By Motin You would think that living on the street would be cheaper than paying rent every month. However, it is not the case for this one client. I was shocked when I learned that our client would have more expenses overall living in his truck despite the rent he can save. The client initially called with suicidal emotions to ask for advice about moving from transitional housing to his truck. He has a bunch of credit card debt along with student loan debt, so he wishes by moving to his truck he can save the housing expense to pay off his debt. After doing some research, we have found that it would cost him way more to live in his truck and he could develop chronicle health issues as well. Living in his truck would mean that he no longer has his bed, kitchen, bathroom, and a free parking spot for the truck. Our client is very tall. Sleeping in the back of his truck could cause problems to his knee and he would have a hard time staying warm in the truck during winter times. Not having a kitchen would force him to eat out more, and often eating out is more expensive and less healthy than cooking at home. Additionally, he has no tool to prepare food he could be getting from the Food Bank. The client said that he has access to a gym’s bathroom during the day, so he’s covered there. However, not having a free and safe place to park is a critical problem. He could receive parking tickets or the risk of being towed. Criminals could also break into his car while he’s sleeping. Those are very dangerous and real problems. When the client came in for the meeting, he sounded very pessimistic and hopeless, talking about how difficult it is to pay off his debt and that bankruptcy is not an option. After Judy dissected and explained his financial situation, he was able to understand the pros and cons of living in his truck and most importantly he was able to see hope. That moment, when he left with a smile on his face, will keep me motivated to devote my time in social works.
1 Comment
Emily
8/6/2015 05:22:45 am
Motin, I appreciated the honesty of your post - you help us learn right along with you about why you might make certain assumptions about a person but when you really dig into the situation you find a very different reality or factors you've never even considered before.
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