The Harvard Coop Hotel

It is no fun sleeping in the entrance of the Harvard Coop overnight but it does offer some shelter and safety in numbers. I am told there was a woman who slept there for 20 years 365 nights but has vanished and people fear she has died.

Last night I was chatting with another resident of the Coop hotel who is a Harvard grad but lost her job 2 years ago and lost her condo 2 months ago. She says she just can't tell her parents she has 'failed'. She told me that women's shelter beds are VERY scarce and in Cambridge there is a daily lottery for a woman's shelter in Somerville. If she loses she stays at the Coop Hotel.

It is frightening to see how many people are living on the streets of Cambridge.

This is just a nightmare and whatt is frustrating is actually having been told more than once just get drunk and you can get a bed at 240 Albany St.

The nightmare continues....

Just waiting for Square to quiet down

Out of the hospital, feeling OK

Now it is myself and a few others just hanging at Dunkin Donuts waiting for Harvard Sq to quiet down and grab a few hours sleep.

None of us are drunk or on drugs - just having a very hard time.

Good News - Bad News

Good news is I am discharged from MetroWest sometime later today - Bad news is I am back on the streets :(

Right now I am hoping the hospital will spring for train fare back to Boston as I am dead broke - and will be until September 3rd. This is all because of the overdrafts in late July at Bank of America. Right now I have....

Account: PERSONAL CHECKING/SAVINGS ACCOUNT ending in XXXX
Date: 08/26/2010
Available balance: $3.04

This is your Available Balance after processing was completed
on 08/26/2010

I do not relish the idea of sleeping outside in Harvard Sq tonight but I have very little choice. I am still waiting on possible housing in Framingham.

The journey continues......


But at least the sun has appeared :)

Been a looooooooong week

Hi everyone

I haven't really had the chance to blog the past 10 days as I wound up being admitted as an inpatient at MetroWest Hospital in Natick. My left ankle became infected and I had to be put on IV for antibiotics. I was transferred from Mt Auburn in Cambridge to Natick because of bed availability and my phone and other personal property stayed in Cambridge until yesterday when they were shipped out by courier.

I will be discharged tomorrow and go right back to square one. I currently have less than ten dollars in my checking account and of course if I go below zero I will be hit by $35 overdraft fees again (which is how I got so fouled up in August).

I am quickly learning that being honest with the housing authorities is hurting me. I could have told Cambridge I was living at 240 Albany St which is the drunk shelter near MIT but since I am not a drunk I won't use that option. Instead I said my last address was in Brookline and so Cambridge does not consider me an emergency. Brookline has no quick options for suddenly homeless people.

I am also in need of legal advice to see what options I have with Cambridge concerning those unpaid parking tickets from 1989. I am just overwhelmed.

Thanks for reading

MetroWest Hospital Natick

Friday the 13th

I wanted to get so much done yesterday afternoon and wound up doing next to nothing.

Around 1 PM I suddenly became so tired I just had to sleep and it seems like these 2 or 3 hours of sleep days are catching up to me.

I am getting nowhere with Bank of America and I am really scared on how I will make it to September 3rd when my next check is direct deposited. I even offered a compromise that I would accept the fees but could they simply take $100 a month out of my account until it was paid. They said no.
Last night I watched the Red Sox blow a lead in Harvard Square where Cardulo's has a TV with sound in their front window and then went to my hideaway.

At 2 AM I was awoken by a young drunk woman in a blue mini-dress who was so excited to see a real homeless person. She gushed "We don't have any homeless in Dover." and then she gave me a dollar.

The journey continues.....

boredom on a Thursday night

Today was a 'nothing' day.

I was simply too exhausted to do anything. I was able to get to the meals for lunch and supper and just listened to the Red Sox game. UGH

Now I wait in Harvard Sq for my hideaway to been available which won't be until after Midnight.

But I am meeting others who are on the streets and learning how screwed up the system is.

The only place in Cambridge with beds open is CASPAR at 240 Albany Street but you have to be intoxicated to get in. I can't and won't do that.

CASPAR

The other Cambridge shelters are full and you have to call in the morning but they are overwhelmed. The harsh reality is many have seen unemployment run out.

I have been chatting with a woman who is near 50. She is currently sleeping at the front of the Harvard Coop. She is a lawyer and has found NOTHING in 2 years. She is over qualified and she said that since high school she had never gone more than seven days without a job.

The stereotype is homeless people are druggies, alcoholic or mentally ill. Well in Cambridge they can get beds. The people I am meeting are like me, no family to bail them out and just having a bad time. For some younger folk, being 'homeless' is a fun way to spend the summer and I have seen their campground near the Weeks Bridge.

Friday I will hit the deck at dawn. I know there is a way out.

I hope.

A long day dealing with everything

I am exhausted.

Started day with breakfast at the senior center in Central Square, Cambridge and then putting in applications for emergency/senior/disabled housing in Cambridge, Brookline and Newton. These agencies are simply overwhelmed and while Cambridge and Newton have some options they go to residents first while Brookline where my last residence was doesn't have much at all. The big headache is to get emergency housing in Cambridge or Newton I need an address in that city. Both cities offer rooms at the local YMCA which would be fine and affordable. Brookline just has nothing, not even a shelter.

Ummm IF I had an address I wouldn't be in this situation. Talk about a Catch-22.

I have been told to avoid Boston as I could wind up somewhere that isn't safe.

I was contacted by someone at Somerville Homeless and I will stop by tomorrow. I have precious little cash and I am trying to take full advantage of the Charlie Card transfer system.

Bank of America just won't budge so I made another stop in Newton at Barney Frank's office to show my bank statement that shows all the overdraft fees were caused by a deposit I made that bounced (see a previous post). Not having that $455 is crippling me right now. The person there was understanding and forward it to Washington and also told me that Barney wants this overdraft madness to stop. A court in California just yesterday slammed Wells Fargo.

Wells Fargo loses debit card case

Then I had to rush back to Cambridge for the senior meal at Cambridge Hospital. I am simply physically and mentally exhausted. I am only getting about 3 hours of sleep and my body is not happy. At least Sprint says I can pay on September 3rd when I get my next check but I have NO CLUE on how I can survive for 3 weeks with nothing.

One old homeless guy in Harvard Sq says I should go to the hospital and say I am going to kill myself and that would buy me a week or more. I just can't and won't play that game.


There is a dry shelter in MARLBORO but then I would be stranded out there. The MetroWest Transit System is barebones and getting to Boston is a 10 round trip by either bus or commuter rail. Other shelters in Waltham and Cambridge are full. Pine Street I am told has a daily lottery and if you don't get in there you are bused to a place on an island off Quincy.

I just want to sleep but my 'hiding place' in Harvard Sq is not an option until after 1 AM.

The nightmare continues

More 'good' news

On top of everything else according to the Boston Globe on Tuesday affordable apartments are becoming more and more scarce.

Rentals harder to find, afford

I am completely overwhelmed now and not alone.

Another day begins

6 AM in Harvard Sq

My body was more tired than I thought on Monday. To beat the heat I knew of a courtyard behind the old DR at 44 Brattle St which never gets hot and I wound up sleeping for 13 hours.

I have meetings at Cambridge Housing Today and Somerville Hospital. I am doing everything on foot as I can't afford T fare.

Glad to see the Red Sox won in NY, they are still alive and so am I.

At least I won't starve to death

Still getting nowhere with Bank of America. I have to be frank - that $455 is the reason I have no roof over my head right now. I slept outside in Harvard Sq last night and was far from alone.



Only one shelter in Cambridge had a bed Sunday night but you have to be DRUNK to get in. I am dead serious, CASPAR at 240 Albany St. That is just wrong on so many levels.


However I did find out that since I am now over 60 I qualify for senior meals which I can use my food stamp card to pay (I get a whopping $80 in stamps)

http://www.eldercare.org/Services/Nutrition_Community_Cafes.shtm

I want to thank the 2 persons who each sent me $5 via the PayPal link in my first posting. It is a huge help.


I am told all one has to do is go to PayPal.com and enter my email address.

tryingtostaystrong@gmail.com

Link to PayPal

Honestly I can't even do subway fare anymore.


If nothing else please say a prayer for me as I have to believe there is a light at the end of this tunnel.

Today my biggest concern is trying to find a place to shower.

Gee Thanks Bank Of America

Sunday morning and I am nursing a coffee at Starbucks and reading a Globe that somebody tossed.

I am down to less than 20 bucks for the month thanks to the insane overdraft fees that BoA hit me with.

So this morning they sent me this cheery email

You've already taken the first step to help stay in control of your money by linking your accounts with Overdraft Protection. But, starting on August 12, 2010, if you don't have enough money in your checking or Overdraft Protection account, your everyday debit card purchases or ATM transactions will be declined.

To help avoid being declined:

* Remember to keep a cushion in your linked account used for Overdraft Protection.

* Use balance management tools like Mobile Banking or Text Banking to check your available balance before you make a purchase. See all of the tools available to you and how they can help keep overdrafts under control.

Check with your wireless carrier as fees may apply. Mobile Banking available to Online Banking enrollees only. Must have Transfers and Bill Pay set up previously in Online Banking to use these functions in Mobile Banking.

This is a service email from Bank of America. Please note that you may receive service email in accordance with your Bank of America service agreements, whether or not you elect to receive promotional email.

As I said in my first blog posting, this bank nailed me for $455 in OD fees all because somebody bounced a check on me!!!!

They kept authorizing the card even though I had a negative balance and a 53 cent refill at Starbucks became $35.53. 12 of these charges plus another $35 for being overdrawn has wiped me out.

This Bank sends me emails when I get a direct deposit, my account goes under $100 but they couldn't tell me my deposit bounced????

I don't get another disability check until September 3rd???

You would think the bank could rebate some of the $455 given it was a third party deposit that caused this - but nooooooooo.

What else can happen????

Boredom

Just frustrated with Bank of America as while the branch manager was understanding the computer program they use is not. He was candid that the bank looks at overdraft charges as a major profit item. I plan to switch my direct deposit to TD Bank which offers free checking to seniors.

Only good news is Sprint will not shut off my phone as I have been a good customer.

Staying with a friend in Somerville tonight

Praying for a miracle

My world has fallen apart.... I need help

I am learning the hard way just how cruel life can become as one gets older.

I turned 60 earlier this year and honestly I can't believe I am now that old. The last 10 years have not been great to me as I have battled some health problems and now live on a small (around $800 a month) disability payment. 800 dollars doesn;t go very far in Boston but I was getting by but the last few weeks have been a nightmare.

I started having health problems around 8 years ago and was forced to go onto disability - NOT because I was looking at 'free' money - but because I needed the health insurance that came with it. I really had no choice but to go in that direction. I was lucky enough to find a small studio apartment in a private house and the landlord was taking only 30% of my check. I was able to get buy but I needed to be watchful of my spending as EVERY penny counted. Life wasn't great but I was surviving. Then everything fell apart in February of this year.

I need help....

I had been living in a nice home in Brookline. The owner was someone I had met at a local Starbucks and he had a small apartment on the second floor and he only was charging me 30% of my check. It was small but nice.

Suddenly he died of a heart attack on February 28th and his daughter decided she was going to sell the house and I had to vacate which finally happened on July 1st.

Since then I have been staying with a friend or for a few nights at a shelter in Jamiaca Plain at the Shattuck Hospital. That is not a nice place because of the drinkers and drug users. i will also admit I have slept outside a few nights. It isn't fun at my age. I have been searching and seaching for a place but there is little out there I can afford right now. I have my name on a zillion lists and I hope and pray. However a couple a weeks ago disaster happened.

I had done some work for someone I had met at a Starbucks and he paid me $150 by check.

 IT BOUNCED and the person seems to have left the area.

But because the check bounced I was suddenly overdrawn with Bank of America and simple purchases like a coffee were suddenly being hit with a $35 fee on each transaction. I was unaware of this as the card kept being approved until suddenly I was $667 overdrawn. Bank of America refused to rebate any of the fees and when my August check arrived on the 3rd of the month I was left with $118 to last the month. None of my friends can help as they are just getting by and I have no family.

Meanwhile I am searching for ANY kind of housing and my best option is perhaps a sober house in Framingham come September or October. I have to admit I am overwhelmed at this point.

I will be honest my life has been a struggle. 

I will be upfront - I suffer from depression and PTSD. The main source of my problems stems from being abused by a Catholic priest back in the mid 60's after the sudden death of my father. He took a special interest in me.

 It was something that I suppressed for decades and it was not until a decade ago I finally had to come to grips with it. I have yet to receive a settlement as this happened in the state of Rhode Island where I attended a Catholic prep school and honestly I doubt I will ever see much from the Diocese of Providence as unlike Boston to the north, there IS no money in Rhode Island. I would like them to say "we are sorry" but they seem incapable of doing that.

I became a loner in my 20's and while not as bad as Travis Bickle I did become a cab driver and drove for Boston Cab in the Fenway for many years. No regrets but I just finally burnt out from the job and when Boston Coach took away all the downtown work I moved on.

I have been sober now for over 9 years and i would NEVER want to go back there. We are taught in 12-Step that everything happens for a reason but I can't take anymore.

I am on a fixed income and it is only $800 a month. My taxi driving days came back to haunt me as I paid little in taxes and thus my government check is small.

A couple of years ago when i went to renew my drivers license I found out I owed the $1,440 in unpaid parking tickets dating back to 1988-9. These were all taxi related as I didn't own a car and I was told the cab owner had PAID them but he did not as I as the driver was responsible. I can not get my licencse back until they are paid, and there is simply no way I can do it. It is my own fault.

So..somebody suggested I just blog about it and ask for help. I have an old PayPal account that I used on Ebay and another friend suggested I put that PayPal link on the blog if somebody out there wanted to help me a little.



I know this is a 21st Century Way of panhandling which NEVER in a million years did I ever expect to do but I am at wits end. I would work if I could but who is going to hire a 60 year old with bad legs.

One last thing. An old friend from AA wants me to relocate to the south and live with her. She is just getting by as well but she moved back as she simply couldn't afford Boston anymore. leaving Boston is now my goal but somehow I have to survive August with no money.

I am embarrased to be doing this but I am at the end of my rope. I am not a thief though I can now understand why a man could be driven to that.

If anybody has doubts they can e-mail me and i would be happy to meet and show my bank statements. I just can't believe Bank of America could do that to me and then refuse to rebate any of the fees. I have been with them since it was BayBank. It is just very frustrating.

Thank You for reading.