The Homeless Week

Words cannot describe the past week. I'll let pictures do some of it for me. To make a very long and twisted story somewhat short, my company forgot to get me housing. There was a horrible miscommunication regarding whether I had turned everything in (I had) and my rep was sick so she wasn't as on top of things like she usually is. I received a call October 31st regarding the problem (that was a Friday) and was set to start work November 3rd (the next Monday). They promised housing "hopefully by Tuesday or Wednesday".

They put me at the Executive Inn in Albemarle, NC. It was comfortable and I had a small kitchen, so there aren't too many complaints about the Inn. The one annoying problem was that I didn't trust the alarm clock so I asked for a wakeup call every morning. The first morning they called me an hour early. Tuesday morning they called me 15 minutes early (I had complained). Wednesday morning they called me twice- once 30 minutes early and once on time (snooze button via wake up call?) Thursday morning they called 30 minutes early. Needless to say, I was on time to work each morning.

Thursday morning I checked out and picked up my keys at Monarch apartments. There's only 2 apartment complexes that provide short term leases here in Albemarle, and the other one apparently had a "rough crowd" living there.

Some background information regarding my usual housing situation is necessary to fully grasp the situation. Usually I am placed at an apartment complex with rental furniture and a housewares package. My towels are white, my dishes match, the silverware matches, all appliances are either brand new or cleaned to look brand new. The furniture coordinates and all the linen does as well. I walk into a place that feels put together and home-ish. Then I put up pictures to complete the home-feeling. Ahhhh, home (because that's what it is- home for me).

Monarch apartments. I walked in an noticed that the furniture looked like it had come from someone's basement. Three different people's basements. Three very old people's basements. Okay, it's just furniture, right?





Then I noticed a few stains on the carpet. But hey, it was in the "guest" bedroom and the likelihood of me having guests is slim, I can just close the door.



Then he showed me the washer and dryer which is located across the patio. It takes quarters to run, but it's a personal washer/dryer. I told him that's not what they mean by a "personal washer/dryer"- he provided quarters and said when I run out of quarters he'd give me more. Well, gotta go outside to do laundry- still not awful but I'm not real happy.

Kitchen stuff, mismatched plates, cups and silverware. Much of it with flowers on it. Flea market type stuff. And one cup that had PILLS in it. Peeling cabinets. Still, I'm desperate for a place to call home- I'll just wash everything to make sure it's clean. It's only dishes afterall.



I took the keys, and moved in a few boxes.

That night, I realized a serious design flaw. Parking is behind the building. The back door is a sliding glass door- no key. The front door can be reached by walking AROUND the building, through the grass, and there's absolutely no security lighting or sidewalk. I came home after dark, swore, and crept around the building with a flashlight. There was a dim light from the street lights about 50 yards away, but it was insufficient to light up the area. And it felt isolated- not another soul in sight. The owner had told me the apartments were "sparsely populated" right now- after dark, that translates to: "walking around in the dark with no one around". Then I walked out on the patio to consider laundry- the parking area was dark shadows beyond the entrance to my porch- once in the laundry room I was in a small room with no other exit and the entrance to the parking area was right there:



That was the line. So I started snapping pictures. The more pictures I took, the more I realized how grungy the place was. Not only would I have to wash dishes, I'd have to wash walls and blinds. Then I lay on the bed and realized that the HOTEL bed was more comfortable. It was rock hard. I emailed the pictures to my rep and vowed that I would not be spending more than one night in the apartment. The response was "we are horrified- and we are so sorry- turn in your keys".

Oh, that was fun. The old man who had showed me around (the owner I think) was FURIOUS. Told me that I should have come to him and he would have fixed everything. I explained the safety concern that had put me over the edge- told him he needed security lighting, a sidewalk from the parking area to the front of the building, and a gate on the patio doorway to prevent people from just walking on. Instead of yielding to logic, he kept telling me that the previous girl had had no complaints and he didn't understand what my PROBLEM was. I tried to end to conversation- and he accused me of ruining the relationship between him and corporate housing. He told me that he could have moved the couch, rewashed the dishes, etc etc etc.

I left. My company gets a large cut of my salary to look for employment for me and to provide me with housing. For that amount of money, I shouldn't have to make a list of things for the landlord to do to make my housing livable. Yes, it sounds snotty, but must I restate that this is HOME for me? Home is more than 4 walls and a ceiling- it must be safe, clean, and comfortable.

This man had an opportunity to continue good relations with my company. He should have said, "I'm so sorry it wasn't a good fit- can you share with me your concerns? Can I show you another apartment that has parking closer, since safety is your major concern? I'm going to take your suggestions seriously- please let your company know that I am making some changes to update the apartments and next time they place someone it will be much better- tell them after I make the changes I'll send some pictures." Instead- it became MY problem that the previous person had been fine with stumbling through the dark, dealing with a home that looked more like a college apartment, and looking forward to the first weekend re-cleaning the place.

So I moved in with the nurse manager, who had a full apartment in her ground level that looks over a pool and a lake. It's lovely and only $150 more a month. I will share pictures later, but I'm off to walmart for a few things.

Happy Halloween

Because I'm usually in an apartment during Halloween, I usually don't get to participate in the tamer activities of Halloween. Last night we put our carved pumpkins out at my parent's house and we handed out candy to about 75 or so trick or treaters. Dad and i went for our evening walk and stumbled on a neighborhood haunted house- scared the S@*t out of both of us. So here's your All Saint's Day treat- a picture of our lovely vomiting pumpkins. Enjoy.