Opinion
I am 65, a Sonoma County native, writer, and cancer survivor. My Social Security and SSI total approximately $1,260 monthly. The room I am pursuing costs $788—63 percent of my income. Apparently, “affordable” means the room can afford me.
That leaves $472 for everything else. Economists call this a budget constraint. Retirement calls it a hiring opportunity.
I plan to work part time again. First, I need somewhere to sleep so I can arrive at work looking employable rather than freshly processed by the referral economy.
I am completing housing and background-check paperwork through The Living Room, but I do not yet have a confirmed home. I have contacted agencies, supplied documents, and followed referrals. My paperwork is making excellent progress. I would like to accompany it indoors.
I appreciate the people trying to help. I need someone to finish the application with me, identify assistance, and arrange a safe backup.
A referral may improve a spreadsheet. It provides disappointing protection from rain.
As a Christian, I ask: What would Jesus do? I struggle to picture him handing someone a resource directory and counting the miracle completed.
Please measure success by people safely housed. I would gladly retire from writing about homelessness if I could retire from living it.
Renee Belinda Cooper, M.B.A.
Santa Rosa