Clothes , cough , crippled-ness .

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From what I've read, the general amount for a care home is 30-50% of SSDI income. That would leave ASS-P with quite a lot still.

Omniel, sorry to hear you've had to deal with all that stress... Yes, the system is crazy and complicated - I don't know where I read about the $15 figure, that could be completely wrong (let's hope?)

Twilightprincess, thanks for your input as well on this issue. You had asked about Medicaid - I think ASS-P has said he gets MediCal, which is California Medicaid, so at least he's able to get basic health care.

Tobes, I agree that the 30-50% 'supportive housing' / SRO option is what we need to be focusing on now. It's good to understand about nursing homes, but thankfully ASS-P's health seems to be not that dire, and he doesn't want it anyway. It seems the next step is to help him find a case manager, and no one seems to have any idea how that's done. (They seem to be these elusive, mythical beings, more difficult to catch than leprechauns!)

ASS-P, please know that I hear you on every single point you've made, whether I reply to them all or not. I apologize if it seems we're hyper-focusing on the basic survival issues, and overlooking the 'happiness' issues. But they're all interconnected, and stress can make health problems so much worse.

I'm glad the digestion problems are a bit better. Autistics are prone to that sort of thing to begin with, and if you add stress, emotional issues, and sub-optimal food choices, I can see how that could result in chronic IBS. I have to eat small amounts throughout the day, but homeless kitchens are geared toward one big meal per day, so I would really have trouble with that as well.

What type of food stores are available in your neighborhood? I lived in SF briefly (Haight area), and all we had nearby was a typical 'corner store' similar to 7-11. But the food choices were fairly expensive - especially the healthier choices. (We seriously went broke in the 9 months we tried to live there - it's not easy!)

I guess my only suggestion is to maybe try eating one regular meal per day at the homeless kitchen, and in between try to eat small amounts, every few hours. That's better for diabetes too, and keeps your blood sugar more stable.

I have severe insomnia as well, and understand that's a huge challenge. It seems your sleep cycle is off lately, and that's another case where avoiding caffeine and big meals after noon might help. I think it would be worth making a real effort to get up a little earlier each day, and see if you can force yourself into more of an 'early to bed, early to rise' cycle.

As for the lack of entertainment, I apologize that's not my area of expertise. I've never had a cell phone, or tablet, and don't understand how they work either. Plus it seems the real problem is that your stuff keeps getting stolen... Another reason to aim for the goal of a 'supportive housing' / SRO situation!

But for now, I hope the hearing goes well tomorrow, and that your health continues to improve. I know your goal is to avoid a limiting 'board and care' scenario, and to remain eligible for shelters and supportive housing, so taking care of your health is more important than ever!

...Yes , institutional living is not very conducive to : have a big meal early on then snacks : or whatever !
Aside from t he lack of entertainment , the lack of stuff to do when my sleeping is bad means that I have nothing else to distract me !
With it raining again , i went to that deli again - so I can use he tablet . If I am thrown out of the shelter , I may do something drastic .

_________________
Renal kidney failure, congestive heart failure, COPD. Can't really get up from a floor position unhelped anymore:-(.
One of the walking wounded ~ SMASHED DOWN by life and age, now prevented from even expressing myself! SOB.
" Oh, no! First you have to PROVE you deserve to go away to college! " ~ My mother, 1978 (the heyday of Andy Gibb and Player). I would still like to go.
My life destroyed by Thorazine and Mellaril - and rape - and the Psychiatric/Industrial Complex. SOB:-(! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !!

Yep....there is lots of rain coming into SF today. But it's pretty warm.

We got about 6 inches/15 cms of snow yesterday.

Drastic meaning what?

Sorry if my suggestions were off-base, and not realistic for your situation. We all just have to make the best decisions available to us!

...As far as the whole ? of $200 a month , say , pocket money - What would bemeant by : pocket money : .
?
Let,s suppose I landed , later this week , in a somewhat acceptable-=to-me a home , in the suburbs of SF , which gave me $200 monthly , and I went it
n with just the things I own here , now , to-day .
Clothes: I have exactly one pair of wearable , : real : pants , and one pair of shoes - what I am wearing .
I have some undershirts and T-shirts , one belt , , no raincoat or evenn poncho - Would I be expected to buy all clothes from the pocket money ?
Even if I was told : Go to Salvation Army : - well , some things , like T-shirts , Sally Army had
s lots of , a fair amont of pants/slacks - But , especially in my odd size , they maybe tend toward having little shoes , or winter coats , say7 .
A bank account - The Green Dot I have charges me $5 -7.95?? a month . A : real : bank account would , IIRC , require some minimum deposit and charge you some fees .
How would I pay for these ?
What about if I wanted a PO Box ?
What about getting a bus/transit pass monthly - How would I pay for that ?
Electronics: Tobes outlined the nearly-$100 phone he wants/ me to buy , with minimal phone usage .
The one I had in 2016 cost less , but I went upper end on the minutes plan , allowing me to listen to YouTube lots and (with much effort) reaer d stuff .
I would very much like to be able to call my brother - It would be about one call a month , however . When I had the phone I splurged a pizza a few times , : like a normal American : -/I doubt I would be doing that much on $200 .
I called the CCSF person some - I doubt I would be pursuing that much , at least immediately .
I suppose a : a home : would want me to carry a phone at all time , : to tell them where I am: , like a tether ?
Would I be expected to pay for this out of the $200 monthly pocket money .

_________________
Renal kidney failure, congestive heart failure, COPD. Can't really get up from a floor position unhelped anymore:-(.
One of the walking wounded ~ SMASHED DOWN by life and age, now prevented from even expressing myself! SOB.
" Oh, no! First you have to PROVE you deserve to go away to college! " ~ My mother, 1978 (the heyday of Andy Gibb and Player). I would still like to go.
My life destroyed by Thorazine and Mellaril - and rape - and the Psychiatric/Industrial Complex. SOB:-(! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !!

From what I remember observing about group homes years ago, anyways:

Clothes: Don't worry about it. They're not going to let you walk around naked. You will have clothes. You will also have access to a washer/dryer, so you can wash your clothes instead of throwing them out and buying new ones whenever something gets dirty. And while the possibility of theft exists anywhere, your belongings are far safer in a group home than when you're living out on the street. Don't even worry about clothing sizes. You'll get what you need. You will likely even have "a ride and a shoulder" to help transport you to stores to shop at.

Bank account: You will have one. Just keep an eye on your monthly balance.

PO box: I honestly don't know. I believe that would be an extra cost to you. May I ask why you would want one?

Bus/transit pass: Speak to the group home people or your case worker about this. Normally, there's a car or van with a driver who will take you places. So it will be good for you to ask about this.

Electronics: You should have access to things like TV and a phone. I don't know the particulars because the technology I remember at group homes was really ancient by today's standards. But I'm sure you'll survive, and guess what? There will be people to help you learn, people you can ask questions about how to use your new phone, new technology, etc.! In fact, it's their job to help you with things like that.

Calling your brother: I imagine you can. Am not sure about all the details, but it sounds reasonable to me that you will be able to. Again, this is a good question for you to ask the group home people or your case worker.

CCSF: Am honestly not sure. I do know of at least one lady who earned her GED while living at a group home.

Splurging on pizza like a normal American: I'll start by saying that maybe I'm not a normal American. In the past when money has been tight for me, I did not splurge on pizza. I cut down on what I ate until I was better able to afford to splurge. Anyways, I prefer Chinese food.

Splurging on pizza, take two: More seriously, don't worry about the food. From what I've seen, you'll eat pretty darn well. It may not be pizza every single day, or a dozen pieces a day when they do serve pizza, but you won't starve, that's for sure. They will likely expect you to help cook, set the table, clean up, or wash dishes.

Being tethered to a group home with a phone: With or without a phone, the group home will likely want you to let them know the basic details of where you'll be, pretty much so if you're missing, for example, in the middle of the night, they know that you're in need of help and will send out a search party. (And they would rather know where to start looking.) It's the courteous thing to do, to let people know if you'll be out somewhere for awhile ... and it sure is better than always worrying about shelter curfews.

As for your general question of how will you pay for things, in our society, everybody is expected to pay for things they need and/or want. It's a matter of basing your priorities on what you're getting for your money. A group home will come with many perks, it's really worth looking into.

What you really should be asking now is, what can a group home offer you? I can only tell you what I remember from way back when ... you should really get a better idea on what it's like now from a social worker.

Good luck, I hope it all works out for you.

...

I don't see why you should buy a fun when you could get one from the government for free...

My mistake. If the group home takes half his check, he would have about $400 in spending money every month.

I was using the $200 as a conservative figure.

I was going to reply to ASS-P's specific questions, but Phoenix said it better than I could! I think it's important to realize that many, many people (including several on this forum) do live on SSI/SSDI, and manage to get into stable living situations, and budget their money in a way that their basic needs are covered. It can be done, and I appreciate all the advice people have offered here, because I will probably be in that position myself one day.

ASS-P, I hope the hearing goes well today, and that your health continues to improve!

As KK pointed out, you'd probably be getting around $400 a month. On a $100 a week budget, you definitely can have everything you need, since most of the things you would have otherwise spent lots of money on will be taken care of, as Twlilightprincess explained. So it will be saving you money in the long-run, making the $100 go even further.

ASS-P, we're all hoping things went well today. If you can find a large umbrella, please buy one to help keep dry. Also, please don't do anything harming to yourself. If you need to go to the ER, you can also ask them if they can do an assessment on you. Tell them you are struggling alot on the streets/in a shelter and really need to be in an assisted care home. They may be able to get the ball rolling on that.

...Tobes , specific to your last thing - Hospitals do not set up " a home " places ! Really , they DON'T ! !! !! !! !!
I'm maybe a bit overly familiar to hospitals here - and one hospital , St. Franmcis' , has made it clear that they REALLY dislike me - Really .
They were , to be brief , really disgustingly nasty to me when I was there .
This is another reason to leave SF ~ along with being banned from the library How can you lead much of a low-budget life without access to that ??? Hm ?
As for the comment on money - I will , fo-r now , just say that my comment about " splurging - ordering pizza " was meant to be colorful/background .
I was sayimng I expected I wouldn't do much of it ! !! !! !! !!
I really don't think a " never see my brother - not in 19 years , or ever , or see my parents grave/old places , wither " is very promising .
Also , most people , I) guess?? who enter " a home " situations go in with some material network of friends & relatives - I have none (except my in-NYS brother) ~ They go in with a few things - I have , basically , nothing .

As KK pointed out, you'd probably be getting around $400 a month. On a $100 a week budget, you definitely can have everything you need, since most of the things you would have otherwise spent lots of money on will be taken care of, as Twlilightprincess explained. So it will be saving you money in the long-run, making the $100 go even further.

ASS-P, we're all hoping things went well today. If you can find a large umbrella, please buy one to help keep dry. Also, please don't do anything harming to yourself. If you need to go to the ER, you can also ask them if they can do an assessment on you. Tell them you are struggling alot on the streets/in a shelter and really need to be in an assisted care home. They may be able to get the ball rolling on that.

_________________
Renal kidney failure, congestive heart failure, COPD. Can't really get up from a floor position unhelped anymore:-(.
One of the walking wounded ~ SMASHED DOWN by life and age, now prevented from even expressing myself! SOB.
" Oh, no! First you have to PROVE you deserve to go away to college! " ~ My mother, 1978 (the heyday of Andy Gibb and Player). I would still like to go.
My life destroyed by Thorazine and Mellaril - and rape - and the Psychiatric/Industrial Complex. SOB:-(! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !!

...DCJ , even given that you're away now...I hope that you get better ! !! !!
I have PM'd you already - I hope that you can work things out .
I do hope we can explore the piossibility of me going to Nashville and us carrying out our plans , if that's possible .
I hope so .
A San Francisco freind whom I told about our possible plans thought that they were a good idea .

_________________
Renal kidney failure, congestive heart failure, COPD. Can't really get up from a floor position unhelped anymore:-(.
One of the walking wounded ~ SMASHED DOWN by life and age, now prevented from even expressing myself! SOB.
" Oh, no! First you have to PROVE you deserve to go away to college! " ~ My mother, 1978 (the heyday of Andy Gibb and Player). I would still like to go.
My life destroyed by Thorazine and Mellaril - and rape - and the Psychiatric/Industrial Complex. SOB:-(! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !!