I just got kicked out of my house yesterday. It’s too much to get into, but my family is very toxic and unstable and they are out to ruin me. They tell me how they wish I wasn’t born. They have already cancelled my phone service, haven’t signed my student loans, etc. I understand that they do not have to pay for these things, but my whole life they have barely ever provided for me. When I was in high school, I had to work full-time while taking AP classes and doing sports. They refused to buy me clothes or anything. I have been very independent my whole life as a result and have had to provide for myself a long time.
Well, it’s the same story in college. I do school full-time and work like 3-4 days a week while having other responsibilities on top. And I pay for everything almost. My car, gas, insurance, clothes, bills besides the phone bill. I was living with them while doing courses online because I was very depressed down at school and couldn’t transfer out since I am almost finished with my bachelor’s, but they didn’t want me to move home. They wanted me out and ever since I got into a relationship, they have been trying so hard and yesterday was the day it finally happened.
Long story short, I am lost. Due to all the stress and depressed mood state, I lost my job right before being kicked out. I do not know what to do now. I am barely making it by. I also have autism and adhd on top of this. So, everything is a lot to process. I am staying with my boyfriend for now, but if something happens to us, I’ll have nowhere to go. What do I do? I’m looking for a job, but are there any programs that can assist me financially or help me navigate this? Especially for school. My family knows how much school means to me and I don’t want to lose it. It’s my future and one of the very few things I’m passionate about. I am set to be the first person in my family to obtain a bachelor’s degree. I don’t want to lose that. Any tips you guys have to help me during this time. Would be great. I do not know what’s available to me or what I qualify for. And this is going to be overwhelming because I am going to have to change my address and everything.
I was referring to assistance programs like SNAP or TNAF. Anything like that or any way the school may be able to help. The job programs you suggested have very specific requirements like only certain universities and degrees eligible. Which does not fit my situation since I am already a junior in undergrad at a university. Additionally, they only qualify for a certain amount of people. It’s just not a feasible solution. But thanks anyway
You should probably reach out to your school’s resource counselors/deans to see what resources they have. Public assistance is different in every state and most programs exclude temporary college students unless there are other factors. Your school would be the first place to start asking questions, especially around loans and payment for school.
Go see the school fin aid office. If you already had a fafsa approved for 2024 to 2025, then your fin aid should come through for this semester. The school may be able to reclassify you as independent.
Make sure you have your own bank account, to which your parents do not have access. Consider whether or not you can afford to keep the car. I agree with applying for jobs that have tuition benefits.
Also check to see if the school has hardship funds for unexpected critical events. I know these were available at my daughter’s college, though I don’t know specifics of how much they provided or how long for, and my understanding is that an immediate need for short term /emergency housing was one of the things they provided funds for.
I don’t have any useful advice to give unfortunately, but I wanted to let you know that you are strong and brave and your grit and determination will help you succeed. I understand. Stay with a friend for now. Find another job- waitressing, bus boy, bar work - and prove everyone wrong by finishing your degree and improving your life circumstances. Talk to the college and ask for help.
I am so sorry that this has happened to you.
Thank you. I needed to hear this. It’s nice hearing that someone sees those qualities in me. I need the support right now, so this means a lot to me. I wasn’t prepared for this. Thank you for your kindness.
I know they signed the Parent Plus loan but they didn’t do that this semester. It usually covers my remaining cost. Right now I still owe about $9,000. I also have subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Scholarships as well, but they don’t cover the remaining cost.
I spoke to financial aid and they said my options were limited. That there was no aid to give or anything. They did say I could appeal as an independent though. Which I will pursue because of my circumstances and how much I provide for myself. However, my parents are trying to sabotage me gaining independent status because they want me to be controlled. It’s complicated to explain. But they are not mentally well or good people…they kick me out, but don’t want me to succeed. I still have 3 semesters left including the upcoming spring semester.
You should consider not going to school for this coming semester. It will give you a chance to get the finances in order. You’d only be able to sign for the direct student loans but not for the $9000 parent plus loans and it is pretty hard to figure out how to get the $9000 with only a week or so before classes restart. Take the time, get organized, work full time, save money if you can. You might be able to take classes in the summer to make up some of the semester.
You might qualify for SNAP, but if not there are food banks (even some at colleges) where you can get food and sometimes personal supplies.
Real life sometimes sucks but you’ll get through.
You should contact your school to explore the support system. If you have an advisor, contact them; if not, contact the dean of undergraduate students. If you have a professor that you trust, you can ask them if they know any official support system at school. When I taught in a public university over a decade ago, one of the students was homeless and the university provided enough support for them to graduate.
Good luck!
See if you can get a leave of absence from your college…and sort out the rest of this. Three semesters…and you would need your parent cooperation to complete the FAFSA for the next academic year to get even the Direct Loan…and possibly other aid from your school.
Speak to the financial aid office again and ask them about the homeless verification process to see if you would qualify (this is done when a student selects “yes” on FAFSA to being homeless or at-risk of homelessness). The school is required to approve or deny the homeless verification request within 60 days and if the documentation is not completed in time then you can submit a new request and resume the process from there.
You can also look to see if your school or department has any emergency assistance available (emergency loans, emergency microgrants, etc). It’s unlikely it will add up to the amount you need, but it could help you bridge the gap for the fall semester.
It is highly unlikely you will be able to sort it out before spring semester starts, so you also want to make sure you check on what your scholarships stipulate about taking a semester off. If a semester off is not allowed, talk to someone higher up to request an exception to the rules so that you can hang on to your scholarship until the fall semester.
Check on withdrawal/refund deadlines so you don’t end up owing money by withdrawing too late. You can also talk to your school about what aid would look like if you dropped to part-time (and be sure to ask about your scholarships in relation to hours enrolled, too). It may be that you can just take one or two classes this semester to hang on to your scholarships and then that buys you more time to figure things out for fall.
OP will qualify as independent on FAFSA, but should go thru the steps that @cam2932 laid out above. OP will qualify for an additional $4K in student loans per year if an independent student. The college may or may not give OP more financial aid for being independent, it depends how the current aid package is structured and whether it’s need based or merit based aid.
