I lost my job in November 2012, approximately 1 week after Hurricane Sandy. I have had a few short stints of temporary employment, but I've pretty much been unemployed ever since.
I qualified for the maximum unemployment benefit in the state where I worked ($405/week), and I was able to live on this while I looked for work. I certainly didn't live lavishly, but I was able to survive. But as of 12/29/13 that vanished.
I wish all the RWNJs out there who think UI makes us lazy could understand one thing. In order to collect UI, you have to be able to demonstrate that you are actively looking for work. This means you not only have to look for work, but you have to keep a written record of what you do to look for work. At any time while you are collecting UI, your state's Department of Labor can contact you and ask to see your work search record for a given period. If you are unable to produce any records of work search activity (either because you didn't keep a record or because you didn't look for work), you can lose your benefits. This should effectively quash the notion that people on UI just sit on their asses & collect checks every week.
I'm still occasionally getting temp work here and there, but I've only had one long-term assignment since I've been unemployed. It lasted 4 weeks. I temporarily replaced a receptionist who was on medical leave. The company liked me, but at the end of the 4 weeks the receptionist returned to work, and there is no hope of me going back there unless someone else gets sick.
As of right now I've got enough money to last about 5 months. And that's if I don't buy food. After that I don't know what I'm going to do. I have no family, no one to rely on for help.
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