THREE CARD MONTE

A woman I know, let's call her 'J' was at the Holiday Inn.  She was homeless, with two children.

A man I know, let's call him 'E' was also at the Holiday Inn.  He was homeless, also with two children.

Another woman I know, let's call her 'P' - coincidentally also temporarily housed at the Holiday Inn, with two children.

Now, add myself - with one child in tow.

J goes to the American Inn.

E goes to the American Inn

P goes to a shelter

I go to the American Inn

Then, J goes to the Comfort Inn, E goes to the Comfort Inn, P is still at the shelter, and I go back to the Holiday Inn.  All this in the span of a month.

Pick the family whose still homeless.  Nope, not J, nooooo... not E.  No - not P.  Me?  Well - lol... I kind of tricked you - we're ALL still homeless.  

This is because we made the unfortunate choice to live in Montgomery County, Maryland - where they don't have a 5-year plan to end homelessness.  In fact, they don't even have a plan. For some reason, they think it makes much more sense  it's much more fun to shuffle families around.  It amuses them.  They shake their heads, and make 'tsk, tsk' sounds when they describe us to their friends and families, they joke about us over their cocktails at happy hour....  It's all just one, big game to them.  Like three card monte - they're the 'shills', and we're the 'marks'.  They conspire with their co-workers to put us through extreme emotional distress, just to see how fast they can 'break' us.  Then, when they finally do - we're referred to Anger Management (because, obviously - WE have a problem !).  When that doesn't work, they threaten to call Child Protective Services and have our children taken away from us.  All because we can't afford the exorbitant rents for the luxury town-homes they can't stop building. They're addicted to the power saying 'no' gives them.  Folding their arms and sitting back with their smug expressions - as if to say:  "You're wasting my time, I've got better things to do...", because they have homes, they have cars, they have meaningful, productive lives - but of course - we don't.  Our health and welfare couldn't mean less to them.  For the amount of money they wasted shuffling us from hotel to motel across the County, they could've helped us get stabilized in an apartment of our own;  But, no - that's not nearly as much fun....