Moving Costs

Hi all, I'm not sure how far this might go - likely not far - but if you don't know me, I'm Jen - or if you're in the SCA I'm Isabella da Firenze.

Photo of me happily showing off projects at an SCA event since I didn't know what other photos to possibly include.

In 2021 the basement suite I lived in suffered a catastrophic flood during the storms that washed out roads in BC. I was one of the lucky ones: I had insurance, I managed to save important things, and things that got destroyed I was able to replace. I was out of my suite for 8 and a half months as they did repairs (way longer than it should've been, but I kept getting promises of 'soon'), and I did eventually move back in given that I was told the problem had been a backed up perimeter drain that was fixed, and the rent was affordable in a city that has grown even more unaffordable since then.

Just before Christmas 2024 I found more water leaking in under the carpets. Again, I was lucky: I still have insurance, my concern over another flood had caused me to put several pieces of furniture that my dad or grandfather built - things I wouldn't be able to replace easily - up on patio tiles to keep them off the ground "just in case," and it was relatively minor compared to the last time. Insurance *will* cover me for anything to do with the 'affected' rooms (about half the suite) but my landlord has told me they don't really want to rent the suite again - and I don't blame them, I don't really want to move back in there again. I won't feel safe. I could probably fight it with the RTB, but at this point that's not really a fight I want to win.

I've been blessed with a strong support system - I've had places to stay that aren't costing me an arm and a leg while I figure this out, and my landlord is being quite reasonable (as far as landlords go, he's one of the better ones - though that's perhaps not saying much) - but I've needed to make some decisions about what I'm doing next. The hard truth is that unless I downsize a lot and opt for a roommate (or several) I can't afford to stay in Victoria. There are things I love and hate about this place, but at least my work is allowing me to work from home, so I should be able to work from anywhere in BC.

The other lucky thing - if you can call it that - is that I inherited property several years ago when my dad passed away. I can go and live there, but I have to give the tenants proper notice (4 months now). It's also in Powell River, which, while I never really wanted to live there again is at least familiar and I'd be able to save some money and eventually update the house in a few ways. If I hate it, I can work towards making it temporary but it's what I have right now, and I've come to terms with it being the best decision I can make at the moment. However, my insurance likely won't cover the move. I'm not worried about having a place to stay or damaged items - as I said, I've been lucky there - but here's where we get to the reason for this fundraiser.

Moving will mean having to have 90% of my stuff packed and stored for the next several months (as the places I can stay are basically rooms rather than even a suite to myself), and then getting everything moved to Powell River and into the house - where I don't really have the people to help me move the heavy things. I've gotten a quote from a good company and it's relatively reasonable, but still an expense I wasn't anticipating right now and will put me further into debt. I can afford the initial move out of my suite into storage, and even the storage costs for several months, but the final move is where I need to make some decisions. I can U-Haul it and hire people in town, or I can get the company to move it, or I can do a weird combination since a bunch of my belongings are still in a different storage place anyway, but whatever way I go it's money I don't have.

I hate asking for help - to the point where writing this and contemplating posting it is actually harder to deal with than the logistics of moving my entire life - I also know times are tough, and I know especially after the holidays money can be tight, but if anyone can spare anything I would be eternally grateful because I am drowning right now and this is a thing people might be able to actually help me with. I also don't need to worry about the actual moving costs (what this amount would be helping me with) until June.

You're all amazing, even if you just took a moment to read this. I appreciate you all.

Thank you