Starting Down the Road to Self-Determination and Economic Independence at Age 41 

Over the last few years, things have changed for Kurt Stengel, changed for the better!

At one point, Kurt was living in a group home, and qualified for full time nursing home care.  But the thing is, Kurt and his family wanted more! 

Kurt is well on his way to creating more.  He currently lives independently in a supportive apartment in an integrated complex, works part-time two or three days a week with Shred-R-Us, and is planning for his financial future.

However, Kurt was not always in such a stable situation.  In fact, sometimes the road to self-determination and economic independence is not an easy one, and the road can be filled with various pitfalls.

Several years ago, following an 18-month underpayment from SSI, Kurt received a retroactive check for more than $3,600 dollars.  Demonstrating his interest in asset building as well as a certain impetuousness, Kurt bought a small house, using the $3,600 dollar check from SSI as the down payment.

Usually, purchasing your first home is a reason for celebration.  But things quickly began to look down for Kurt in his new home.  He didn’t really know anyone in the neighborhood, and before long, Kurt was hanging out with the wrong sort of people.  Some of Kurt’s “hangers-on” encouraged him to buy them expensive gifts and even to write checks for amounts Kurt could not afford.  “I got into a lot of trouble, but I know not to do that anymore,” he says.

With the help of his Mom, Kurt sold the small house, found an apartment with a supportive living environment, and started to re-build his life. 

For now, Kurt has a representative payee, but he still has his dreams of economic self-determination.  “I’m working toward getting my own house again, paying my own bills, and doing my own thing, but this time, I won’t listen to those kind of people.”

For Christmas, Kurt received a computer.  Actually, it was just a computer mouse, but “I knew that meant a computer; it was in my mom’s trunk.”

Kurt is planning to get Quicken, learn how to pay bills and keep track of money.  For now, he will track the expenditures as made by the payee, and learn as he goes along.

Through the local Independent Living Resource Center, Kurt is taking a disability advocacy course and joining Advocacy Concerns Team in Action (ACTA), a group that takes action to promote equal access for individuals with disabilities to all services, programs, activities, resources and facilities in society whether public or private.  He has also enrolled in the Kansas Developmental Disability Council’s Partner’s in Policymaking.  This course meets one weekend per month for 8 months and will help provide Kurt with both self-advocacy skills and knowledge to work within the system.  Kurt’s mom, Judy, is a Partner’s graduate and is busy honing her formidable parent advocacy tools.

Kurt is interested in locating an IDA program in his area.  Because he is working and has earned income, Kurt would qualify to contribute to the matched savings program, perhaps saving toward another down payment for that house of his own.

Kurt recently had a physical and completed the application to become a companion to a person who is elderly.  Eventually, Kurt would like to become a Certified Nursing Assistant.  That would be quite the challenge, but as Kurt says, “I can try.”