Hey, I’m Patrick.

I’m 46, I’ve got kids I love more than anything, and in 4 days I’m going to be completely homeless in the middle of a Salt Lake City winter.

On top of that, I also need to have my gallbladder removed soon. It’s a pretty common surgery, but it still means at least a week or two where I can’t drive full-time or grind long hours in the car. Right now, I’m looking at recovering from abdominal surgery… in my front seat.

The last few years have been heavy: a rough divorce, a major mental health crash, and starting over from almost nothing. I live with ADHD and conditions like BPD and complex PTSD, and I’ve been doing the therapy/mental-health work to get more stable. Most of what I had went into staying afloat, getting help, and still trying to show up as a dad. I’m rebuilding, but this is one of the hardest chapters I’ve ever hit.

Right now I’m living out of my car and doing Uber/Lyft around SLC/Utah County to keep some money coming in. I’ve slept in my car before, so I know I can grit through it… but it’s a lot harder to:

when I’m freezing and exhausted every night.

What I’m working toward is simple:

I’m asking for a short runway through winter so I can stay warm, recover safely, keep working, and have a real shot at landing on my feet.

What the money would go toward

- A few weeks of cheap but safe housing. In the Salt Lake area, even budget motels or rooms add up fast. I’m estimating about $300/week for 3–4 weeks of the cheapest room/motel I can find, so I’m not sleeping in my car in the cold while I work, job hunt, and recover from surgery.

→ About $1,200 per month for 3 months

- Gas + basic food + phone

So I can keep driving for Uber/Lyft when I’m able, get to interviews, and keep my phone on.

→ About $500 for a month or so

- Move-in costs toward a small 2BR

Two-bedroom apartments around Salt Lake/Orem usually run around $1,400–$1,700+ a month. Most places want first month’s rent and a deposit.

I’m aiming to cover at least $2,000 of that from this GoFundMe and make up the rest from working.

→ About $2,000 toward deposit/first month

- co-working space to tackle my ADHD and executive function and apply to jobs non stop

- time freedom from Uber to actually get my freelance business back up and running, work on portfolio and example projects or apply to jobs

- persue business interests: podcasting and short videos, drone photography and surveys, karaoke DJ, digital agency, IFS therapy app for trauma to facilitate journaling with different parts of the psych. These are a few ideas...not all at once just the ideas I'm thinking on. I'll pick one and focus on it until I'm earning a sustainable wage.

- a few Christmas gifts for my kids and a place for us to stay for 3 days that I have them after Christmas.

- Food budget

I’m also looking into local programs, resources, and motel vouchers. This GoFundMe is meant to fill the gaps while I keep doing the work.

Work, health, and next steps

I’ve spent years working in tech (web/dev/WordPress and related stuff), and I’m actively applying for roles there while also staying open to any kind of work that pays the bills.

Right now I’m:

With gallbladder surgery coming up, I’m expecting at least a week or two where I can’t drive nearly as much. Having a safe, warm place to recover instead of a front seat would make a huge difference in how quickly I can get back to working and interviewing.

A bit of stability—somewhere warm to sleep, a place to shower and rest, and a safe spot to heal and manage my mental health—would give me the bandwidth to show up as my best self for my kids and for potential employers.

If this reaches someone who’s hiring, or who knows someone who is, I’d love to hear about job leads just as much as donations.

Who I am besides “the guy in the car”

A dad who wants his kids to be able to say,

“We’re going to Dad’s house,”

not “We’re meeting Dad wherever he’s parked.”

A tech/creative nerd who builds things, writes songs, and thinks up ideas while driving around Salt Lake with takeout in the backseat.

A human who’s been through a lot, is getting help, and honestly just wants a boring, peaceful, good life:

a roof, warmth, a bed, and a room where his kids can crash.

One of my longer-term goals, once I’m stable, is to go back to school and keep leveling up. First step is: don’t freeze, don’t break, and build a home base.

As a thank-you, I’d love to use my creativity too — updates, stories, maybe little custom songs/notes for supporters as I’m able.

How you can help

(money is one way, but not the only way)

If you’re able to donate, any amount helps stretch this runway.

If you can’t donate, sharing this is huge. Sometimes the right person sees it at the right time.

If you know of:

That kind of lead could change everything.

You can reach me through GoFundMe.

If you’ve ever wondered,

“Does my $10 or $20 really matter?” —

in this case, it’s the difference between sleeping in a warm room and shivering in a parking lot trying to DoorDash my feelings away, or trying to recover from surgery in a front seat.

Thank you for reading this and for even considering helping. I want to get to the part of the story where I’m stable, working a solid job again, and inviting my kids over to my place for pizza night instead of,

“Hey, let’s hang out in the car.”

Love,

Patrick