Check out my experience with my elderly neighbor. She is at risk of homelessness due to getting cut from benefits. It's hellish.

I posted to Ask HN about it recently [1] and it is just mind blowing how bad the USA safety net is.

I am baffled. We can barely communicate with them due to months of lag on their end.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37429228

Thanks for sharing your story — it's helpful to have even a few other stories of people who went through this.

Partly its the mystery and nuance of figuring out _how_ to talk to these people since it's not obvious which levers to pull. I feel like I am reverse-engineering a mysterious API.

I don't think she is going to be able to manage complex finances, it is starting to get to confusing for her, this is all completely overwhelming to her. It does feel like a misstep can be penalized.

And each phone call requires hours to visit which is very hard for her.

She doesn't have any family to help her navigate the system.

Good idea to talk to HUD / housing assistance programs.

Sorry that happened to you. You are right I should not be surprised! The friction does seem to be by design.

Good question I will investigate this, thank you.

Thank you that's an interesting idea, hadn't thought of that approach, might try it if we can't get through a normal appeal.

This is a large part of what your federal elected officials are there for. It's worth reaching out early to see if they have any contacts they can share, even without an escalation.