Homeless For Half a Day - Day 5

Strategic Social Experiment - heartprints inc.


I am intrigued by what I have learned. I am realizing the blessings I have, and how I can utilize this initiative to help others. I have learned how to connect to job assistance, medical care, utilize time and assistance from others, as well as how important it is to stay positive during challenging times.

Today was interesting, as I woke up to no electricity in my home. A power line was down, and caused my who neighborhood to be without electric. I went to the YMCA near my home, and even they were without electricity. Seems "homeless" was going to happen earlier today, ha. I called Duke to report the outage, and it had already been done. They have a recording to go through now and report this, but I decided to utilize this opportunity to test something out. I called and spoke with a customer representative. I shared the outage, and she mentioned that they are working on it and it should be repaired within a couple hours.

I asked her if I could pick her brain related to my experiment, and run her through some scenarios. I said, "What if I couldn't afford my utility bill?". She said to contact a local agency, and sorry. I then said, "Say this outage makes my refrigerator spoil my food, will you reimburse me for my lost food, and if so, to what amount?". She said, "Your food should be find as long as you don't open the door, and it should be good for up to 48 hours". I asked where Duke and she gets her information, and if they would be responsible if I got sick from, for example, spoiled milk if I drank it, caused by this outage. She said they get their information from the USDA, and that I could contact the Public Utilities Commission, as they set the standards. She followed that by sharing they would not reimburse for lost food in any way. Interesting. I then asked if they would discount my utility bill for the electric being out. She said "NO". I offered up this question, "If I made an attempt to use less energy, or did something to where I needed a discount on my utilities, would you let me pay less?". She replied, "NO".

It seems to me that it is okay for the energy companies to "go out" and not be fully operational at times and not have to provide a discount or customer service, but their customers still have to adhere to their standards they set. I know it's not like returning a shirt or something, but seems like what they say goes. I did learn that they are not responsible for lost food or related materials/items because the services they provide are out, seems like a customer service issue, but they have a monopoly on our loyalty.

It was pouring rain today, and super cold. I decided to check back with 5/3 about home foreclosure options, and follow up with Job and Family Services with some more questions. 5/3 said you need certain documents, so to print them, I utilized Super Jobs, as they allow you to utilize their printers and fax machines. This helped more than one would think. If you don't have a printer at home, and can't even afford food, this would be a great resource for you!

While speaking with Job and Family Services, I found out that due to being a single adult, I would qualify for food assistance only. This means that I would not have enough to maintain a home, utilities, or other bills, but I would be able to obtain food assistance. Of course, this is a hypothetical situation, but made me think of what it would be like if I were in that scenario. Wow, what stress, lack of hope, and frustration.

I reminisced in my mind about all that time I spent the other day at Job and Family Services waiting. I recalled how it was busier than an airport if they had $50 tickets (and if you live near CVG, you know what I mean!). People flying by each other, not talking, look angry, and in a hurry to no where. The color of the walls are as sad as the faces of people. I remembered the diversity, and how those with babies weren't crying, as if they were being strong because they had to, and didn't even know it. I thought of how once you were downtown and at HJFS, that the jail, courthouse, and related organizations where all near each other. Was this for convenience, or to keep people in need by each other. I appreciated the convenience for my experiment, but won't go down that road with this project.

I thought of how if one want's to get more than by in today's society, they must have a car, computer, address, business attire, health/hygiene products, and other resources that allow one to accommodate the work place, jobs, and adhere to the perceptions employers expect.

So many stories in that place. So many names and faces going in and out of the doors. Wondering, if they are leaving with hope for tomorrow, or despair and lack of care...

I reminded myself of the blessings I had that I took for granted. Having a phone, car, home, education, being literate, having a computer, that I can type, have my health, insurance, a driver's license, and had some kindness from strangers.

I learned you will be frustrated working with these agencies, especially the government one's, as they require extreme patience, may lose your paperwork, not log you into the system properly, treat you like a number (not everyone, but 1 out of 10 workers performed this way), and all too often are shuffled along due to the economy and large number of people they are interacting with. You learn your patience, leadership, courage, and endurance levels rather quickly.

I learned to be resourceful, such as finding a fax machine (ex. Library 513.396.6900 and HCJFS 513.946.1000). You learn to find a way, be savvy, and if you need to go to the Dr., find ways to make it happen. If you can't read, write, don't have a car, can't type, are not computer literate, don't have a phone, or know where to go, you will be in some very difficult situations. You realize that just having a phone number and email validates your more than you thought. Everything I have done so far has required having a social security number, address, and phone.

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