Bring Scooter Back Inside

I dislike begging for help, especially multiple times in such short succession, but I don’t really have much of a choice right now.

As some of you are now aware, I have been homeless for several months. While I’ve had the occasional room for brief periods due to generosity or needing to recover from being ill, I’m generally sleeping out on the streets. Poverty is expensive. Because I have no safe place to store food, most of my meals have to be ready-made or fast food. I did luck out and get a job, and I’ve had to purchase more clothing to meet the dress code for work. With limited room for toiletries and other personal items, I can’t buy larger packages of things to save money that way, either. Occasionally due to weather changes or my location, I’ll find myself needing to buy new/extra supplies to stay safe and healthy outdoors. I have a gym membership so I can take showers, and a tiny storage unit for items that no longer fit in my gym locker. All of it continuously adds up, and prevents being able to build up any savings.

There are no safe shelters that I qualify for, and I have done quite a lot of research and legwork into what resources are available to me (which turns out to be not very much). With no assistance in that regard, I’ve decided to devote my time to try and find a home the more traditional way, and simply start looking for rooms available.

I do have a job. I’m looking desperately for a room to rent for $600 or less per month (I realize that's a long shot in this area of LA, but anything more wouldn't be doable with my income). I intend to take the first one I can that I feel is safe upon visiting. My health is rapidly deteriorating, and this is getting to be an emergency situation. My injured back continues to get worse from sleeping on benches and concrete. I catch sinus infections when it is humid and cool out during the evening, and the most recent bout turned into bronchitis (which caused me to miss work for just over a week). I was recently told that I am prediabetic, but in my current situation, I cannot afford to be very picky about what food I get or when. Most troubling is the fact that I have apparently started sleepwalking due to sleep deprivation. This week I caught myself crossing the middle of a normally busy road in the early morning hours as I woke up. Almost anything could greatly tip the balance here, and I am honestly half terrified and half just plain exhausted.

I am asking for $2000 to cover anticipated first/last/deposit costs, plus a bit extra to cover supplies. Aside from rent, I am completely starting over. I don’t have anything like bedsheets, towels, bathroom items, hangers, or other household necessities that you tend to take for granted until you don’t have them. I’m more than happy to bargain shop as much as possible, and if you would feel more comfortable specifically helping on that end of things, please get in touch with me at puppetpusher-at-gmail. That address is also good for Paypal donations, if you have a preference.

I don’t have anything to offer in return, but I will be extremely grateful to anyone and everyone who can help, even if it’s just passing this information around. I’m trying very hard, but I am utterly spent, and I just need this one big push to get me back off the streets.