By Kenneth Belkosky
Vendor
On Jan. 17, 1966, I was born at Washington Hospital Center to Margerie Ann Carr and Michael Belkosky. After about three years, my parents separated after a big fight. My mom said, “Go ahead and leave, and take the kids with you.” So, after moving around for a while, my dad, my brother and I ended up in a small town called Cuyahoga Falls in Ohio. I spent all of my adult years living in the Akron area, including the Falls.
When I was 26, my dad died around Thanksgiving. Due to many hospitalizations after suicide attempts and being put on Social Security, I was forced to live in group homes. To me, that made matters worse. A lot of times, especially in Ohio, I was seeing my dad’s ghost on the bus route we rode together to go to the malls. So I left Ohio and went to New York and later Michigan. After Michigan, I ended up back in my birth city, Washington, D.C. Here, I found out that the group homes I had been forced to live in were not in my best interest.
The states and the city of Washington force homeowners of group homes to charge residents over $1,000 a month and make the residents live on spare change. Thanks to my old psychiatrist, I finally accepted that I had a mental illness and was able to stay out of the hospital. I’ve been out for about four years. My psychiatrist told me that I can finally live on my own in supportive housing. But here in D.C., the Department of Mental Health told me that I had to stay in group homes. Basically, they feel that because I am mentally ill, with three mental illnesses, I cannot maintain myself. But I know I can and I am proving it.
In order to move into my own apartment, I had to voluntarily check out of my last group home, which in D.C. is known as a community residence facility (CRF). I have a good job selling this paper, so when I checked out, I moved to Arlington, Va., where I could be near D.C. and the Street Sense office. For nearly three months I was homeless, but I soon moved to a shelter run by the Volunteers of America. Thanks to Volunteers of America, the Arlington Department of Human Services and the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network (A-SPAN), after a month and a half I was able to get out of the shelter and into my own place not far away.
The apartment is a huge one-bedroom, which normally would cost around $1,300 a month, but I’m paying $192.60 and A-SPAN is paying the rest of the rent with a grant. They also paid my security deposit and got me furniture, which I like. Since I wanted a roommate, I decided to get a pet from the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. He is a 6-year-old tabby named Cappy. Sometimes he can be a handful, especially when I’m not feeling well, but I enjoy Cappy and he enjoys me. Seven months after I started rooming with Cappy, Monty,a 4-year-old tabby, joined the family. I got him from AWLA as well.
I am nearer to my friends in Ashburn, Va., and I can still sell Street Sense, because I am close to two Metro stations. Even though I still like to walk to D.C. when a new issue comes out every two weeks, now I don’t have to do that because the paper comes later instead of 4:30 in the morning. Having my own apartment makes me feel a lot better with my three mental illnesses. And because I have pets that needs me, when I feel that my illnesses want to get the best of me, I don’t have to let them.
Unfortunately I can’t stay in this apartment because the rent is increasing. A-SPAN is looking for a new place for me, Cappy and Monty. We have a couple of good prospects. One of them is on South Four Mile Run Drive, which is near the Arlington Food Bank and A-SPAN’s Opportunity Place. I will still sell Street Sense at my corner so that my customers do not worry and bother the paper about where I am. I would like to thank all the readers from Dupont North for their support.
