After 2.5 years on a waitlist, most of which I spent renting a room at the YWCA, I am finally finally finally being granted a Section 8 Affordable Housing voucher. This will help me move into a safe and stable place of my own.

You may know how very difficult it is to find housing -- particular year-round -- in Downeast Maine. It is significantly more difficult to find a rental whose owner accepts Section 8 vouchers. Through nothing short of a miracle, a lovely little apartment has fallen into my lap and I must jump on it. The catch: I have to move in just a few weeks, on the 1st of April.

While this is deeply exciting, it also presents a unique challenge. Every place I've lived has been furnished, so I'm truly starting from ground zero here. If you know me well, then you know that I'm doing everything I can to thrift and stretch my budget; but because I'm recovering from surgery, I haven't been able to work. I've already had some kind and generous folks offer little pieces of furniture here and there, but there's still a mountain of small essentials I need to get before moving in. A plunger! A dish drainer! A shower curtain! Not to mention a couple big things like a new mattress and bed frame.

Compounding health issues have inhibited my ability to work for several years. With the help of a social worker and attorney, I've spent over 2 years in the process of navigating the process to secure disability. I worried that I might never be able to afford anything beyond the YWCA or an unheated attic space (where I was prior). This is a huge opportunity and I'd be endlessly grateful for any help in being able to make the leap into my first-ever apartment.

Thank you!

-Abby Jo