For almost a decade, I’ve called my vehicle home. My journey started in a Honda Accord, not by choice, but out of necessity. I went through a tough custody battle and nearly lost everything, but I stayed as positive as I could. Most weeks, I was broke right after payday, just scraping by to make visits to see my daughter. I’d sleep in the parking lot at work, then head in for my shift, and spend weekends with my daughter whenever I could. That went on for five years until I got some help and managed to rent a room for about a year. During those years, I paid off debt and rebuilt my credit, but living with unhappy people took a toll on me. I realized that if I could just lay flat in my car, I could make it work. So, I bought a Nissan NV200 and set off on a new chapter, making payments and living in the van for another five years. When COVID hit, everything changed. I was working on a farm, separated from my family, and lost the chance to visit my daughter. I felt completely alone. I drove across the country, working odd jobs and saving every penny, eventually selling my van and buying a Ram ProMaster high roof. I returned to California, hoping to be closer to my daughter, but life threw more obstacles my way. For the past three years, I’ve worked hard and paid child support, but my van—the only thing keeping me from homelessness—has started to break down. I just found out it has a panstare tick, and the repairs could cost thousands. I work every day and do my best, but I can’t save enough to cover this emergency. I’ve been sober for 20 years, and my life has been anything but ordinary. Maybe one day I’ll get out of vanlife, but for now, I need to keep my van running so I can keep working and hold onto hope that I’ll see my daughter again. I haven’t seen her in person since COVID started, and I only get to talk to her on Zoom. Getting through this repair will truly help me survive and keep moving forward. Thank you so much for reading my story and for any support you can give. Your help means the world to me.