MS Disabled Single Mother Of Four Seeks Government Housing Grant
by Heather
I have worked hard my whole life. I went to the Army to make a better life for my children. However I was not allowed to finish basic training because I became very ill. The Army sent me home without a single bit of help for myself. I went back to work for my father and have done so every since until I became so sick that I lost my eyesight and it still comes and goes. My doctors do not want me to work. I have applied for my disability and still nothing months later. It has taken six months just to get to see a neurologist and I will get to see her on the 25th of this month. Because I have the Illinois state medical card. I have to have my mother drive me three hours just to see this doctor. Meanwhile, my soon to be ex-husband is getting VA benefits and dependent pay on me and my kids who are not even his. I have asked for the dependent pay and he refuses to give me a dime. The VA tells me that he doesn't have to do anything and him living with a female in a house that the VA pays for is not against the rules even though we are married. They refuse to make him give me any of the large back pay, which he spent on this woman and her son or any of the monthly benefits. I started seeing this man and every thing was okay until I got sick and could not work. He became very violent and beat me. The state's attorney plans on not giving him much of anything because he has never been in trouble anymore. He is not even being charged with the sexual assault or abuse to a disabled person, just domestic battery. I got an op that he hired a lawyer for and is fighting. I found a lawyer but they want $650 to help. I don't have that money and legal aid won't help me because I backed out of a divorce due to being threatened. Now he has broken into my home and stolen things and tried to set it on fire with my kids and I in it and the police won't do anything about it. We are going to die because of the lack of protection. He texted me and said he would burn down my house with all of us in it. Still the police won't do anything. What happened to protecting the victims? Just when I thought things could not get any worse I am about to lose my home and all my things like water electricity, and my car. I have no way to pay for these things. My oldest child's father owes me $3000 in back child support and they take an extra $20 every two weeks from him. The younger three's father quit his job and has not paid support in a year. He is back to work yet the state of Illinois for six months has not made him pay. If I ask either one for help they just yell at me and make things worse. My oldest child is mentally disabled she gets SSI, but because she gets $240 a month in child support they have cut her SSI. Now they have taken another $67 away a month because they say they overpaid her. But they have really underpaid her because for over a year her father did not pay his support and they did not adjust her amount. My kids don't even have clothes that fit them right. They get made fun of. I am living in an apartment that's not even worth $200 a month and trying to pay $400 when I only have around $700 coming in. The apartment is a rat hole with mold and a water heater that puts rust out into our bath water, along with many other things wrong with it. I have bad credit so we can't get into housing, which I believe is really unfair. The electricity bill runs almost $300 a month even if I keep it cold in here. I could not afford to have a new sticker put on my car or pay a ticket. So they took my driver's license and I have to depend on others, which half the time I will sit here needing to go do laundry or get food. I can't put a washer and drier in here because I would have to pay another $50 a month to do so. I can't afford that. I can't even afford to go to the laundry mat and do them. This month I did not get my stamps because public aid messed up my paperwork. Then when my pa and I went to fix it they said they did not need a rent receipt. Well two weeks later and no food they request a rent receipt it took them another week after that to give me help so I could feed my kids. I am at the end of my line with begging someone to help my girls and me. I have thought about sending them to their fathers and even talked to their father about it and neither one of them are will to help with the girls. I don't know what we are supposed to do. How can I be homeless with my babies? My kids live in something I would not even want a dog to live in. They worry all the time about food and a home and of me being so sick. They are just little kids and should not have to worry about any of this. I try to hide things and it does not one bit of good. I even lived with my grandmother for a bit but because of all the racist problems at the school (my oldest is a black-white mix) I had to move into this rat hole. We were not in much better shape at grandmas but at least we knew we would have heat and a place to lay our heads. If there is no help for people like me, I question how there is help for people like the ones living above me whose rent and things are paid with grants. He is working a very good job and they own three cars yet I can't even afford one. Somehow there's money paying two years of their rent and monthly household bills. They have been into trouble for things like meth yet they get all they help they need and I am told too bad. I do not understand this. I am asking for help. If anyone can help or knows somewhere that can please let me know.
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