Recovery means to be able to manage one’s symptoms (ideally, so you don’t have any serious ones) and to be able to have a good quality of life. You can define the latter however you want, but I think being able to make a living wage so that you can have the ability to live independently goes a long way to having a decent QOL.
That being the case, I found this site that shows you the living wage needed for each county in the country: MIT Living Wage Calculator.
First you click on the state at the bottom of the page and then click on the county you’re interested in.
Multiply the living wage by 2,080 hours to get an annual salary.
It’s interesting that you don’t have to make as much money as you would living alone if you can find someone else to live with who also works.
Yes, I agree that living with someone else is the best way to have a better quality of life. My daughter has thanked me many many times for letting her live with me, now that she has her new life after schizophrenia psychosis left her in 2020. She works but cannot make enough money to rent an apartment in this area, not at all. She does pay me the equivalent of renting a room somewhere.
@oldladyblue, does the family member have to be charged for room and board in order to reduce their income enough to be eligible for SSI?
My family member does not get SSI. She regained her ability to work and has a steady job for over 3 years now. She pays rent to me, but has plenty left over for her own spending.
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That is awesome, but I would add something in a trust fund so that in her older years if she decompensates she will have money available. There are a few in each state that allows you to take advantage of a saving plan benefits with interest and DOES NOT impact your ability to qualify for SSI. Disability is varying so while she may be fine now, it’s another nest egg to make sure she has the right oversight as she ages and may or may not need more care/money.
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Thank you @Wederington034985 , future planning is very important! My NAMI family-to-family class discussed final arrangements. Personally, I already have all documents ready for my own passing to keep my daughter securely in our home. The home is paid for. There are rental tenants in rooms in the back that provide a monthly income that pays all expenses with extra leftover. My older son will be the executor of the trust I set up, knows her medical needs and what decompensation is. He will keep collecting the rents, paying bills and supporting my daughter. The house cannot be sold by the trust until after my husband, daughter and my sister pass away so all have a place to live until their end. Then the house can be sold with my two sons as the beneficiaries.
I felt so much better after seeing that attorney and setting everything up in 2019. You’ve reminded me to see him again to verify that all is still well-set up. Back then my daughter was just beginning her wellness journey out of psychosis (on medication since then), and my husband was a daily drunk (he’s had his own legal situation including use of a year of 24/7 alcohol monitoring which came off in February and now he is sober!).
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