Navigating America from the Bottom Up

Welcome

My name is Scotty Franzyshen, and this is my new blog.

For more than a decade, I have been navigating life from a place that most people don’t really get to see—the bottom.

I’ve experienced homelessness, unemployment, trying to find affordable housing, working with social services, looking for work that actually fits my life, and trying to make sense of the many different systems that are supposed to help people get back on their feet.

Along the way, I’ve learned a lot.

I’ve also discovered that things can look very different from the bottom than they do from the top.

Why I’m Writing This

I decided to start this blog because I want to document some of these experiences while I’m actually living them.

This isn’t intended to be a complaint department, a political campaign, or a plea for help.

It’s more of a record of my adventures in America.

I’ll write about housing, employment, public assistance, community organizations, nonprofits, and the everyday challenges of trying to navigate these systems in Butte County, California.

I’ll also write about the people and organizations that have helped, the things that have worked, the things that haven’t worked, and the things that I think could work better.

Sometimes I’ll probably have more questions than answers.

That’s okay.

I’m not writing this because I have everything figured out. I’m writing because I’m still navigating.

A Little About Me

I’ve spent much of my life building, fixing, and serving.

I’ve worked with computers and networks, built electronics, programmed things, worked with CNC machines, helped maintain community spaces, built exhibits, worked with recycling and waste-management crews, and spent a lot of time helping other people figure out how to make things work.

I also believe that being useful doesn’t necessarily require a traditional full-time job.

Sometimes a few hours of meaningful work can be more valuable than forty hours spent doing something that doesn’t really matter.

I’ve learned that time is priceless.

That perspective has influenced the way I approach housing, employment, and community.

Where This Goes From Here

I don’t know exactly where this blog will take me.

That’s actually part of the point.

I’m currently working on building a more stable life while continuing to participate in my community. I’ll be documenting that process here—one experience at a time.

There will probably be some serious posts.

There will probably be some frustrating posts.

There will definitely be some strange stories.

And hopefully, there will be some useful ones too.

So welcome to Navigating America from the Bottom Up.

This is where I start documenting the journey.