Hi, my name is Rebecca and I'm 37 years old and I dont have any kids but I consider my puppy to be my child. Up until very recently my boyfriend of almost 5 years lived with us but because of well, life, he no longer is with us. As it happens in life sometimes people must move away for their own betterment and that's what he has chosen to do and I fully support him. However, his departure has left me in a bit of a tight spot financially speaking. I'm currently on disability and even though I have a part time job, I still will be unable to afford my rent, utilities, food and supplies for my Nena. However, before I go into the whole "poor me I need help" part of this, let me give you all a little background on me and how I got to be where I am today. I'm sure that most of you are at least somewhat familiar with my past, my mental health issues and my off and on substance abuse associated with them. Most of you are also aware that up until 2014 I mainly lived with one grandparent or another (to whom I am eternally grateful because I probably wouldn't have made it without them, especially my grandfather) and was never really able to hold an apartment for longer than a year at any given time of my life, issues or no issues. I hit a very rough patch around June 2015 when my boyfriend at the time and I became homeless. I'm not talking couch surfing homeless, I mean we lived in a tent down in the river bottoms or in a tent downtown. During those times I honestly believed I would never be able to get an apartment again, much less one of my own. We lived on the streets for about a year and a half and those were some of the darkest, hardest times I think I've ever been through. I would not wish that life on my worst enemy. About halfway through 2017 we managed to get a room at the Friendship Hotel. For those you that aren't familiar with the Friendship it is a hotel, I use the term loosely, built at the turn of the century in Hillcrest. Right there on University Ave and 8th Ave. It was $200 a week and the accommodations were comparable to the price. It was dingy and I had to eradicate the roaches when we moved in but once I fixed up the room with my own bed linens and a few other personal touches and kicked the roaches out it was definitely liveable. We had been living at The Friendship for about a month when I got the opportunity to apply to become an IHSS care provider. I was able to start working right away even though I was still going through the application and enrollment process.  I wasn't able to get paid though until my background check was finished and I got approved. That was a blessing in disguise because my first paycheck was rather large and just about that time an apartment opened up at the complex where I did my IHSS work. I applied for the apartment and got approved and have been here ever since November 2017. Now that you know my background you can see why I think it is such a big deal that I have kept and maintained my apartment. I am very proud of myself because not only have I kept a roof over my head, I can say with confidence that I have my substance abuse issues completely under control and my mental health these days is manageable. I feel as though I have come a long way and it is of the utmost importance that I dont lose my apartment. I am asking for donations to help me pay my rent and any expenses I might have during the month. I do not like asking for help but I have tried and exhausted all my other options. There isn't much help from the county for single women these days according to 211 and almost zero rental assistance programs as well. Please help me remain with a roof over my head and keep me from being homeless and in a tent a second time. Thank you for taking the time to read my request, I realize it was a bit long. Any donation, the amount doesnt matter,  will help me I guarantee it. Thanks again!