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A hand up for the down & out

This is a difficult story to tell. Mostly because most folks seem unable or unwilling to believe it. I know I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around it, and it's about my life and how it suddenly fell to pieces. 

After losing a great position at work and losing my wonderful apartment on the exact same day in the fall of 2015, I began a 20-month long journey of couch surfing and trying desperately to re-establish myself in the professional workforce.

During this time, my depression hit an all-time low that almost ended my life. In early 2016, with the help of a dear friend, I finally began to receive some much-needed help from mental health professionals. A few months later, I was officially diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (severe, non-psychotic, recurring), Borderline Personality Disorder, and Bipolar Disorder; certainly not the best news but the diagnosis offered some clarity into my my continuing struggles with functioning successfully in everyday life.  

During this time, I have been recieving guidance on a regular basis from both a State-appointed psychiatrist and a psychologist, made possible through the assistance of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and Medicaid.  The guidance I've received from both these professionals has been helpful, but remains an ongoing battle to regain some sense of normalcy in my life as I've learned that these disorders will never simply correct themselves; they can only be managed through medication and the regular practice of something known as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. 

So I've fought valiantly to stay on top of therapy and my anti-depressant medications, with the ultimate reward finally becoming a reality for me: I was offered a good job and, as a result, I was able to rent a place of my own to call home.

On May 31 of this year, I moved into my new apartment in the city, and began what promised to be a great job on June 1st.  All seemed to be going perfectly until on June 15, the Managing Director who had hired me informed me that she had "made a mistake" and that I was "not a good fit" for the organization, and I was terminated that day.  

Every day since then has been an uphill battle to secure a new means of employment, and every job for which I applied - from fast food to middle management - expressed no interest in hiring me. As I'm on a month-to-month agreement, my landlord made it abundantly clear that if the rent wasn't paid in full and on time by the first of each month, I would have to leave immediately.

I've exhausted all my resources for even a temporary place to stay, and only through the kindness of a dear friend and kind man, was I able to pay the rent for the month of August.  I was certain that I would have a job squared away by now, and it still might be the case. But even if I were to start a new job tomorrow, there's no way I will be able to make rent by September 1st, and will be forced to find my way on Denver's streets, a prospect that I simply cannot fathom particularly after all that I've managed to survive.

So it's with a very heavy heart and an intense sense of shame that I turn to you all as a last-ditch effort to maintain a foothold in what promised to be the beginning of a new life for me. I want so much to promise each of you that I'll have everything under control if I can just receive a hand up for this upcoming month in the form of September's rent, funds to turn my phone service back on, and a little extra to keep some other bills paid and food in my stomach (although I am receiving food assiatnce benefits, the State won't pay out until after Labor Day). 

The  breakdown of critical needs looks like this, and the rent portion would need to be in my landlord's hand by September 1, 2017 at the latest:

Rent:      $680.00 (goes directly to my landlord)
Phone:   $43.00 (goes to Verizon Wireless)
Public transportation: $49.00 (goes to RTD Denver)

Total critical costs for Sepetmeber:  $772.00

I know this is a huge amount of money to be asking from anyone, and it causes me great shame to have to even ask this of anyone. But if I'm going down, I have to know that I've gone down swinging and exhausting every possible avenue of which I'm aware.

Your donation of any amount will:

* buy me more time to, hopefully, secure an honest means of employment

* allow me to remain in my own home, one which I'd fought so hard to attain

* keep me from becoming another statistic of our nation's growing homeless epidemic

This most humble request is only for one month of assistance. If I cannot make it on my own by the time October rolls around, then I don't feel worthy of having a place to live like a decent human being.

I cannot begin to express the proper degree of gratitude if you're able to help out in any way. If you cannot, I understand and would appreciate your best thoughts for me while I try to regain control of my situation. 

Thank you all for taking the time to read this and consider it.

I love you all.

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Donations 

  • Lauralyn Padglick
    • $20 
    • 7 yrs
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Organizer

Alex C. Dembicki
Organizer
Denver, CO

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