Tale of a 99%er

Hello fellow ATS members, before I begin let me start by saying I AM NOT A TROLL!, And everything I am about to write here is in fact my life. The reason I decided to write today is because after reading many other testimonials on the internet I felt ATS is the place to tell my story and if possible hear of other members struggles in this economy.


I am 25 years old, I live in Riverside,California and I am currently attending community college, I am unemployed, and a father of 2 young boys(18 months, and 7 months).

Now let me begin in 2009 I worked full time as a security guard I held that position for a year before I was let go. throughout 2010 I was pending my unemployment( The company denied me, It took 6 months to get a hearing which I won), march- 2010 I received unemployment and ushered in the birth of my first born son. All the while I was seeking employment in Riverside county to no avail. After a full year of unemployment it came to an end.....
now jobless and broke my family began to struggle very slowly, My cable and internet was the first to go( good thing my neighbor allows me to use his wifi for free...thanks buddy). Shortly after my electric bill was past due with a balance of 580 dollars, eventually I ran out of extensions and my electricity was shut off, For 3 weeks We had no light.... We stayed at my fiancees parents house ( who live down the street and are also doing not so well). My fiancee found a program through welfare that paid a portion of the electric bill and they turned the lights back on. But the happiness was short lived because a few days later the water was cut off and remains cut off to this day Going on 2 months now(we fill up gallons of water at her parents house for bottles and such, we also shower at their house). All the while I'm still seeking employment to turn my families situation around but no luck, people have told me I should move to a bigger city like San Diego but I cant afford to move because we can barely afford our rent here which is pretty cheap. I have tried very hard to turn my water back on but every time I get the money another situation arises( kids need formula,diapers,wipes, all of their needs, plus the light bill every month) I have even sold my car to try and catch up on these bills, I no longer have a cell phone because I cant afford 50 dollars a month, so every now and then I get a prepaid 15 dollar at&t phone.
Are there any others who are struggling as hard as this in this economy please share your stories thank you for your time ATS and God bless...