Hey Family!
We’ve decided it’s time to share some of our origin story. Today’s episode is Nico’s perspective on why we’re homeless.
I used to live with a couple who helped manage a small apartment complex in Clackamas. I moved in after getting a job at a hardware store; they’d promised me a reasonable amount of hours and a position on Cashier. My roommates were pretty understanding at the beginning, but the shop took far too long to make good on their promises. My schedule was so sporadic I couldn’t get another job. Starting from scratch wasn’t a guarantee that I’d find something.
After a while, my roommates just started seeing me as a mooch and overlooking a lot of what I was trying to contribute in terms of time, energy, and compassion. I was the scapegoat, and wanting to seek comfort at all became a point of contention.
I was threatened with eviction at about the time the shop actually was giving me the hours I needed; it was just too little too late. It was safer to leave than to try and change their minds at that point, and I’ve been trying to recover ever since.
—————
Oddly enough, we had a similar thing happen to us again recently. We attempted to help another friend deal with relationship and self care issues, and got them started on a path to recovery. Once it was clear we were no longer needed we left, but the path to that point included a familiar feeling of being overlooked for the things I was doing and had done for them.
I can’t help but think that this is too strange to be a mundane problem, but either way I still have other challenges to deal with.