Give us shelter, dammit Let's face it: The homeless problem is not being caused by "not enough affordable housing." It's being caused by no affordable housing. A waiting list is not affordable housing. I qualified for a subsidized apartment on Old Tunnel Road Sept 15, 2015. They told me it would be two-and-a-half to three years before I'd get an apartment. That was two years and 10 months ago. And after months of being stonewalled, they finally told me I'm still a distant #19 on the waiting list. I could die before my number comes up. Meanwhile, I'm homeless. By mutual, prearranged agreement, I am moving out of where I lived for the last two years and into … storage. Affordable places are rare, and rarely advertised. My best chance of finding a place is through people I know who know people who might have – or know of – a place for rent or a house to share. Or at least a place to stay for a while. It's working. Friends have offered me their pop-up trailer for next few weeks. I'm getting all kinds of leads. Nothing's worked out so far, but nobody's giving up on me either. Of course, I have to do my own due diligence in looking, but I get eliminated almost immediately because I'm self-employed. As a freelancer, I have no way of predicting my monthly income. The fact that I always pay my rent on time, my credit score is above 800, I have no criminal history, a clean driving record, guaranteed Social Security income, and have excellent personal and professional references – all mean nothing to landlords unless you're not only employed but also have an employment history. I'm 70 and disabled. Besides spinal stenosis, sciatica and scoliosis, I have arthritis in my hands. And I'm bipolar – shrinks call me "a high-functioning individual." That basically means I've learned to live a near-normal life and most people like me. Part of due diligence is applying for that cruel subsidized-housing joke called Section 8. Obviously written by Democrats during the Great Depression, Section 8s are a wonderful deal, on paper, for low-income, disabled and old people. But they didn't even throw a bone to landlords. There is absolutely no advantage to a landlord to accept a Section 8 voucher, not even a tax incentive. But the real deal-killer is the yearly federal inspection of the property. What landlord would want that? The last time I had a Section 8, I was denied BECAUSE I had a voucher. And I couldn't find a place to live with a voucher – and I became homeless. It was only through social connections that I found the decent place I'm about to leave after two years. It came as no surprise when I learned only two out of 50 Section 8 participants in the last round actually found housing. Want to find Section 8 housing? Look on the police blotter. About the only landlords that accept Section 8 vouchers are professional corporations designed to run multi-tenant housing to federal standards. And oh yeah, there's that waiting list thing. I've worked all my life. I am an active member of our community. I've always paid my taxes. Even though I was eligible for disability assistance (SSI), I chose not to go that route. I knew I could make a living without government assistance. It was a point of pride. Just because I have a mental disorder doesn't mean I can't work. With all due immodesty, I am a highly educated and talented individual. But now I'm old, hurt and "unemployable." I deserve affordable housing, subsidized or not. I feel no guilt about taking subsidized housing now. I'm not a welfare welsh. I paid my fair share of taxes for the safety net that is failing me now. The safety net is not only failing me, the so-called safety net is failing scores and scores of other homeless folk in Nevada County. Many of us, like, me can pay reasonable rent – if housing were to be had. And subsidies would house even more of us – if housing were to be had. The Union declined to let me write this anonymously. I wanted to be anonymous, because it's not really about me. It's about all of the Nevada County homeless people who can't find or afford housing. A colleague urged me to write this op-ed because I am a near-perfect candidate for affordable housing – and I can't find any. If it's this hard for me, imagine how hard it is for other people – entire families – who need our village to come together for all us. Tom Durkin is a currently homeless writer and photographer in Nevada County. He can be contacted at tdurkin@vfr.net. “I have a safe place to be, but technically, I’m not here.”` # # # This op-ed was was originally published in The Union newspaper in Grass Valley, CA, July 6, 2018.
© Tom Durkin Media 1998-2023 This site made with Xara Best viewed on a computer
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Tom Durkin multimedia writer-editor-photographer
Give us shelter, dammit Let's face it: The homeless problem is not being caused by "not enough affordable housing." It's being caused by no affordable housing. A waiting list is not affordable housing. I qualified for a subsidized apartment on Old Tunnel Road Sept 15, 2015. They told me it would be two-and-a-half to three years before I'd get an apartment. That was two years and 10 months ago. And after months of being stonewalled, they finally told me I'm still a distant #19 on the waiting list. I could die before my number comes up. Meanwhile, I'm homeless. By mutual, prearranged agreement, I am moving out of where I lived for the last two years and into … storage. Affordable places are rare, and rarely advertised. My best chance of finding a place is through people I know who know people who might have – or know of – a place for rent or a house to share. Or at least a place to stay for a while. It's working. Friends have offered me their pop-up trailer for next few weeks. I'm getting all kinds of leads. Nothing's worked out so far, but nobody's giving up on me either. Of course, I have to do my own due diligence in looking, but I get eliminated almost immediately because I'm self-employed. As a freelancer, I have no way of predicting my monthly income. The fact that I always pay my rent on time, my credit score is above 800, I have no criminal history, a clean driving record, guaranteed Social Security income, and have excellent personal and professional references – all mean nothing to landlords unless you're not only employed but also have an employment history. I'm 70 and disabled. Besides spinal stenosis, sciatica and scoliosis, I have arthritis in my hands. And I'm bipolar – shrinks call me "a high-functioning individual." That basically means I've learned to live a near-normal life and most people like me. Part of due diligence is applying for that cruel subsidized-housing joke called Section 8. Obviously written by Democrats during the Great Depression, Section 8s are a wonderful deal, on paper, for low-income, disabled and old people. But they didn't even throw a bone to landlords. There is absolutely no advantage to a landlord to accept a Section 8 voucher, not even a tax incentive. But the real deal-killer is the yearly federal inspection of the property. What landlord would want that? The last time I had a Section 8, I was denied BECAUSE I had a voucher. And I couldn't find a place to live with a voucher – and I became homeless. It was only through social connections that I found the decent place I'm about to leave after two years. It came as no surprise when I learned only two out of 50 Section 8 participants in the last round actually found housing. Want to find Section 8 housing? Look on the police blotter. About the only landlords that accept Section 8 vouchers are professional corporations designed to run multi-tenant housing to federal standards. And oh yeah, there's that waiting list thing. I've worked all my life. I am an active member of our community. I've always paid my taxes. Even though I was eligible for disability assistance (SSI), I chose not to go that route. I knew I could make a living without government assistance. It was a point of pride. Just because I have a mental disorder doesn't mean I can't work. With all due immodesty, I am a highly educated and talented individual. But now I'm old, hurt and "unemployable." I deserve affordable housing, subsidized or not. I feel no guilt about taking subsidized housing now. I'm not a welfare welsh. I paid my fair share of taxes for the safety net that is failing me now. The safety net is not only failing me, the so-called safety net is failing scores and scores of other homeless folk in Nevada County. Many of us, like, me can pay reasonable rent – if housing were to be had. And subsidies would house even more of us – if housing were to be had. The Union declined to let me write this anonymously. I wanted to be anonymous, because it's not really about me. It's about all of the Nevada County homeless people who can't find or afford housing. A colleague urged me to write this op-ed because I am a near-perfect candidate for affordable housing – and I can't find any. If it's this hard for me, imagine how hard it is for other people – entire families – who need our village to come together for all us. Tom Durkin is a currently homeless writer and photographer in Nevada County. He can be contacted at tdurkin@vfr.net. “I have a safe place to be, but technically, I’m not here.”` # # # This op-ed was was originally published in The Union newspaper in Grass Valley, CA, July 6, 2018.
Tom Durkin
multimedia writer-editor-photographer
We’re all mad as hell here.
© Tom Durkin Media 1998-2020 This site made with Xara. Best viewed on a computer.
Home Home
About About
  • Biography
  • Resume
Portfolio Portfolio
  • News Reporting
  • Marketing
  • Investigative Reporting
  • Creative Nonfiction
  • Personality Profiles
  • Entertainment
  • Legal & Legislative Analysis
  • Technical Writing
  • Ghostwriting
  • Copywriting
Gallery Gallery
  • Photographs
  • Photographics
  • Eclectic
Blog Blog
  • Blah, blah, blog
  • Mortal Coil Shuffle
  • Why I hate "the homeless"
  • Choose your groove
  • Give us shelter
  • We need ADUs, not excuses
  • Myth of the accidental overdose
  • Invisible People
  • One Minute to Deadline
  • Write to Be Read
  • Forgive Me Not
Contact Contact