Winter 2022 Newsletter
The wind is howling. It is freezing outside. It is a cold, harsh winter night in Chicago. You are googling “can I sleep in the car with the engine running.” Your children are in the back seat. They are bundled up in jackets and heavy clothes as you don’t have any blankets. You have told them this is just another adventure and soon they will again have a roof over their head and sleep in their own bed. You are scared, but you do what you have done your whole life. You stay positive and convince yourself you will figure it out. And you will. You are a worker.
You grow up on the West Side of Chicago. Your mother tried her best but battled addiction. Your father was mostly absent. You get put into “The System.” After a brief reprieve you are put back in. You graduate high school. You work. You are able to afford your own place. You become a mother.
You find a job working in a factory of an iconic American company that will generate revenue of over $137 billion this year. They are expected to have a pre-tax profit of $12 billion. They have $36 billion in cash on their balance sheet. You are making enough money to get a place near the factory. You have benefits.
You move in. You buy bunk beds for your kids. You have a home. You worry that your landlord doesn’t sign the lease, but you are working and paying the rent. You notice mold on the ceiling of your bedroom. You try and let the landlord know. Nothing happens.
Then COVID appears. Seemingly overnight the world changes. The factory closes. You lose your job. The mold gets worse. Eventually the ceiling collapses. You take pictures and videos to document everything. Now you have to leave, and your landlord has no choice but to fix things. You get a letter from the landlord that is sent out to all tenants to “take all items or important belongings with you” and “plan for at least 3 weeks” for the repairs to be fixed. You pack up what you can and check into a hotel.
Two weeks later you return to get your mail and see how things look. The locks have been changed. You can’t get into your home. You call the police. They tell you if this is your place then you can break in. You get in through a window. Your apartment is EMPTY. The bunk beds- gone. The kitchen table-gone. The sofa-gone. The TV-gone. Everything is gone. You call your landlord. She doesn’t return your calls.
You continue to stay at the hotel. You eventually downgrade to motels. You occasionally stay with family in the area. You are essentially homeless and unemployed. Your unemployment benefits expire. You do not receive any child support. The landlord is still not returning your calls. You start to work delivering food for a large delivery company. Your car becomes your office and home.
You try to make enough money every day to afford a no-frills, low budget motel so you and your children have a place to sleep. If you have a slow day and you can’t find a relative to take you in, you find a well lit spot to park your car. The kids have to sleep. They have school the next day. After you drop them off at school, you and your little one will get to work delivering meals. Hopefully tomorrow you can get a motel room.
To be continued…..
We all have something in common with you. When the time comes, we will all have the same size dash. Whether you live in a mansion or live in your car. Whether you are a millionaire or are hoping to make enough money in a day to afford a low-budget motel. As Linda Ellis states in The Dash Poem, “for it matters not, how much we own, the cars….the house….the cash. What matters most is how we live and love… and to always try and understand the way other people feel.”
What I have learned, and I suppose already knew, is that there are so many people that could use some help. Sometimes you just need the bumpers in a bowling alley. If you are reading this, I simply ask of you to send this newsletter to anyone in your life that might want to help. Share this on your social media page. There are plenty of ways to help. You can go to our website www.justonedash.org to learn more. If you would like to make a donation you can text the word “DASH” to 312-262-2158. You can pick up an item or two off of our Target or Amazon wish list that we give to the families we work with. I can promise you that 100% of any donation goes directly to the families we support. If you have any questions I can be reached anytime on my cell at 847-452-5121 or by email at terry@justonedash.org.