Donations Update as of 10/22/2023: Total donations = $4565.00 less GoFundMe fees of $147.10 = a total net of $4,417.90 All donations have now been processed by GoFundMe.

October rent was paid in full out of that total after GoFundMe fees were paid. Thank you to everyone who made that possible!

Remaining Donations toward November rent to date = $1,693.84 to be transferred on October 31, 2023. And $200.00 left from the prior transfer. That October rent amount included late fees, but the remainder was put into savings toward November rent. That means total available from all sources toward November rent = $1,893.84.

My November rent = $2,2,93.74 if paid by November 5th.

GoFundMe has set the transfer to occur on October 31st. That means I still need to raise $399.99 + GoFundMe fees in a week. I apologize for the late notice but the Covid booster knocked me on my butt until a couple of days ago and this was the earliest I could post an update that would make any sense.

Donations needed to pay November rent only equal about $410, including the GoFundMe fees. Anything more than that will go toward any rental fees not covered by Covid rental assistance and/or moving and relocation fees when I have to move out of this complex.

Please help me get my November rent covered. It’s so close to being funded! Thank you to everyone who has donated to help me!

Is the below TMI? I don't think so - I think you deserve full disclosure if you're helping me.

Covid Rental Assistance 10/22/2023 Update: I finally talked to my rental assistance caseworker mid-day on Friday, October 20, 2023. She sent me the forms for my complex manager and me to complete. Those forms were sent back to her yesterday, so she will have them when she comes in on Monday. She acknowledged in that phone call that the time taken to process the paperwork and get auditor approval meant it will not be approved in time to pay my November rent. Given past experience, that was not a surprise. She believes there is enough in the fund to pay my remaining four months of Covid rental assistance but can't guarantee that (of course).

I will continue to work on my end to get downsized and get my plans in place to get income. I will continue working on income from several different angles.

The Not So Good News – Covid Long Haul & Other Vaccine Reactions: There is a fly in the ointment of my lovely plans.

10/22/2023 Vaccine Update: I have only had my Covid booster at this point because my reactions lasted almost 2 weeks (which is an improvement - Yay!). I will get my flu shot next, based on pharmacy recommendations of which is most critical but I can't do that until my November rent is handled because I react to those shots too since Covid. Once I recover from that one, I'll get my RSV shot. I have no clue how I'll react to that one. Let's just say I dread getting any vaccine these days because they don't play well with whatever Covid live or dead cells are still in my body. Basically, my immune system has a full-on hissy fit.

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In case you’ve never seen any of this before, and want to read the longer story cause there’s nothing on TV today:

Who am I?

My name is Merikay, I’m a Covid long hauler. (Yes, that’s unfortunately a very real thing.)

I believe in a world that works for everyone. I’ve spent my life working toward that goal in everything I’ve done. Simply put, I build bridges between people and between businesses.

I’m a realistic optimist who loves to help other people.

My weakness? I’d rather have a root canal than ask for help, so this is a real opportunity, huh?

Why I’m Reaching Out to You:

As a Covid Long Hauler, I qualified for Covid Rental Assistance. I still have 4 more months available to me.

Funding for this program has been on again, off again. It’s made recovery difficult.

It was just funded again on September 15, 2023, but implementation has hit snags. I need your help with this emergency. Please donate what you can to help me pay my rent.

Just the Facts, Ma’am:

What I need: My rent is due every month on the 1st. I have a grace period until the 5th, before $400 in late fees are attached.

If I do not pay my rent plus the late fees by cashier’s check before the morning of the 7th, I will be locked out and evicted immediately. All of my possessions immediately become the landlord’s to sell or dispose of. It’s all spelled out in my lease and, yes, they do that legally. It’s that simple, and it’s scary.

Bottom Line: My need for funds is urgent.

I don’t know where else to turn, or I would not be asking you for help. This is a very real emergency. The consequences are dire for me if I can’t pay this in time.

How Will the Funds Be Used?

The funds will be used to pay my rent and any late fees. If more donations are received than needed for my rent for the coming month, the remaining donations will go toward my next month’s rent if needed.

If my Covid Rental Assistance documentation is processed in time to pay my current month’s rent and the other 3 months I’m qualified for – hope springs eternal - any remaining funds will go toward moving expenses to a more affordable place or to the first month’s rent after Covid Rental Assistance funding ends.

If I have enough steady income by then to meet my expenses, which is my goal, any excess will be donated to a local charity dedicated to people facing homelessness.

I Am Grateful For Your Help!

I am incredibly grateful for whatever you can give to help with this emergency. Please donate what you can and share this if you think it will help me reach my goal. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

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How I Got Here. No, I Can’t Believe It Either.

Warning, this is TMI..

I used to ask myself how anyone could get into this kind of situation.

Here’s how I got here. I got Covid in February 2020, when no one knew what it was. My state didn’t think it had cases then, so I couldn’t get tested. By the time I got tested, I had Covid Pneumonia. I struggled to stay alive with a local medical community that refused to see people with Covid but was also in denial about this awful virus. And, yes, that doesn’t make sense.

I’ve been a squeaky wheel about Covid on my Facebook page. I don’t want anyone to go through what I’ve gone through.

What I didn’t do was tell most friends how badly it impacted me financially. Covid wiped out my savings far faster than I could have imagined.

Sadly, I now understand why people can’t get above the lowest rung in the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs. In the U.S., safety is a constant danger when basic food, shelter, heat, water, (sleep, and health) are at risk. There’s no way to rise above that level while those essentials in flux.

I’ve worked to overcome that anyway. I’m a fighter. Still, off-the-cliff stress affects everything – including Covid long haul recovery. I will keep fighting.

A couple of childhood friends helped me financially while I worked to qualify for Covid Rental Assistance. I had no clue how to deal with local government agencies. And I had Covid brain fog with energy to do no more than wave gently at the generations of dust bunnies in my living room.

I finally qualified for the program at the full number of months.

Having my rent handled allowed me to rise above the bottom survival layer. I got a freelance contract and got off of rental assistance. I struggled because my medical costs were so high, but I survived. That was wonderful while it lasted but, like most freelance work, my contract ended.

Local friends stepped up again to help me bridge the rent gap so I could get back on Covid Rental Assistance in Spring 2023. I still qualified for 8 more months of assistance.

I was not 100% well but I was more recovered, so in the next 4 months I began looking for work in my field. Ironically, that was when layoffs ramped up. I also began looking for more affordable housing. My plan was for my 8 months of rental assistance to help me get my professional ducks in a row, figure out how to survive long-term, downsize, and find a small place to live that I could afford.

What Happened? Why Aren’t You on Covid Rental Assistance Now?



Short answer = I am.

The program temporarily ran out of funding in July but got it back in mid-September.

The details: The expected September grant funding was delayed, but the County received funding on 9/15/2023. I was put “at the top of” the list to receive my last 4 months of Covid Rental Assistance. I was told “I’m sending your file to a caseworker today, who will reach out to you very quickly.” It felt like a weight lifted off of my chest.

Then, crickets. I phoned back on 9/25 because I knew my rent was due in a week and I was anxious. Let’s just say the man who answered the phone should never work with the public anywhere.

I pulled up my big girl pants and phoned back on 9/26. Thankfully, I got a nice person who explained that I had been assigned a caseworker, I will get 4 more months, no one is going to punish me for being a Covid long hauler or for needing assistance. She also said the funding process was moving slowly so it might be early October before I’m able to submit my forms for the auditors to sign off on.

Since that last phone call, I added up the few bucks I’ve made from selling things on Facebook Marketplace this month – nope, it was still less than $100. I contacted United Way and area charities again – only to learn none would get last-minute October rental funds.

On 9/27, I pulled up my big girl pants again and talked to a Facebook friend (thanks, Heather) about emergency fundraising. I had to give myself a really long pep talk because I wanted to crawl into a crack in the floor. Have I mentioned that it’s hard for me to ask for help?

The Hard Facts of Life Right Now:

My social security check only pays for medications with a bit left for electricity, cellphone, internet, and a bit for my elderly pup Lucy’s food. I am on Snap, which pays for some food. I have assistance to help with Rx costs, but 90+% of the medications keeping me alive are non-Rx (but used to be Rx) and they are very costly. I would gladly trade the assistance for earned income. What I have right now is only bare-bones survival.

If You Help Me, How Will I Resolve My Ongoing Situation?

I am working on a number of plans simultaneously to positively resolve my situation, trying to cover as many possibilities as I can.

All require moving to a more affordable place to live as soon as my lease expires. Factors I have to take into account include that Covid has left me with limitations on the kind of climates my body can tolerate and that rents seem to be sky-high everywhere. Selling most of my belongings should help to give me more options.

I began selling some of my “stuff” on Facebook Marketplace in August. I’m listing regular “stuff” as well as vintage and higher-value items that research shows might sell there. I need to downsize because I have collected far too much “stuff” over the years. The need is critical for me to do that now. I’ve run out of time to become more physically able to handle it.

I’ve also researched and contacted estate sale companies over the last 2 months. I’m interviewing estate sale companies to sell my Craftsman furniture, antiques, original artwork, and vintage pieces of all kinds. Weeding out the “we take 60%” and the “if it doesn’t sell in a month, we get to keep it” predators has been an energy drain. Despite that, I’ve narrowed it down. And I’ve gotten permission to hold an estate sale here instead of having to pay to move everything to an estate company’s location.

An estate sale is a high priority because no matter where I move, I need to sell most of what I have. That said, estate sales are planned well in advance so a sale may not happen for a few more months. And it will happen.

I’m also working to get on the affordable housing list. You’d think that information was a top-security-clearance document given how hard it is to learn anything. I WILL find out how to do it, despite bureaucratic roadblocks because I know I qualify.

Last but not least, I have a strategic plan for getting work once I can sleep at night without the fear of being turned out onto the street (words I never thought I’d say) – but going into all of that would turn this into a full-length novel.

Thank You! Please donate if you can. Any amount will help me meet my rent.

I am extremely grateful for whatever you can give to help with this. And please share this if you think it will help.

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!