Family in Crisis with 3 children

Neighbors, Family, and Friends,
   

 We are a family of five who became homeless November 1st of 2019. We have three children 5,8, and 15. They are amazing children and have been extremely flexible and understanding throughout this difficult time. They have been extremely resilient.
Our family had fallen on hard times starting early
summer. My husband is insulin dependent and has been in and out of the hospital frequently. He also
is suffering from a work injury which happened in May of 2018 at work. He has worked at the same
employer for the last nineteen years. He has a full
shoulder tear and is scheduled to have surgery in
April. We have been back and forth to court since August of 2018 due to loss of wages alone. Each
time the case is continued. It is also extremely
 challenging due to the increase in cost of the
medicine he is required to take multiple times a
day.

As for myself I was working three jobs to make
enough to support my family. One of the jobs I
currently have is at a local charter school working as a learning partner who specializes in behavioral support. I also currently work at Amazon where I work in the warehouse multiple times a week overnight. I was also working as a direct support
professional for a local agency but lost that job
because of my extended hours at the school. I had been working that job since February of 2015. 
As many of my close family and friends know I am
responsible for the ongoing medical and financial
care of my mother who is extremely ill. My mother suffers from a brain injury that happened back in
2015. My mother relies on a feeding tube to
provide her with the necessary nourishment she
requires. Many times she forgets why she has the
feeding tube and decides to pull it out. She is then
sent to the hospital to have it replaced.  While
away in the hospital I am required to pay the bed
hold so she can return to the nursing home upon
discharge. The bed hold fee is $280 a day and mustbe paid before she can return to the nursing home. I have been the one to cover this expense. This fee can add up quickly depending how often it
happens. Sometimes it’s weekly at times it can be monthly. 

We lost our apartment of 7 years on November 1st. Back in July we had made a payment arrangement with the complex where we lived but due to the money order being short $1 they refused to take it. I do believe it was also due to the fact I had reported them to the state for failing to remove the mold
that  was on the air vents that was making my
children sick. They decided to take us to eviction
court. We were represented by RI Legal Aide but
the only agreement we both could come to was
that we be granted a move out date of October 31st. We were still required to pay every month of
rent for the months July through October in order to remain in the apartment. There were also
additional court costs added in. We even had to forfeit our deposit to any damages. In addition they
are still claiming we owe $245 for carpet removal and will not provide us with a dismissal letter until they receive that amount. 

We moved our family into a hotel on November
1st. The hotel is very costly and averages to $110 aday. Because we have been here for several
months it was reduced to $98 a day. We chose this type of hotel due to it having a full kitchen so we
can prepare meals and not eat out. Unfortunately most of the money I make goes directly to the
hotel and we are usually left over with just enough for groceries and gas. 
The Sunday before Martin Luther King Day around11pm we noticed our car was missing from the parking lot at the hotel. This was due in part to a
problem with the DMV and the insurance had not
reported correctly. The gentleman who towed the vehicle happened to be checking plates that
evening. The place that the car was taken charges a $30 a day fee as well as the tow. We also have
not been able to fetch any of the belongings
because they charge $55 to remove any
belongings from the car. 

When we moved into the hotel our belongings had to be moved into a storage unit. We only could
take one suitcase a piece due to the hotel being so small. We were very lucky because the storage
facility was running a promotion and the first
month was free. We paid the month of December with no hassle and I was told I had until January 27th to pay the next bill for the unit. On January 27
th I called the facility to make payment and they
informed me they had in fact auctioned off our
unit Friday the 24th. We never received anything
in the mail and I had only missed one call from
them which was after the unit was sold. There
were some emails but they were located in my
husbands email which he spent a lot of the time in the hospital and wasn’t checking frequently. Even
though I am absolutely positive that they broke
policy there was nothing they could do to help me or to contact the person who purchased it. When I finally got home that evening I posted to every
auction website I could think of hoping the person who purchased the unit would reach out to me.
Everything we had owned was located in the unit. With the help of a man who was in attendance that day and also God I was able to track him down. He also happens to be a vendor for the facility and
works closely with them. He also owns a second
hand store in Rehoboth,MA. He told me he would
sell me our belongings back for $1200.00. For the belongings he has already removed he is willing to charge me an additional $2000.00. The man
purchased the unit at auction for $275.00. I of
coarse explained my families situation he
explained that was the best he could do. 

We have contacted many local agencies that have
funding for families but due to the many jobs I
have my income makes us ineligible. They cannot
take into consideration the bills that are being paid out. Also most of these agencies are a first come
first serve and only offer part of the funding. It
makes it very challenging. 
Our oldest daughter attends LaSalle Academy and when they learned of our families situation they decided to help assist us with her tuition as well as a monetary amount toward the hotel. We were
blessed by this and truly grateful. 

We are asking for help for the following:
1. $3,000 for first months rent and security
deposit 
2. $1200 to buy our belongings back just the ones
left in the storage unit
3.$245 to pay the previous Landlord so that they
can provide us with a dismissal letter
4. $55 to fetch our belongings from the car just
until we can save enough to get the car out 
5. $500 to put towards the balance at the hotel, we recently paid $1500 towards the balance 

We have been trying our best to keep going
despite the odds. We gave no additional support
from the government due to me working multiple
jobs. I want you to know that it was extremely
difficult for me to ask for help. Things just kept
getting worse and it has seemed hopeless. I want
you
to know how appreciative for any help in any way. I thank you in advance for your generosity as our
family  goes through this difficult time. 

With Many Thanks,
The Sabala Family