Elis's Journey

My name is Elis.

I live in Hartford, Connecticut, and have lived here for more than 40 years. For the past 36 years, I took care of my partner and roommate who was mentally disabled. Eight years ago, he was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

As you might expect, I was devastated by this news. However, I was told with proper medical treatment and medication he could have a survival time of 7 years or more. Less than two years later, he was diagnosed with dementia. I vowed I'd take care of him at home with me for as long as I was able. After falling down several times, I realized I could no longer safely care for him at home. With the greatest of reluctance and a deep sense of guilt, I took the heartbreaking step of placing him in a nursing facility. That was in February of last year. He passed 8 months later in October.

In addition to grieving the loss of my partner and on a more mundane level I was also keenly aware of the loss of nearly half my monthly income. As is the case with most, we lived on a two income monthly basis. Now there was just my income, my social security. Needless to say, it is not enough to cover my monthly household expenses: rent, utilities, etc. I need to close the gap between my monthly income and monthly expenses.

I am looking at a couple of possibilities: one is government subsidized housing and also a possible partnership with a close friend.

In the first case there is a waiting list for subsidized housing which can be as much as a year or two or even three years. In some cases, the waiting lists are so long no additional applications are being accepted for the time being.

In the second case the possible business venture would necessitate a vehicle, specifically, a van or station wagon. Even second hand, used would be pricey and alas, no money to cover that expense.

I am looking to raise enough money for a second hand vehicle and help close the gap in my current monthly income in the meantime.