Nevaeh's Housing Journey

Hello, my name is Nevaeh Oden and this is how the journey began. I moved in with some friends and eventually awful things happened which caused our group to split. Divide and conquer was the plan. My veteran friend and I took the dog and wanted to stay in Michigan to continue our schooling. The others had their own plan of action.

I was appointed the task of driving the U-Haul truck. A kind friend of mine sent some funding for movers to help get the bigger and heavier furniture out and relocated to the storage units. After getting everything relocated the next action was to find a roof to have over our heads. We went from Airbnb to hotel and some nights we slept in the cabin of the U-Haul truck. The sleeping bag my mother gave me the last time she visited was an extreme help for keeping us warm. Funding has gone to getting gas for the U-Haul truck, so we weren't stranded. The truck was our only reliable mode of transportation for a portion of this journey. We eventually found a hotel that would cost us less than $100/per night since my friend is a veteran, but we needed to have the cash or card in person for the discount to happen. The last time someone paid for our room via the hotel website or 3rd party booking website it cost more. I met a very kind and caring lady at one of these hotels. We decided to stay for multiple days at the hotel she worked at, instead of moving from different hotels. She offered to bring us food and I didn't turn that down. I bonded with her so quickly that we considered each other friends and almost family.

The people at the U-Haul location saw me coming in and unloading the truck daily. The employees would help me get the 26ft truck around some tight spaces and would send an employee to help me unload the truck when they could. My veteran friend gets cold very easily, so I had them only help me when I needed furniture moved. When the weather wasn’t nearly as cold, they would help me with the boxes. I was honest and upfront about our situation with the manager of the U-Haul location, and they helped us out so much. We had a conversation about payment for the truck and came to a solution. I offered to work for them to help pay off the debt I owe them, and they weren't opposed. I hope to get a vehicle so that I can do just that. I've worked in customer service for a lot of my life, but never at a storage unit and moving truck company.

My veteran friend has been working hard on their end as well. They have been a huge help and emotional support to me through this adventure and I have done the same for them. I'm so appreciative of the fact that they didn't abandon me, someone they knew had suggested it. I also had people suggest I move back home, and I wouldn't do that to my veteran friend. The dog has been a daily routine and in a way a constant in our lives. Since our lives changed so quickly, we needed something to ground us. It allowed us to feel like we had a bit of control over our lives. We can't take the dog on the bus because he barks at anybody and everybody. He is food and toy-aggressive around other dogs, and he means a lot to us. I don't want to bother anybody or get a noise complaint that would cause us to be kicked out. The veteran had a bus pass through their school, my bus pass was only good for a month. Some of the funds eventually went into renting a vehicle. I have learned that hatchbacks are really nice when it comes to in-town traveling. The car was small, but it went vroom. Having a car allowed us to take the dog with us instead of having someone stay behind to hang out with the dog in the hotel room.

While we were working on doing what we could, the other people that we previously lived with were working hard to keep themselves afloat and send assistance to us when they could. One of them was attempting to secure an amazing paying job, but it was going to take some time. My counselor, success coach, and instructors from the college I attend sent me resources to investigate. They were contacts for homeless shelters, but I didn't want to separate the group. The shelters didn't allow dogs, but one of the resources was the number to a place that did emergency boarding for homeless people's pets. I, again, didn't want to split up the group. I've missed so much class time because of this event. I haven't had the time to spare to attend class. The classes I registered for are mostly if not all participation grades or attendance heavy. I still need to speak with financial aid or billing to see what should be done.

I have met so many kind people along this journey. I am very lucky and appreciative that this journey didn't end up worse. Even though this whole experience was filled with distress I took it one day at a time, doing my best and sticking to the plan. Somedays I was mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted which led to some breakdowns, but a safe space and some crying helped me get through it. But I have cried happy tears from the support that I have received along this endeavor. I aim to make it to where our whole group has stable housing, decent paying jobs, food security, new clothing, and even some money to spend on hobbies, entertainment, and/or improving our quality of life.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read my story and I hope to pay everyone back with the same kindness and support that I've been shown. Thank you again and again. This meant so much to me.