On January 27th I had a devastating fire in my apartment. It was a total loss everything's gone. Material things are replaceable. But there's some things that aren't, such as my late husband's ashes. The First Responders from ARC I have to say we're amazing. They were kind, compassionate, and extremely understanding. It was 3:30 in the morning when they were talking to me. I have a lot of respect for the First Responders that came out. They gave me a debit card with $350 on it and I got a $50 voucher for clothes at the Goodwill. They were just amazing like immediate needs right there I got a blanket and I got toiletries a little bag of toiletries. I just couldn't thank them enough.My nightmare, however begins a couple days after the fire when Red Cross contacted me. They connected me with a caseworker who seem to have a problem with the fact that I was just pretty miserable after the fire. She kept trying to push him Mental Health Services on me and I explained to her more than once that I already have a counselor. I suffer from depression and anxiety and there's times that it's really bad for me. I have a therapist that I see every week and I have been seeing him for the past 8 and 1/2 years since my husband passed away.I can't explain these last two weeks except to say that I have no clue where I'm going or what I'm doing. I can also admit that there have been a few times when I was snappish or snotty. It was never intended towards anybody. I even told the caseworker this the second time I spoke with her. Because the first time I was quite upset it was the day after the fire. I apologize to her and I told her I said you know my whole life was in that apartment. She said she understood. Apparently she didn't. From that point on she did nothing but give me a hard time. She called my friend up and told her that I am a liar and that I wasn't checking into the resources she gave me. I was. I checked into every shelter and every place she gave me to try to get warmth and guess what none of them had a place for me to stay overnight. That usually happens a lot when the weather gets bitter cold. My husband passed away and eat and a half years ago and since then my life has just been a crap shoot. My caseworker would call everybody else including my landlord and texting people at 11:30 at night saying that she was trying to help me. She had my number she knew she could get in touch with me. She had actually left a message on my phone telling me to get back in touch with her that I could call her or text. The only thing she forgot, was her cell phone number. It was four days until I was able to touch base with her. I was sleeping in my car and I had no gas and I couldn't start the car for warm because I had no gas or no money. Her first response was I was exaggerating that I didn't call all those times. I have no reason to lie. I will admit that I have mental health issues with depression and anxiety, It doesn't make me a bad person and it certainly doesn't make me a liar. I have every text message that she ever sent me. She would talk over me and not listen. And then when I got snotty she got offended. I felt so discriminated against and looked down upon. When I finally got in touch with that day and I explained to her that I was cold and then I needed some food she offered to put $100 on the debit card that they gave me because I was running low so that I can get a room and I can get some warmth and I could sleep in a bed. She never put that on and because of that I spent an entire weekend out in the cold and then from there I ended up in the hospital. I hadn't eaten in about 5 days it was so cold and I had no gas to get anywhere. I would have loved to have gone to a shelter or any place for that matter to get a little warmth. I then proceeded to call the ombud who supposedly is in charge of the Red Cross or that's where you would make complaints to. When they got back to me they did the same thing they talk to you like your scum. Like well why didn't you do this and why didn't you do that? Well I did but all those resources there was no room for me in any of those shelters. Then because I couldn't find a shelter they called me a liar. I do have proof of everything I'm writing every text message she sent. All my memories of my husband. The few things I had left of him or gone now. And they couldn't understand why I was in a crappy mood and why I wasn't friendly. AMR should screen their volunteers a little better. The case workers make you feel like you just want to end it oh. I'm on ssdi. I'm on limited income and will be getting my dep. & rent back. I have taken care of myself a long time. I just need a hand up for a few days. I'm just about 60 and I have health issues it's really tough on me being out in the cold. But make no mistake, AMR does not care. When I complain to the Ombud, my case was closed, saying I had everything I needed. Except for gas in my car, warm food and a place to sleep. They abandoned me.
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