A few days ago I went and looked at the most perfect apartment. great
location, 2 bedrooms, washer/dryer, dishwasher, and killer views from
the back deck. But it’s a little pricey. Well, actually for what it is
in Seattle it’s below the market average, but a little pricey if
you’re poor. I told the owner I’d get back to him after I talked to
the ‘program lady’ (i/e my caseworker). I dashed off a quick email and
waited. And waited. And waited. I finally got a call a few minutes ago
and instead of getting a straight up answer, i got a fingerwaging
paternalistic, ‘now Elizabeth do you really think that’s an
appropriate amount of your budget to spend on rent’. I was the told to
go look for something cheaper in 2 neighborhoods I wouldn’t feel safe
letting the Kid walk around in. She could have said ‘the top end of
what our program will cover is X’ without the fucking condescension,
but I’m poor so heaven forbid I go a day without someone condescending
to tell me how to live.