Help Alison reclaim home after Covid setbacks

Summary: My house was trashed, animals were neglected, property damaged and cluttered by irresponsible persons and I’m left picking up the pieces.

 
Sorry for the gross pictures, but this is what happened. I was letting a friend live in my home at cost. Just pay what is cost, no problem. Then it became a problem. Early 2020, he stopped paying and started making excuses. He or his GF (whom I never said could live there) put cat litter down the drain to ruin the septic. Then said they didn't need to pay rent because the plumbing wouldn't work.



They changed the locks, would not allow me access and would not let me fix the problem. Before I could successfully act with legal counsel, Covid came along. I hired an Attorney, but they said we couldn't do anything due to the eviction moratorium. They would not help me. 



Months go by and I'm having to pay for two households, which I cannot afford, so I just go into more debt. All the utilities were also in my name. I attempt to 'scare' them out by putting the house on the market and a realtor and I go to look at the property. He was given notice, but still did not allow access to the inside on two occasions. That was also when I first began to notice how trashed the property was becoming. My attorney continued to say I could not do anything. I felt like I was being abused by the government and by people. Like no one cared, no one could help and others were legally allowed to steal and trash my property and I could do nothing about it.  I had to keep paying all the bills. My stress increased and my physical and mental health were declining. I started medication and gained a lot of weight and had to just sit back and take the abuse.




Early December it finally hit a transition. This friend contacted me late on a Sunday evening that he was "dying" or felt like it because he was dope sick. I finally got confirmation of the drug use suspected all along. His GF left, and he had no car. Within in a year of 2020, this person lost his good job, lost his cars, stopped paying for his housing, trashed my housing and became addicted to all kinds of drugs. But that is his story. A story that greatly and negatively affected my story. 


I drove out to the house that evening to try and help him. That is when I first gained access to the home and saw the absolute horror that was really happening. Four dogs were in cages and two cats were abandoned in a cluttered filled loft. He said he had no dog food at the time and was throwing bread slices in the dog crates. The smell and the mess was horrible. The animals appeared okay enough for the moment and I tended to him, taking him to the ER. 




Over the next week I started missing days of work, trying to get him into treatment, tending to the house and animal situation. I brought over pet food, made sure the dogs got to go outside. I made numerous phone calls about the animals and by the next weekend I successfully had them all removed and rehomed thanks to some very loving people. It was only once all the animals received medical attention did we know how bad that was. Flea ridden, flea born diseases, scabs and crates that were filled with urine, feces, caked up vomit, old food and who knows what else. I am only posting a photo of the cat that is now part of my family for the safety of the other animals involved.  I had to deal with some threats after the animal removal. I am happy to say they are all doing well in loving homes with no long term problems from the temporary neglect of their past.



I continued to work with my friend to get him into treatment over the rest of December. He would decline and be difficult. I was in contact with his parents and we had a plan to relocate him to back to their residence. We contacted several treatment agencies and were just waiting for him to let us help. Finally on the day of December 28th, I caught him at the right moment of weakness and he let me pick him up. I contacted his parents who lived 2.5 hours away and agreed to meet at a halfway point. Late in the dark evening on December 28th, we made the exchange. He was hopefully on his way to getting better, and I on my way to reclaiming my property.



For the past 2.5 months under the snow, I have been working on cleaning the place up. Removing items to thrift stores and taking many large construction bags of trash to the dump. It has been tiring, emotionally and physically. It has cost me many days in missed work and the extra expense of continuing to pay for two residences. I have been working toward moving back in, but needed to get the place suitable first.




There is still work to do over the next few weeks and only now have I decided to ask for help from the larger community. Anything at all would help me recovery financially and emotionally from this trauma. To believe in people again. To not be the victim of the larger society and government sanctions that got me here.




Any contributions would go towards:

1. The cost of the dumpster for throwing out the rest of the trash $1k
2. Reclaiming the many weeks of lost wages when I took days off to clean and help ~ $8k
3. The plumbing repairs ~ 1-2k
4. Property and land repairs and maintenance ~ $1-2k
5. Replacing the urine and feces contaminated carpet where the abandoned cats lived .... I haven't estimated this yet.
6. Replacing all the area rugs and carpet ~ $1-2k. 
7. Fixing the leaking roof

So much more. The few things that helped me survive this far was deferment of my student loans, which freed up $650 a month. That will change in September though when I have to start paying again. 

Absolutely anything will help. $20 can be a new front door rug, or can of paint. $100 can pay an electric bill. It all adds up and the gratefulness in my heart might even be more I could bear. I've never really asked for help before. It is hard to do. I always just fought silent battles with enough optimism and hard work for everything to almost be okay. I fear I’ve used the last drop of optimism and hope in me and so I’m asking if any of you have some to spare.

I have recoiled so much this past year, believing in nothing but sadness and irk. I want to believe again. To feel open hearted and part of society. I want to cry with joy instead of despair. I want feel love flow towards, in and around me as a message I am worthy of more. My entire soul and spirit was trashed when my house was trashed. It may as well have occurred all over my flesh. The few friends that have come to help me always say, "I don't know how someone could do this to someone else." This wasn't just property and home, it was me. A big part of me. 

 Some Pictures of before:



I am reclaiming this now and will be forever grateful for whomever can show support while I get this part of my life back. This message goes out to the universe to ask, “Am I worthy?”, “Do I matter?”, “Am I just an overflowing box of cat litter?”.




Just observe. There is no good sensation, there is no bad sensation. Just observe. Everything is temporary. Everything rises and falls



Thank you to the Universe and the Vipassana Equanimity which has helped me survive this far.



Thank you for reading my story.

Thank you for anything you do whether it is monetary and tangible as the capitalist society dictates or you help foster a better word your own way.

May all Be Happy! May all Be Healthy! May all know Peace!