Ethos

Yesterday I went for a meeting with Ethos which is a non-profit (whatever that is...probably the same as charity) which aims to help 'elders' to continue to live independently. I was there to speak to someone about the money management side of the service which helps 'elders' to pay bills and budget and sometimes takes over their whole account to prevent eviction or destitution.

Sounds like a very worthwhile project an the woman who interviewed me seemed very normal so next week I will go to meet an elder to see whether we get along or not. Needless to say most of them seem to have a history of mental illness but it sounds like none of them are too hardcore.

There was mention of possible employment as they have recently won some funding to employ someone to deal with their more difficult clients. This sounds like the demanding and smelly ones which might be OK, any sort of income would be pretty good and it would seem more like being a proper person if I had to get up and go to work (plus Peta might go into the kitchen for something other than coffee if I was also 'working').

I imagined that Ethos would be located in a rather more down at heel neighbourhood than Cambridge and my suspicions seemed to be confirmed on the way down there was only one other white person in my half of the train carriage...and that was a Transit Policeman, accompanied by his black colleague. Imagine my disappointment then to emerge from Green Street station and not be greeted with burning cars, street gangs and drug dealers but a rather leafy looking suburb containing a modern looking industrial estate.