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Trying To Prevent Homelessness

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Hello, Reverend Peter Trabaris here. I'm posting this GoFundMe account to ask for your help. Many of you know that last year I became very ill, being diagnosed with 5 pulmonary embolisms. It took me many months to fully recover. There were many hospital visits. While my health is better today, my inability to work during that time frame left me financially frail. I have been working as an Uber driver for the last year. And have been working to be able to procure my own housing. Unfortunately, a week ago this past Friday the company that held my car loan, got tired of working with me, and they repossessed my car. The result of this, is that I no longer have a source of income. To make matters worse, I am currently in between housing. I have been staying in hotels, or in my car, for the last month. The good news is, that's when this happened, many of my clergy colleagues were able to very quickly put together some funding for me, and arrange for me to stay in a hotel. The money that they raised is still keeping me in the hotel, but I only have a couple weeks left at most from the money that was raised. After that, my situation will be dire. Now I am very lucky, because I do have some money still, that is keeping me in this housing. I am also lucky, because I have people working with me to help me to get through this. I have worked with the local homeless Navigators, and have been approved for Rapid rehousing. I have also been lucky enough to have received emergency food stamps. However, there is no guarantee that the social service agencies will have enough money to help me get into housing. The low-cost housing market has 10 and 17 year waiting list, depending on what county in Florida you're talking about, I'm told. so, while they may be able to provide assistance in terms of finding and getting me into meaningful housing, the greater likelihood is that they will not be able to. The really sad thing, is that there are easily, hundreds of thousands of people in this area alone who are in the same position. So I have a plan. I am working hard to take positive advantage of this gift that I have been given by MCC clergy. I am operating on several fronts at once. 1). I am trying to find a vehicle so that I can get back to working with Uber and Lyft. 2) Fearing that renting a car to do that might be too expensive, I am also busily working with temp agencies to find other types of employment. 3) As I mentioned above, I'm working with the local community to try and deal with the housing issue. 4) I'm reaching out to other church denominations, and other venues where I might be able to exercise my ministerial credentials, in order to make money from in that way. 5) And of course, I'm looking to see if there are any ministry opportunities in MCC that pay. But this may take some time. And so I'm asking you to help with funding, so that I can reach these goals, and not end up on the street, or falling into the homeless system. If I am very lucky, this week I will find access to employment. If that were to happen, and I make a decent amount of money, then hopefully very shortly I'll be back to being self-sufficient. But I have to be both realistic and proactive, and there's just as much of a chance that I won't find that employment quickly, and that I might be in this situation for some time. My immediate goal for housing is to make enough money from work and or donations, that will allow me to get into the Extended Stay America here under a program that they call EPP. This program, would allow me to stay here for at least two months, at a rate of just over $1,300 per month. The normal Hotel rate would be well over $2,500. But I have to be able to pay for the month in advance. So the first month the last I checked would cost $1, 385. I was thinking of trying to rent a car from Lyft in order to get back to driving and making money that way. But as I have reviewed this I have come to be of the belief that, that approach isn't going to work. I have worked the numbers and it seems to me that to go in that direction will leave myself too short in terms of providing housing for myself. So now, I am talking and working with temp agencies and one of them believes or has said, that they think they could get me to work within a few days to a week. So please pray with me that this transpires. For the time being, I am going to try and get around using Uber or Lyft. So as to save the money that I would otherwise put towards trying to get a car. That's said, once I start working presuming, that I'm able to get a job quickly, and depending on where it is, using Uber might mean having to pay $80 a day to go back and forth to work which wouldn't make sense. At that point, I will have to consider going ahead and renting a car. If I do that, the monthly cost for renting a car from Enterprise Rental in this area is about $850 per month (this is pretty much the rate I see with all of the rental agencies). I of course will continue to look for less expensive ways to travel. But I also have to be cognizant of the fact that my arthritis makes it very difficult to stand and to walk for any significant distance. I also need to invest in a new wardrobe. That sounds extravagant, I know. However my clothes were mostly lost last year while I was in the hospital and I was unable to make the payment on my storage unit. There was no grace period. So if I'm going to go back to work, I need to buy some new clothes. So these are my needs to avoid homelessness this month. Housing-$1365.00 Car Rental - $850.00 Clothing -$300.00 Food - Covered by EBT As a clergyman and a pastor, I regularly teach, and firmly believe, "That all things are possible in Christ Jesus who strengthens us.". I believe that God is greater than all things. And so I believe, that God is walking with me in these moments, and that God will help me to find a way forward. In the process, I am learning many things. God has led me into many situations, that are teaching me a lot of things that I will be able to share in time, and work with all of you to make a difference on in the coming years. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I pray that God will lead you to help me in this particular way. I also pray, that God will use this situation to help others to see God's abiding Grace in action. Rev. Peter Trabaris

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  • Glenna Glenn
    • $50 
    • 5 yrs
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Peter Trabaris
Organizer
Clearwater, FL

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