The saga continues in our household.
Recently, my husband started working for the city. It’s not interesting, but those benefits are amazing. We can discuss the existential crisis of beating our heads against the wall in boredom for the sake of health care access another day. I simply don’t have the energy right now…
Because in the midst of leaks, and the usual fuckery of renting and maintenance, all of this is still beside the point.
The point, my dears, is that I am at risk for not receiving the aforementioned health benefits because of my landlord. Over a month, we have emailed. Both of us, and still it is radio silence. We’ve explained what’s at stake. Still nothing.
At the end of last year, the building transferred to “month-to-month” leasing but with no real explanation or consistency in receiving a new contract every month.
With all of this in mind, and a month’s time, we have been desperately trying to be on top of things and here we are again at the bottom of a mountain.
We tried sending in our bank statements that share the same address to no avail. We have to have a JOINT account. Something that is literally not even a discussion between us, because we are too busy working to bother with linking our bank accounts.
And also, what does that matter exactly?
The city requires us to “own” something together and to provide documentation (proof) of that ownership on top of a marriage license. The license is easy enough, but the other “proofs” are not. Because…uhhh, we’re poor. Thus, without the cooperation of our landlord, and the gatekeeping of the city’s procedure to grant benefits to spouses I stand to lose…
Access for dental when I have a cracked tooth that is actively bothering hurting, at all times.
Access to vision for my slowly, but surely, decaying eyeballs.
Access to a specialist for my autoimmune.
Access to a gynecologist, of which I have not seen in nearly 7 years.
Access to mental health costs being covered, because I would legit be unalive right now without it and I HAVE to prioritize it before all the above.
Tell me how any of this makes sense.
This is clear as day, broken. And it matters to no one.
Neat.
Did I mention the phone number doesn’t work?
Also neat.
Moral of the story? Don’t be poor.