would. I recall this "Ask Philosophy", where you should dig deeper, and I inquire to the customer service representative if there are any assistance programs, ways I can get my loans dismissed, and how I may manage them. They said, yes, you can defer them, but that is it.

I have not eaten breakfast or lunch, and after getting off the phone, go over to Findlay Market again, and say hello to the same vendor who gave me an apple. He spares another apple, and I am grateful. This makes me feel good, and I remember that humans can be kind. I feel like I have lost 20 lbs. due to not eating, but feel light headed due to the lack of nutrients and food.

My Homeless For Half a Day experiment is showing me a few things. That people can be kind. There are resources out there to help those in need, but many do not know about them. We really are a society of "consumed" people, where we bank our success on the largest TV, flashiest car, and take a lot for granted. Going through these motions makes me appreciate a roof over my head, food in a fridge, heck - it makes me appreciate having a fridge!

Back to my "other half day", and will return to this experiment later. I feel fortunate I have this choice, and am intrigued by what I am discovering.

www.heartprints.org

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