Help a Family Overcome Housing Hardships

Here’s the update ; We want to thank everyone who has donated as well as the people who gave personally, the money did go into my account yesterday I paid my sister Dianna back the money she put in our account to keep us from house insurance lapse, our electricity bill was over 300$ I got my part time pay check today but we are still waiting for our car we don’t know how much it’s going to be. Mech says it was water pump we think someone tried to steal the new battery I had just bought a month ago because the terminal wire was broke off, keeps us in prayers I know I’ve prayed more lately than I have ever that may not be a great thing to say but it’s honest. Bentlee and I went to the SS disability administration yesterday and the day previously, I was talked down to by the rudest worker I had ever come across I would have hoped he’d understand I’m fighting for my family here. Where to begin? I never thought I could end up here. My son and my dog and I lived in a small home of 5 rooms: a bathroom, kitchen, two bedrooms, and a living room. The house was built in 1895 and survived the flood of 1938. The foundation was cracked, so a constant sump pump kept the water at bay. First, we lost our sewage. My mother, God rest her soul, paid $3500 to dig up the entire yard and have it replaced, but we were ripped off! A pond of sewage water sat under our bathroom, causing the floor to rot and fall in. If this wasn’t enough, the ceiling leaked. Again, we paid good money to have a new roof put on. The roofers were better drinkers, so the roof continued to leak. When it rained, the water poured into our kitchen as if there wasn’t a roof at all. This is when the rats moved in. The rats ate the wiring and all the ductwork, so we no longer had heating. We called exterminators and got rid of the rodent problem, but the damage was done. The house was condemned. I sold my house of nearly 25 years, and it was torn down. We moved into another old house which had no sewer system at all. I was forced to take a part-time job to mediate the difference. I live on disability due to extreme bipolar issues and a bad back from lifting music gear alone for as many years as I can remember. My disability was around $900 a month. There was no way possible I could take care of my 13-year-old son on $900 plus dollars a month, but still, I didn’t ask for anything or anyone to help. I’m driving around in a 2007 Pacifica my mother gave me before she died.

A year goes by, we still have no sewage drain off, so our sewage waste is amounting in a ditch in our yard because we don’t have the money to remedy the waste problem due to lack of funds. Not to mention, there’s a giant tree in the alley which belongs to the CITY. Yes, there is irony! We move from a house with sewer issues and leaks, so we move to a house with sewer issues, and it too needs a roof. Ok, thanks to my tax refund and the city finally decided to remove their tree. We are now able to proceed. I pay the city $2,080.80 to put in a sewer tap and pay a friend to dig a trench to hook up our new sewer pipe. I did the work myself. One problem fixed. Somehow the government decides our fate. They suspended my disability. Without any warning, we now have no money coming in but the small part-time job which barely gives us $1,200 a month. My car breaks down. I paid $1200 parts and labor to fix it. I get my paycheck, it’s $595. I give it all to the repairman. I took a gig trying to scrape any extra money. I leave work to take a shower, load music gear, and head to the second job. I played for 4 1/2 hrs and made $150. With my equipment in the back, my car breaks down AGAIN just 5 days after paying every penny I have to repair it. The tow was $80, and I paid $50 more to buy oil and antifreeze, and I’m broke again. I have nowhere to turn. I’ve filed every paper, dotted every I, turned in every check stub trying to get my disability back to no avail. I keep borrowing money from my sister to keep my bank account in the black, but every time I look, it’s red…. House insurance coming out, phone bills, water bills, electricity bills. So, I don’t ask for much. I really need a car that runs. I want my son to have what he needs. He’s a great kid. I’ve been blessed. He doesn’t deserve this. He asked me for a burrito the other day, and I couldn’t afford it. It breaks my heart. As I reread this, I know it may sound unclear what my family really needs. First, we need to get a car that runs so I can get to work and get my son to his appointments. I need to get money back in my account so my house insurance doesn’t lapse. Anything anyone can do will help.