Saving Homeless Xristos & Momo

I've really tried to avoid making one of these for a lot of reasons, but if you didn't already know, homelessness/poverty can quickly go from bad to worse. It has gotten worse.

How did I get here?

For decades, I've struggled with depression, and up until September 2016, I didn't seek treatment. I kept thinking its not that bad and so many other people have it worse in this world. Even when it got to its worst points in 2012, I felt like coming out alive told me I can handle myself. In retrospect, I was just lucky, and I've never had a real handle on my depression, I was only good at hiding it from others (sometimes). It really wasn't until this February that I started making real progress in my treatment. I started to allow myself to be more expressive and was finding a new kind of freedom in being myself.

Consequently, I had to make some really hard life choices which meant putting an end to my living arrangement. At the same time, I was unable to hold my part time job, and I dropped all of my classes since I fell so far behind. One bad habit of mine is constantly dismissing my needs and problems. I thought for sure that I would get a job within a month and would find housing as well. I made my money by selling/pawning most of my belongings. That got me by the first month while staying between five different couches/beds, and MTA sucked away a lot of my money. A couple people already kindly donated some money to me, and it definitely helped feed me, but my bank didn't like how inconsistent my income was, which led to fees, and more fees, and fees for being charged a fee. I tried to get around them by using strictly PayPal, and it worked for a couple weeks until my bank emptied my PayPal, out of the blue, to pay those fees. My PayPal in now locked and in the red. Same with my bank.

Why do I need the money?

Homelessness is a black hole for your wallet. I've gotten many invitations to job interviews, but no way to make it to them because I don't have cash to put money on my MTA card. I've jumped turnstiles a few times, but I don't want to make it a habit and get slapped with a fine I can't afford. To make matters worse, I've run out of contacts, and my glasses are broken. Its almost the end of the month and I can't afford rent for a sublet or even a place for my cat to stay. My clothes are dirty and I can't afford to wash them. My debts are quickly becoming out of control.

What will I use the money for?

What I need specifically, is to clear my debt with my bank so I can close that account/start a new one at a credit union. I can't take out cash or or write checks until that is cleared up. I need a monthly pass for the MTA, so I can make it to my interviews. Money for a cat sitter or possibly to continue my sublet. My storage unit is locked out from me due to late fee. and if I don't get that paid up, I'm going to end up losing a lot of important papers.

It is ironic that at the peak of my treatment--a time when I'm feeling a great sense of freedom and love and motivation--I haven't been able to fully embrace it or enjoy my life. I'm still trying to hold onto my new sense of positivity, even though things only seem to get worse. I guess the only thing keeping me going is that I really want to experience life in my new/healthier mental place, because I feel like I could contribute more to the world as a healthier person.