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Posted on Mon, Jun 21, 2010 : 2:20 p.m.

Social Security benefits approved; securing an apartment before surgery is next challenge

By Thomas Bare

As I said I hoped would happen in my last post, my application for Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income were approved. Now I'm working on getting an apartment.

I still have a long road ahead of me, but the approval of my Social Security benefits will open some doors for me in regard to trying to get an apartment, among other things.

I am still working with Washtenaw County's Community Crisis Response Team and in fact Mary Beth and I have a meeting this week to hopefully enroll me in the state's Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program.

I applied for this program previously and was told that I could re-apply once I had income to sustain housing.

I did find an apartment after visiting about 15 complexes over the past week. In fact this place that I found, Greenway Park Apartments over on Golfside Drive off of Washtenaw Avenue, has a couple people there all ready getting assistance through the state housing program. I hope that now with my benefits from Social Security (and because I'm going to be laid up for at least 6 months following back surgery next month) this program should be able to help me out.

I look at it this way: it is getting close to crunch time in regard to my back surgery. So I'm hopeful I can get approved under this program and hopefully move into the apartment by next weekend so I'll have a stable place to recover once I am released from the hospital.

So it seems like things are going to be turning around for me and once I get settled into this apartment, the only thing that I want to concentrate on and worry about is my speedy recovery from the back surgery.

So until my next post, take care, thank you for letting me open myself up to you and start enjoying this nice weather.

Thomas Bare writes about being homeless in Washtenaw County. Contact him at tab72266@yahoo.com.