After 4 years, I finally got approved for SSDI. $1,100/month and an additional $81/month for my 13 y/o child.
How the hell am I supposed to live? This isn't even enough to cover rent in my area. I have a move-out date of August 31st and I have no clue what we're going to do.
Additional $81/month for a 13 year old? That's maybe like two weeks of food if you're really conservative and a good cook 🤪 forget clothes, school supplies, literally anything even remotely fun... insanity
It's not right that you are getting so little :( (I don't get much either, but I also don't have any dependants.)
You might want to check for any charities in your area that help house people in your situation. Get EBT and any other such assistance if you can. Maybe go to churches and ask if they know of anyone needing renters. Check to see if you qualify for HUD. If you can, try to get a mainstream voucher. Some HUD programs need for you to be currently homeless (not camping in a friend or relative's yard).
Good luck, I hope you find a solution.
Thank you
If it's been 4 years since you applied, you may be looking at as much as $48K in back pay.
I don't have firsthand experience, but my understanding is that they cut you a check for the accumulated funds since your application date.
That matches my understanding and the experiences of people I've seen be successful with legal representation.
I also understand that both success and odds of back pay are greatly enhanced by having representation (Who takes a cut, you don't pay up front generally)
If you live in the USA, you can stay in parks for a week at a time for as low as 10 bucks a day. Hope you find a place you can afford soon
And you can camp on BLM land for two week stretches, but after that you must move to another spot no less than 25 miles away. At least in this state. I understand you are probably making a recommendation in good faith, but most of the options available are unnecessarily difficult.
I've never known anyone who actually received a livable amount of money via SSDI.
I have seen some screwy situations as a result, there just isn't enough money involved for one person (much less 'and child') to survive.
As others have suggested, there's the vanlife route, but that's dependent on being able to maintain said vehicle, pay for camping and gas, and cover the other relevant expenses such as insurance.
I've seen people share residences, make use of temporary accommodations, get subsidized housing, and a variety of other things. None of those are necessarily quick fixes, unfortunately.
To my knowledge, there is not a single location in the continental US where that would be sufficient money to live on. I'm genuinely sorry, though glad you got approved.
There are parts of the country where your back pay could go towards purchasing a home, land, a trailer, and/or similar. Trailer parks charge lot rent, property taxes cost money, and then there are maintenance costs as well so that may or may not be viable for you.
Here in east-central IL, one might well be able to purchase a trailer already on a lot, and pay the lot rent and have enough to live on given back pay. Other parts of the country, YMMV. On the other hand, in addition to maintenance and utility costs, you're also on the hook if the park has issues and/or the company/group running the park has issues - as well as potentially for collective expenses such as sewage infrastructure maintenance. Not to discourage this line of thought, just to point out that there are potentially significant expenses involved in the future, just like with any ownership interest in any home.
I’m so sorry. I’ve had to move out of the country to survive on SSDI.
I’ve heard some people live okay in rural massachusats.
I'm a dual citizen, so I'm leaving the country soon. I've come to understand that you're just supposed to die if you can't make enough money to survive somehow.