Henry's not-so-secret escape plan

Hi! Thank you for taking a moment to read this. I am almost at rock bottom and need your help to avoid becoming homeless. I would like to get my old Jeep back on the road as a means of escaping. If possible, I would also like to pay my rent this month, and hopefully pay a couple of my very outstanding bills as well. 

With my regular utilitiy bills all on their last available extension and the unpaid medical bills from last summer's unexpected surgery, I am constantly being hounded by bill collectors, but I don't even have the means to get by anymore. I have been out of work since late last Fall and my unemployment benefits ran out early last month. I have no income. My last job paid decently enough, but only lasted a year. More than half of my recent unemployment compensation was based on my previous job which happened to be that of an HIV Counselor in a free clinic. Though I learned many, important life lessons there; the truth is that we simply do not pay people very well to care for each other in this world. I was there for a few years, but unemployed for a while before that too so let's just say that I have not had the opportunity to save any money for quite a while. 




My old Jeep has been out of commission for what seems like forever. I simply couldn't afford the extra expense. I sure could use it now though. "Jeepy" has served me well and I know there are more adventures to come, but some minor repairs are in order now. It is not likely that I will be able to afford a new car any time soon so I would like to get my reliable, old friend back on the road again so that I can escape if I need to. Right now, the reality is that if I cannot pay my rent, I can't even flee.

I have been looking for work all along, but have obviously not been succesful. I happen to be in my late forties and have been stuck in the cliche of being "over qualified for some jobs, but don't have a degree for others". While I continue the search, I am getting-by doing odd jobs like pet-sitting, manual labor, cooking, and things like that. Even with a couple small loans and generous gifts from friends it doesn't look like I am going to make it though. 

Before I say anything else negative I would like to say that I am fortunate enough to know some wonderful folks that care for me and have offered me places to go. There aren't many people that would be willing to open their home to someone in my position, but I can "crash" in Dallas, TX or Santa Cruz, CA. A sister and her husband have made it clear that their place is my place if I should want to go home to the Boston area (SO tempting!) and I was offered an entire apartment in Stone Mountain, GA! There was an "almost" in Long Beach, CA and a definite maybe lingering in Phoenix! I am blessed where it really matters and I am very grateful for that! <3

Unfortunately, the problem is that I couldn't get to any of those places if I wanted to. I am poised and ready to accept my new adventure no matter where it is, but even if I was offered a room on the other side of town I have no means to make it happen at this point. I have already started to sell everything that doesn't have sentimental value and will continue to do so. I would like to pay my rent in a couple of weeks and properly give notice to my landlord to ensure my good reference when needed in future. It would also buy me the luxury of time to prepare for the exciting new chapters to come. I am embarrassed to be in the position of being unprepared and it may sound simple or silly, but I just kept holding on to hope until things started to appear hopeless and, well,  here we are.

Just to be clear: If you can help at all, it will go towards my vehicle's repairs, smog check, registration, insurance down pament, and fuel. I'd like to keep a roof over my head just long enough to get ready. I can do without my gas stove if the electricity stays on and I can also do without Internet if I have my phone for the job search, so you would also help pay for one month's rent, my current electric bill, and my current phone bill as well. 

There is a function of this site that allows you to offer special rewards in exchange for gifts of a certain amout. I think the example they give is the gift of a hug in exchange for a hundred dollar donation. I'll do that one better. Every gift gets a reward! If we ever meet, I promise each and every one of you a hug in exchange for a donation of any size! :-)  

In all sincerity, thank you for your time and consideration. They are appreciated. I hope you can help me get to a safe place where I can get back on my feet and start anew. 

Your assistance would be very much appreciated.

Henry