Seniors Eat Dog Food to Avoid Homelessness

The transition from housed to homeless rarely happens in a vacuum. It's usually a confluence of causes. Rarely does joblessness or a mental health condition alone force people out of their homes. Homelessness, like life, is complicated. A Porter, Texas couple, Jennifer and Glenn Abissi, for example, have barely kept themselves afloat and out of the death trap of homelessness by surviving on 455 percent APR loans and dog food (watch their affecting story on the local news). They once enjoyed a middle-class lifestyle, but after Glenn became ill, they were thrust into poverty and became unfortunate dog food gourmands. Jennifer gives tips on how to make dog food more palatable with a pan and some ketchup. I can't imagine what it was like when the couple faced eating dog food for the first time.

Both Jennifer and Glenn are medically frail. Jennifer was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. Glenn suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Both rely on oxygen machines and Glenn finds it hard to get around because he had to pawn his electric wheelchair for medication money and both are too weak to push his manual one.

They live on a limited income of $1,800 in monthly Social Security, and much of it goes to medication. In an attempt to eat regularly, they solicit help from neighbors and churches, even utilizing available community resources like Meals-on-Wheels, where they get their dog food. The dog food they eat is shared between them and their dogs, companions whom they will not abandon to go into a shelter. In my mind, the Abissis are extremely resourceful. It's hard to keep out of homelessness while the entirety of your human household is disabled and can't afford rent or three meals a day.

The bad news is that since their story was publicized, Glenn had a heart attack. He survived and has returned home to convalesce, thankfully. But Glenn and Jennifer were still facing homelessness because they were $5,000 behind in rent for their mobile home and, when evicted, planned to live in their car with oxygen machines, a wheelchair and their dogs, all while managing to feed themselves and take pill after pill. I highly doubt they would have survived that for long. Today, thanks to their community, which organized a food drive on a bow-hunting website, they are not facing the threat of homelessness — at least for now.

The generosity of the community is heartwarming, but I'm concerned that this support won't be maintained, just as it isn't sustained after devastation rendered by earthquakes and hurricanes. Donations are excellent. Support from the community is excellent, and it certainly has raised the family's spirits. But what can be done to ensure that the Abissis, and others like them, aren't faced with hunger and near-homelessness in the future? Housing and health care costs are huge obstacles. For example, Jennifer is not eligible for Medicare or assistance from a local hospital due to her Social Security income. This family cannot wait for President Obama's health care plan to take effect; nor can they wait for their elected officials to recognize the need for more affordable housing. The community is stepping in in this case, but just a tiny fraction of people struggling are featured on the news and receive an outpouring of support from caring individuals.

In the meantime, Jennifer and Glenn could use the continued support. A local organization called TexasBowhunter.com has been collecting and distributing the donations for this family. Please contact them if you would like to offer your assistance. Unfortunately, issues of homelessness and hunger are not rare or unique to any town or city, big or small. If you would like to offer assistance locally, get to know the people in your neighborhood and find out if they could use a hand. Or rather, how they could use a hand.

Photo credit: JnL