Hello everybody!
My name is Abe C. Starting two months ago I began living full time in a Chevy Astro to support myself as I go to Santa Barbara City College (SBCC).
To describe why this was necessary, it is crucial that I describe events prior to this decision.
Borrowing money from my Dad has always been an issue. The reasons for this is the tension it creates and his unreliability. To expand the former, my Dad is in a pool of debt. Over 100k in taxes I believe (doesn’t disclose info to family, found it out when IRS knocked at door). Although he is a successful attorney, the IRS takes a majority of his paycheck. This results in my family appearing to make a lot of money on paper, but in reality living off much less. In fact, upon supporting my brother in university, I recall diets of ramen and shut off cable. Furthermore, every time it came for the monthly payment, fights would erupt among my parents lasting the entire night. In fact, moving towards the inconsistency part of the situation, he refused to pay the last month’s payment, resulting in my brother not getting any credits for his first year of university. This fiasco forced him to transfer to the SBCC as a freshman, since the college refused to release the transcript until they received payment.
The situation wouldn’t be as bad if I had both parents, for my mom usually pushed my Dad to help; however, my mom died of liver cirrhosis about a year ago.
Currently my family resides in Solvang, about 40 miles from Santa Barbara. At first, I commuted everyday for college, however; that along with having 20 hours of work a week was too much and the price for gas took up a majority of my paycheck.
I found a shared bedroom in Santa Barbara for $500 a month. But, my luck apparently being shit, the roommate was violent (addicted to Xanax) and forced me to move out. Any other rooming options in Santa Barbara are above $600 and above my price range.
After that fiasco, I decided to move into my van. To be honest, I enjoy it. I pay no rent and with a part time job I can live rather comfortably.
Am I eligible for financial aid at all? Community college is feasible, but I cannot pay for university on a waiter’s paycheck and would rather not take out loans.
Thanks!