Can you do anything for Thomcat? He is in a very awful position.

I am not good at writing long emotional posts so I am going to keep this short and succint.

He is leaving his job in 2 weeks. His disability has now reached a position where he cannot work.

For the next 7 months he has to live on $700/month. This includes everything: rent, food + transportation.

As you guys know this maybe impossible in NYC. He is very likely facing homelessness.

He has to be around new york because he has to be able to come in for his disability hearings.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Maybe someone in the New York NJ CT area has an extra room?

Any help would be much appreciated by Thomcat.

Suggestion are always welcome

stay with me anytime he needs to. He has been to my home before.

:hug: for Thom

:hug: for you - thank you for looking after him....

he can stay with me too. lisa and i could not bear to see him homeless but i live in a one bedroom. it would be a tight squeeze. we also live in a walk up and he would essentially be trapped in our aparment

on the second floor, i'd be glad to offer space if he needed it.

but i don't know how practical a second floor would be or living in the midwest.

still, let me know some details, i can send some cash his way if he needs it.

I must have lost it.

if he ever needed help for a short time, he could stay with me and my cats . He'd have to hit the air mattress, but the air is clean and the noise is minimal. He could catch a train from the Village out to NJ to the station in my town. And I have other friends who could help too, who are disabled and have room. They have this huge super comfortable leather couch to die for.

As my beloved ex used to say, strays are always welcome. They become family eventually.

I'm a 30 minute car ride to the Amtrak station in Hartford, and it's a 2 1/2 to 3 hour train ride to Penn Station...

I can check with some friends that are closer and get back to you.

since I live so far away.

If I were closer...

Love and hugs to you and ThomCat...

I could certainly contribute financially.

Let me know...

:hug:

Getting a certain number of us to kick in maybe $20 a month for those seven months -- get enough of us and he may not have to leave his current living situation. Depends on how big a difference there is between the $700 a month he will be getting and what we could collective committ to. :shrug:

I just feel awful when this happens. I wouldn't actually believe disability would kick in so fast either. Really, if we all contribute, that is such a good idea.

They could all stay together in a familiar place. I don't have much money these days but would help out as best I could.
Hang in there Thomcat! :loveya:

I don't have much money but I could surely afford that. And like redwitch said, his kitties need a home too.

Maybe we could tide him over till he finds a decent roommate?



Thanks for posting this pri...

as far as not having much money but I could certainly afford 20 bucks a month, I must spend more than that on coffee. :blush:


I would gladly give up Stewart's coffee so Thomcat and his kitties could stay where they are

Please let me know how.

today I lost my health insurance.....we can not depend on anyone especially the gov. only ourselves and true friends......anything I can do please let me know

I don't know how much, but I could contribute something.

I'd like to try to help.

Things are pretty tight for me, but I can certainly manage at least $20.00 a month.

I hope everything works out for him. I'm all the way down here in NC. I love ThomCat though. I hope he's going to be ok. :hug:

This matters because each borough has its own Center for Independent Living (CIL), which is the place to go for people with disabilities who, like Thom, need help staying independent. (In fact, Manhattan has two.) CILs vary fairly widely in quality from place to place; when I first broached the subject, Thom was in Staten Island, and their center is, well, kinda meh.

NY CIL directory:

http://www.ilru.org/html/publications/directory/newYork.html

and works in Manhatten. Just for reference...

I don't know what his preference is - anywhere or close to where he is now?

who would be willing to pay rent and split expenses, he might be able to hold on for a while...

That seems the most logical thing to do right now.

Damn. I'm stuck with a lease and just started a job...

but I am willing to try.

let me know if a fund is set up. And give him a hug for me! :hug:

Thanks for doing this, Pri! :hi:

:)

You're a good soul!

:cry:

but I'm 2500 miles away, so that's all I can do

:hug:

in terms of $$

and then what happens after 7 months? I don't mean to be nosy, just worried...

I'm in western NC and working my ass off to stay afloat, but I do have friends in the NYC area I can ask...

I would be happy to contribute to it. I'm obviously too far away for any material assistance but I would do anything in my power for ThomCat - he is a wonderful guy. And you're a wonderful friend to him. :loveya:

i will glady do.

but we're working on some options until he can get full disability in 7 months. A fundraiser would help, obviously, and he's got some other things to fall back on until he can find a good roommate or move out to the midwest where friends can help get a new start.

He sounded tired and weak when I spoke to him. I'll call him again later tonight.

:hug: to all of you.

I would be more than happy to make a regular contribution to Thom until his disability comes through,and I know I'm not the only one. As the saying goes: "We got this".

And many many thanks to you and Pri for caring and helping.

and i dont blame them. i have less and less patience these days.

i will let you know all the details later

PM me or send me a message on Facebook.

:hug:

It was so good to hear your voice today. :)

:hi:

I have some pretty nifty things I could auction...

Is he certain of the money change in seven months?

The sad fact and common suckiness of "disability" is that there are many people on it that bring in less than $700/month. I'd almost guess that $700 is an average.

It sucks big hog nuts. Friends are what make it bearable.

I can't really offer much help from so far off, but I'd do what I could to help look at alternate income sources and sort out the red tape.

A good resource locally is a medical social worker at the hospital where Thom goes for his medical needs. They are usually affiliated with the rehabilitation area of the hospital.

I can answer questions that I'm familiar with via PM. If I can help any I will.

Hang in there Thom! Learn to growl, too. Sometimes it is what gets it done with the types that OK assistance. :)

:hug::loveya:

... unless you PM me an email address I can paypal some cash to. But apart from that and my good wishes there's precious little I can do I'm afraid.

Mark.

I'm so sorry this is happening to him, and will do whatever I can!

In the long term I have a spare room for him and his kitties in my house; we would have to move him out of state, but that is doable if he is willing.

he has to stay in the NYC area until his disability status is finalized. I hope he could move west sometime in late-spring or summer.

:cry: :cry: Again, I live in Maryland with my parents. Also, I am out of a job because of an illness myself. I wish there was something I could do. :hug:

Not as much as I would like or that he will need, but if enough pitch in it will help. Let me know the details. paypal?

I can do $30 a month. Please send me a paypal link or whatever you choose. I can't stand the thought of him going homeless. Too much.

Edit: You are a such a great friend for helping him so much.

WTF? I wish I could do something from here. Is he still at his old place so I can call him?

he had to move into a small apartment in his building while his was gutted and renovated (structural problems). I'm not sure when he moves back into his old place (or if he already has...)

Definitely try his old number.

Poor Thomcat.

I really can't do more than send my prayers at this point, being in between jobs. I remember him writing a couple of weeks ago about volunteering to be laid off if that became necessary. Obviously it has.

I'm sure something will turn up. He can't sit alone like that.

Let me know if it's doable, and I'm there.

I would happily help Thom out for these 7 months by contributing- Hugs to Thom :hug: (please let him know that there are so many here who care about him and are thinking of him)

If I wasn't living with my mom right now I would so hook him up with a room.

Let me know if there's anything else I can do for him, please. :(

Otherwise I would let him stay here.

damn.

You know I'm in for a ThomFund, too. Let me know when you have details/something set up. :loveya:

on a paypal account or somewhere we can contribute?

I'm really worried about him. He's a super-nice guy and I really want to help.

I could possibly make a smallish financial contribution of some sort...

:(

he has some options, but we need to talk to him about how good they really are...

Sorry to be so vague. He said to tell everyone hello and THANK YOU for all the wishes and concern.

please tell him my offer from last night stands firm. He is more than welcome to come to my house.

:hug:

I'll ask mr. J_A if we can do anything else to help him out.

I'm so sorry to hear he is going through all of these problems.

And I'll contribute to the fund if one is set up. I adore him.

While he is welcome here, we live in Cleveland, not NYC. Plus there is nothing remotely handicap accessible about this hose.