It's Work To Be Homeless

I've been hanging out with "Rob" discovering the ins and outs of EBT, free wifi, access to electricity, etc. and this may seem kinda silly, but being homeless is a full time job, especially if you don't have access to public transportation.

Just getting to food every day is work, especially when it's not at the same place. It's gotten more complicated as places in Pasadena that have rendered assistance to the homeless in the past have implemented new guidelines that require people to register and fulfill certain requirements in order to qualify. For example, one place may require you to attend a class at 1pm. Such a requirement is completely disruptive for someone that day who may be genuinely out looking for work but does not have access to transportation of any type. As a consequence, fewer people are now getting assistance from these programs, and the overall percentage of what I'd categorize as chronic homeless as increased in the greater Pasadena area.

Beneath the Surface

I've had to deal with a lack of power where I'm sleeping, so I've spent the last couple of days looking for places to go for electricity/wifi access. This morning I went to get coffee at McDonald's where I used to live, which is a fairly affluent neighborhood. I'd live here for over four years, but it's only in the last couple of months that I've become aware of the homeless population in the neighborhood. I ran into someone who used to come to dinner on Tuesdays but 'Denny' (not his real name) "moved" into this neighborhood to get away from the predators in greater Pasadena. We got caught up & I learned a lot about what I'd describe as "underground" support there is for the homeless in this particular neighborhood; there are a number of restaurants that leave food out every night - and once they get to know your situation they'll even let you know exactly what time they'll leave the food outside. And while the police are vigilant about potential miscreants, they don't categorize the homeless that way. Apparently one of their sergeants videotaped an interview with 'Denny' and showed it to the city council and the police don't harass him at the two places where he sleeps regularly. Frankly I'm kind of surprised to learn some of this; I lived here for over four years and during that time if you'd asked you if there were any homeless in my neighborhood, I would have said no. But maybe that reflects the mindset of the residents whereas the folks who work here are more in touch with the financial realities of the less fortunate. As I'm typing this, I note the facial expression of a teenager at an adjacent table watching me work on my laptop here, and I can read the judgement written there. It is what it is.

I am now engaged in conversation with a couple who've also showed up to tap into the free wifi and electric outlet. I'm not sure what's going on, but the conversation has been unusual to say the least. Upon hearing certain details of my situation, I have been offered the names of 3-4 people as potential contacts in the music and dance arenas as sources for potential employment. Naturally I'm kinda skeptical; and seeing that register on my face, I'm told that they don't do this for everyone, and the female tells me that she can sense that I need the help and that I am somehow deserving of it.  So I'm now trying to figure out whether I'm part of a divine appointment, or I'm just humoring some folks who just want attention..  So maybe this couple really sees me beneath the surface, or I need to discern what's going on beneath the surface for them. With the names I've been given to research, it'll be pretty easy to get an idea about it.

EBT

I inadvertently found myself a sherpa on my latest (and unexpected) exploration which involves EBT, an acronym for the California Electronic Benefits Transfer Program, which is the new name of the state program that administers benefits such as food stamps, etc. "Rob" discovered that he'd never gotten his benefits cancelled and has managed to accumulate over $1000 in his EBT account. You get issued an EBT card that works pretty much like a debit card and it will cover food purchases. Last week, he used his card to purchase $80 worth of non perishable items like rice, beans, various spices such as cumin, garlic powder, what have you, and donated it to BK. This week, he purchased all the ingredients for this week's dinner for the homeless later tonight (white chicken chili over rice, for those who want to know).

I discovered that the the program has expanded to allow benefit holders to purchase meals at various fast food outlets, including some but not all franchise chains such as Subway, Domino's, Jack In The Box, Burger King (but oddly enough, not McDonald's). "Rob" invited me to join him for dinner at Jack In The Box last night. I joined him mainly to keep him company, but we ended up doing a little tour of all the various places around Pasadena. I hadn't been inside a J.I.T.B in over 20 years; I visited three last night and eventually tried their filet of fish special for $3.99. This particular J.I.T.B. had a posted sign stating a"loitering" period of only 30 minutes, but we ended up staying there and talking for at least 2.5 hours with no objection from the management. I imagine that the rule is selectively enforced.

Speaking of selectively enforced, Starbucks corporate chain stores do not accept EBT, but Starbucks locations inside other stores (particularly, grocery stores) *may*. There happens to be a Starbucks in east Pasadena located inside a Vons supermarket that could prove to be optimal where you could use your card to get the $1.95 coffee and essentially rent a spot in the lounge area all day and get the free wifi. If you were looking to get the max out of your benefit, I think this would be it.