Support a Family in Crisis

This is a little long, but I figure it’s only fair to share as much as possible when asking for support.

My family is facing imminent homelessness. I was already facing major hurdles with financial, medical, and transportation issues. Working every day to attempt climbing out of the hole has been a hamster wheel of just barely managing to keep afloat, like most people in this economy.. but it just all caved in without warning.

My landlord has decided we need to vacate so he can move into the residence.

I understand it may be his only feasible financial option with much construction is needed with the minimal free time he has. It’s definitely going to be a big job, & being able to work on it anytime in his spare time will undoubtedly be easier if they are living here.

He was supposed to find the leak and complete mold remediation this past spring. And while I wasn’t surprised at all that this didn’t happen, I was definitely surprised at this was apparently the better option.

I don’t know why I never imagined this possibility, I only feared it would be sold, but not before it was fixed, which would’ve given me time to get back to a normal life, and back on track.

I definitely never thought we would be facing homelessness so suddenly after so much of my time, effort and money to help protect the property (and even more of my belongings) from further water and mold damage. (I’ve shared a bit about this below.)

This the only home my girls have ever known, and they are devastated and can’t fathom losing the schools they are thriving in, on top of losing everything else. I have to do everything I can to find a way to stay in our home town. I went to school here, my boys graduated from here, and my girls deserve to as well.

I have to attempt to sell everything we own in a very short period of time, in order to first get my old vehicle fixed, since that may be all we have, just as my girls are starting the new school year. Without transportation, we’ll have nothing, so that’s where I need to start.

The work I was able to obtain at home has definitely been a blessing, but just a means to survive while without transportation(not that I was free to leave anyways) and did not allow for extra hours and savings with the hours each week spent trying to keep the water damage to a minimum. I never imagined days would so suddenly run out right in the middle of it all.

The currently inflated rent prices and low availability will make finding residence terrifyingly unobtainable in this market.

In needing to sell everything quickly, I’ll lose thousands in the rushed process, but praying to somehow earn enough to afford to move, by making up some of the income living here has cost me.

Starting from scratch is really my only option, and as heartbreaking as it is, it would be the new best case scenario.

I’m painfully aware that achieving this so quickly is less than a long shot, and we very well may end up homeless.

But at least if we have working transportation, I can transport the kids to school, so they have that one daily comfort of consistency.

I’ve lived here for over 16 years, my last residence for 10. I moved a dozen times growing up, attending 7 schools, and I did not want the same for my kids. I was hoping not to move until I was ready to buy a home, Or at least until the kids all graduated.

It’s crazy how quickly that all became so unimportant when the new hope is for the girl’s to not begin a new school year sleeping on couches or in the car.

Realistically, Any money I am able to make by selling everything I can in such short time we’ve been given, I imagine won’t get us very far with Car repair, gas & basic necessities for the duration without housing. It will also need to cover income lost while trying to accomplish the physically impossible on my own in this next month. I don’t know how one is able to feasibly save for housing while homeless with children, but with the possibility of finding out very much on the table, it was time to ask for help.

My girls have had a really rough life but are literal angels and ask for nothing.

School is all the kids should be worrying about. They are beyond exceeding and thriving there, and I’ll give everything and anything to at least be able to keep them in their school. They have said they would rather sleep in the car than lose their hometown and school on top of everything else.

I’ve spent several years and thousands? of hours(and dollars both spent and lost) to suck up water from what used to be a live-able half of the square footage (where 2 of the bedrooms are) of the property. Rain comes in (and snow melt), and trying to keep it dry has been an endless loop. If it’s not sucked up constantly, it travels the full length of the slope of the house, through the closets and into the other bedroom as well. There is no other solution other than trying to catch most of the water at the points of entry. If it’s not caught immediately, it travels further (and ultimately across the rooms as well), more things are damaged. Space to move everything away from the moistue ran out long ago. There is no storage, so it’s a constant exhausting, isolated shuffle of organized chaos.

If it wasn’t for this, Rent would have risen like everyone else’s, but I’d also have 50-100% more time to work and the freedom to live a normal life, so it of course would’ve been worth it.

I really believed It would eventually be fixed for good and I’d be able to rebuild our life. The walls have been squishy(wet toilet paper is how my daughter describes it) countless times, and as it’s been several years of consistent moisture added, I’ve no doubt some of our medical issues are due to long term mold toxicity. I’ve tried my best(and the greater part of many years) to keep this home from further water damage, trying to protect it as if it were my own, just thankful that the rent at least wasn’t being raised before everything was fixed, because that would have lead to exactly this same nightmare scenario with no recovery time.

My Entire life has revolved around the forecast. I’ve dreamt about water coming in and not being able to reach it before it destroys everything. I don’t remember what it’s like to enjoy rain and snow instead of feeling anxiety & dread.

There were periods of so much snow melt and so much rain that so many weeks were full days and sleepless nights of lost time.

I never imagined I’d never get the chance to get back to a life where total physical exhaustion means income and savings, and to eventually enjoy our life & home again.

Having to leave so suddenly, in the midst of ongoing medical, financial and transportation hurdles, in this economy, without savings, is a level of hardship I had not envisioned and do not forsee being able to remedy on my own.

As I’ve begun to sort through our belongings and throw away yet another round of heartbreaking mold-covered discoveries, I know it will one day be a blessing that we left, but it is definitely not feeling like a blessing when the kids are losing literally everything.

I realized today that it’s just too much and not enough time to pull off a miracle on my own. The adrenaline dump is apparently enough to swallow my pride and ask for help. I’m praying there are still enough people in this cruel world that are financially stable enough to help support us though this. I’m not even sure it’s physically possible to prevent that from happening without help in such a short amount of time, although I will be giving it my all… unless it’s raining of course. :|

If you have the means to help... there aren’t really words to sufficiently describe how grateful we would be.

If anyone local is reading this, and has or knows of a reasonably priced rentals in town(long term or short term), while we continue working and searching to remain in our hometown long-term (or at least while our children finish school), please reach out to me.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read.