I often find myself explaining to people that I live in permanent supportive housing. Many readers believe that I live in a homeless shelter for free.
I do not live in a homeless shelter. I have a lease, and I pay rent. My building is owned and managed by Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. There are staff here such as case managers, therapists, property managers, maintenance, security, doctors, and others. All these people work together to keep me stably housed.
Some people here do not pay rent. But because I have an income, I pay 30% toward rent up to about $1,200, which is what it costs per month to live here. I have paid as much as $945 for my share and as little as $0 when I first moved in and did not have a job yet.
Some wonder, what is permanent supportive housing? Am I in a mental institution? Sometimes it feels that way. But I can come and go as I please. I can have visitors to my apartment. So where does the support come in?
A really bad morning
Photo byyoussef naddamonUnsplash
I will give an example from two days ago. I woke up and immediately began having technical problems, which always sends me into a rage. I got an error message on my computer and then my phone wouldn’t power up. I panicked, angry, and emailed my case manager and his boss that the world was falling apart, and I’d be better off dead.