Homeless Hating Hospital

I haven’t written in days because I’ve been not only physically damaged but traumatized by what happened to me at the hospital. It’s only now I can really piece together enough inner strength to start overcoming what happened – how I was so badly treated by Homeless Hating Hospital ER’s Social Worker.

I was making calls to locate a Homeless shelter, a transitional Housing program or even a Domestic Violence shelter and located one with an opening when I stood up and a stabbing pain sliced through my leg and lower back. Still on the phone and trying to coordinate my arrival it happened a second time and then a third time. The operator I was talking to and I both knew something was seriously wrong (I have a Herniated disc injury). Soon afterwards I was transported to the emergency room at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital. Received decent care but entirely too much pain killer medicine which I believe may have been morphine - I was throwing up for over an hour.


On Tuesday August 31st 2010. I was transported to Homeless Hating Hospital for what I now know is a herniated disc injury caused by domestic violence and physical stress. Greg (I believe is the name of the social worker) came into my ER bed space and from the very start was hostel to me. He asked me how he could help me. I told him I was going to a domestic violence shelter and the shelter told me that once the medical staff was done to ask the hospital staff to arrange for me to be transported to or near the shelter. Greg immediately got defensive and said "no way the hospital doesn’t do that.”

He then proceeded to demand information from me and belittle me for leaving my ex boyfriend for the second time. He asked me what my boyfriend did and he snapped at me - He said: “and you’re just reporting it now!?”

When I tried to explain why I didn’t file a police report he got extremely disturbed and loudly told me I had to file a report. I again tried to explain why I couldn’t but he wouldn’t let me finish. Then he demanded to know where I came from. I told him PATH. He told me to go back there then. I told him what happened at PATH and that I had already scheduled to be at a domestic violence shelter. Before I could finish all of my explanation he snapped at me again and said

“You’ve gone back to him twice. I don’t want to get involved with you and your boyfriend.”

I again tried to explain to him why I didn’t want to and he practically yelled "NO, I don’t want to get involved.”

Then he started to demand to know where I had been for the last three days. I got upset and started to raise my voice. He told me to calm down as I was telling him I had spent the last three days at emergency shelters. He then told me to go back there. Again, I told him I was already scheduled to go to a domestic violence shelter. He demanded to know why I wasn’t already there. I told him that all of the shelters were full until today and I could show him my list of places I’ve called. He made a face of disgust and said in a demeaning voice “I don’t want to see it.”

I then asked to use the phone. He said “The phone is at the nurses’ station”

I said “I can barely walk, can you please bring it to me?”

Him: “No, you can walk yourself over there.”

At this point I practically screamed “Did you even read my medical chart?” It wasn’t until the day after I realized he did indeed read that I was suffering from a herniated disc injury and knew I could barely walk.

I closed my eyes, took a couple of breaths and calmly asked for him to bring me the phone so I could call the domestic violence shelter.

He again said “No, we don’t have bedside phones and if you want to use the phone you’ll have to use it there.”

I said “I need to call the shelter to figure out how I’m going to get there. The nurse brought me the phone last time, why can’t you do that?”

He said that the hospital was not a transportation unit and if I wanted to use the phones “you’ll just have to walk yourself over there.”

Again, I became extremely upset and told him he was the wrong person to help me and since he didn’t give a shit about me there was nothing he could do.

He said “I didn’t say that.”

Me: “Yes you did when you said you didn’t want to get involved with me and my boyfriend. So since you couldn’t care less you can’t help me.”

He said in a snotty voice: “I never said that, you’re being hysterical and I’m here to assist you.”

I said I wish I could record you because if you heard yourself you would be too. What can you assist me with?”

He stabbed his clipboard with his fingers, leaned towards me and in a hostel voice said “I have to interview you to know.”

After this loudly said that I needed to get to the domestic violence shelter and I needed the phone. He threw his hands up in the air and again in a hostel voice said "You’ve been released right?”

Me: "Not officially.”

He threw his hands in the air, turned his back on me , turned back around and in a hostel voice said: “Well! Since you obviously need medical attention and not me I’m releasing you over to them. I guess I
can’t help you.” Then he stormed off.

I then called for anyone to come to my bed and finally a man in red scrubs came. I asked him I needed my nurse or my doctor. The nurse came and I told her what happened, asked for the phone and demanded to talk to the ER Manager. In fact I had to ask several different times.

When I got the phone I told the hotline what happened as well and it is only because of them I was transported to a police station to be picked up.

Before I left the same social worker came to my bed. I immediately said I didn’t want to talk to him. He ignored me and said “You’ve been released. A shuttle is being arranged to transport you. I hope you get
the medical help you need. Glad we could help you.”

An older woman who told me she was a director came to me and I was hysterical... I told her what happened and told her that he should never be working with people. I said I was going to file a complaint with not only the hospital but the board that certifies social workers. I again asked for the social worker's name and was refused each and every time.


In the end…. No one in ER would give me his name or his title. I didn’t remember it until the next day. It took the Program Manager from the DV Shelter calling the ER Director to get them to transport me to the police station so they could pick me up.

The last couple of days have been physically and emotionally tortuous. For the last few days I have honestly wondered and started to believe that yes, I did deserve it. Maybe that is wrong but now I can't help but wonder/ believe ...maybe I do deserve everything that has happened to me.

 The DV Staff have been saints to me. They scheduled me to see a real doctor who actually cares (female) and not only gave me medication for the pain but referred me to a different hospital for x-rays, counseling and physical therapy. If it wasn’t for them I honestly believe I would have been thrown out on the street by Homeless Hating Hospital and left for the street vultures.

I still feel emotionally drained …and I know that what Homeless Hating Hospital’s Social Worker did to me was probably not the first time and will not be the last time. I'm horrified that he has probably done this to other women who have been dumb enough to stay in abusive relationships. But when there is no other place to go - what are we suppose to do?

I did file a complaint with not only the hospital but the BBB and the certification board for Social Workers.

Right now, I want to physically heal and then get my life back. I want to believe I'm not as stupid as I feel. I am so mentally, spiritually and emotionally drained I just want to recover and start over...

Today's Thoughts

Seriously?

JetBlue flight attendant - "After a week of his story saturating a strangely obsessed media, on Sunday Slater procured the services of top publicist Howard Bragman to help deal with media relations and manage the numerous offers said to be coming his way."

A couple of sentences and he gets a celebrity deal? DAMN! I've got a whole coffee table book of stuff I can rant about and I'm definitely available.


Bugs Bunny Penis Scandal: Fact or Fiction?
Ah yes.... Tim Berners-Lee knew that people needed a way to discuss whether Bug Bunny was a transexual, simply gay or even if he had a penis.Don't you feel better knowing that you can, at any given time, find out all the dirty little secrets about your favorite cartoon characters?



But seriously folks, 


I made the calls again as I have every Monday - Friday for the last two weeks and yet again - no openings. However, I am now getting frustrated because the same people who are answering the same calls must recognize my name and voice. A couple of these agencies are now telling me to come to the shelter in person.... Gee I would except there is no transportation assistance from the shelter I am in now, it’s not anywhere close to your agency and I would have to start walking a minimum of 3 hours beforehand and hope I walk fast enough to be there at requested early am (5 am to 7am) show up time.

In addition, the shelter I'm in has curfew times and residents are not to leave between those times...oh and I'm sick and can't afford a doctor so the walk would probably put me in the hospital. Which depending on what hospital I go to I could potentially be dumped (literally) on Skid Row after my hospital visit. Would that convince you I’m serious?

I’m obviously not serious about helping myself. I just don’t have anything better to do than call you everyday and annoy you. :/

Damn! Is there any agency, business, personal dealings that doesn't have political and or pettiness bullshit to sort through?

{breathe}

There is one Case Manager (Attendee) who really shows she cares. For whatever reasons that is not made known to me my "case manager" is a person I see around the place once in a while doing something that isn’t directly related to her “clients”... but that's it. This one person who does sincerely go out of her way to help whoever needs it is why we need these shelters.


No job interviews yet
No new job leads
But still trying.



Maybe I'll take a few better looking photos of myself and officially label myself as an actress or plus size model. Why the Hell not? If JetBlue Boy can be an overnight success for leaving dramatically then surely I have a chance. :p

Skid Row

The Dangers of Skid Row

This is where the transitional shelter program I will probably be going to is located.



"Rapist Kidnapping Homeless Women on L.A.'s Skid Row"
Published August 12, 2010 | Associated Press



LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles police are looking for a man they say tied up and raped two women from Skid Row in the past two weeks.


A police statement says a middle-aged, balding man in a brown van gave a 37-year-old homeless woman a ride on Aug. 1, bound her with duct tape and then raped her repeatedly over the next three days before dropping her off in Koreatown.


Police say a man matching the same description picked up a 29-year-old woman on Monday night and offered her a ride to get food. The van drove to a McDonald's but when the woman refused to perform a sex act, police say the man pulled a knife, bound her with duct tape and drove to Alhambra, where he raped her.


Police say he threw her in a trash bin before fleeing.






I’m homeless, single, NOT addicted to any kind of drugs nor am I a single parent. Because I am not an addict, Spanish or Native American, a former prostitute or a single mom, I cannot find a transitional housing program anywheres else. I am educated, had a job and an apartment but have lost everything due to the recession and a bad boyfriend decision. But because I haven't severely screwed up my life with an addiction or whoring and because I don't want to pop out a kid just for the sake of government help there is no assistance for me.

If you really want to help homeless people who want help, donate money to transitional homeless shelters, donate your time in teaching your professional skills to residents so they can get a job and or hire homeless people in these programs.

Gotta Be Something

Addict, Ex-Offender & Prostitute Rewards

...and families... but mostly everything else.


Lighthouse
Mostly only addicts

Candelaria
Native American Only

Project Transitional Living Center
Families Only

Salvavtion Army Ventura
For hardcore / long term addicts & homeless

Turning Point Foundation
Mentally Ill Only

Hawks residence
Addicts

Alexandria House
Addicts & Families Only

House of Ruth
Addicts & Families Only

Salvavtion Army Westwood
Families Only

1st Step Trans Living
Drug Addiction Only

Friendship Shelter
Must be already working BEFORE allowed to enter program

Stephanie Shelter
Must be already working BEFORE allowed to enter program

American Family
Must be already working BEFORE allowed to enter program
or very strong current work history judged by their opinion of what a strong current work history is.

Wise Place
Native American Only

Illumination
Families Only

Mary's Shelter
Young & Pregnant / newborn

Mercy Shelter
HIV/Aids Only

Casa
Young & Pregnant / Newborn

H.O.M.E.S.
Mentally Ill


FYI

Addiction IS NOT a disease.


Disease
dis·ease (d-zz)
n.
1. A pathological condition of a part, organ, or system of an organism resulting from various causes, such as infection, genetic defect, or environmental stress, and characterized by an identifiable group of signs or symptoms.


This is only a partial list as an example. Approximatively 6 out of 10 are only open to drug or alcohol addiction, single or family. The list doesn't include the ones I didn't call because the website said they only accept addicts, ex-offenders, prostitutes and or long term (mostly unchangeable) homeless.

Single women....
If you want help get an addiction. Otherwise buy yourself a vibrator and do without (abusive) men!

Los Angeles Housing Facts

Some known facts about homeless stats

This doesn't count the ones who were too afraid to be counted or the current DV Shelter residents


From Alexandria House website


There are an estimated 91,000 people homeless each night in Los Angeles County.

Renters in the City of Los Angeles must earn $26 per hour, or $54,080 to afford a market rate unit in the city.

Average rent for a 1-bedroom unit range from $793 to $1,129 and the lowest price found for a 2-bedroom unit was $975.

A minimum-wage worker ($6.75/hour) would need to work 92 hours a week to afford a 1 bedroom unit, and 116 hours a week to afford a 2 bedroom unit.

In Los Angeles, there is a need for 23,968 units of permanent supportive housing for individuals, yet only 2,402 are available.

Less than 1 in 5 households (19%) could afford an average priced home in 2004 in LA County, compared to about 1 in 4 (26%) in 2003.

One Step From Broken or Hopeless

When neither is a good choice, what to do?

When I left the abusive situation I thought I was taking the first step towards truly changing things in my life for the better. I didn’t realize that changes meant changes rather they were good or bad. 

I’m now told that I have to go wherever they (shelter) recommends me or a place I find on my own. The only place my “case manager” (who really hasn’t done anything at all) has referred to is more a homeless addict shelter then a transitional house for women. The shelter is loosely a dorm style building that houses dorm rooms next to each other with a flimsy not locking wood panel between the women’s and the men’s room.

Hell, I’m not too keen on being around men at all but know I have to be somewhat flexible. However what sense does it make to put anyone who is from a domestic violence situation and put them around people who are violent, has a history of violence or is potentially violent? If I was to continue living with even one addict I would have stayed with my ex where I lived in middle to upscale neighborhood. I didn’t leave it to live with more than one addict in a dorm room with 10 other women (also addicts) and a flimsy divider to male addicts.

If I was homeless and only homeless I would not question it. However I came from a domestic violence situation with an ex who is an alcoholic and my previous ex before him was a drug addict. The LAST thing I want to be around is current addicts, not really recovering and brand new recovering male addicts. 

In addition....

No kind of pain medication at all, ever and for any reason including OTC meds. They will not even hold them for you in case you need something - zero intake. 

No laptops

No cellphones

No electronic communication gadgets at all.

All communication must be done through the office in the supervision of the shelter staff. 

WTF!?

Fucking Bullshit

Addicts are being rewarded for being addicts! For every one women’s shelter for domestic violence there are five addict shelters. I was turned down from a woman’s DV transitional shelter because I wasn’t an addict of any kind. So those of us who made bad choices for partners but didn’t pollute our bodies are being punished while those who dived into addiction and ruined the lives of their partners, families, friends and children are being rewarded with an abundance of free services. 

I'm step away from 

• Homeless
• Living with unknown dangers of homeless addicts
• or going to CL and choosing a new but different domestic violence situation

No matter which way I currently go I'm fucked. Where can I get a bag of speed and a straw? 

To add insult to injury she said if that shelter doesn't work out "we'll have to find you a room to rent."

...and who will pay for that? I don't have a job, I don't qualify for GR or SSI, the shelter won't provide bus tokens and I've already applied to every business with 2 miles of the shelter (walking distance) and not one has called or emailed me. HOW am I to pay the rent?

The bitch actually told me to have a good night before going home to a place that she knows she will be at until SHE chooses to move. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!

I should have stayed with my ex, bought him booze to drink himself into oblivion, give him sleeping pills to sleep and found reasons not to be home. When staying put with an abusive partner is better than going to a domestic violence shelter you know the world is truly fucked and Hell IS Earth.