Help Courtney Secure a Home for Her and Her Son

Hi everyone,

It's incredibly hard for me to ask for help, but I’m in a desperate situation. My son and I will be homeless again starting 9/1/24 if I can’t secure a better paying job by 8/19. We became homeless at the beginning of April unexpectedly, and lived in Airbnb’s and hotels for most of April and part of May until I was able to find a short term room for rent in someone’s house. The deal was I could stay until 9/1, thinking it would be easy to find a new job that pays me enough to afford the cost of living as a solo mom to an autistic child doing this completely alone. Boy was I wrong. I have no help and no support, it’s just me doing it all and I am so overwhelmed. This job search has been keeping me up at night and I am struggling. But most importantly: my son deserves consistency again. He was ripped out of the only home he knew, school, therapies, from friends. It’s bad enough when this happens to an adult, imagine this happening to an autistic child who thrives off of routines and structures. He has been regressing in behaviors and having nightmares. He frequently wakes up in the middle of the night crying and telling me he has a dream that he was in a dark house and couldn’t find me. It breaks my heart to know he’s struggling so hard with this. I need to find us a place to live and give him consistency back.

I might have some contract work starting on 8/12, but it’s not guaranteed and could end anytime without warning. Alongside some freelance work, this could help buy enough time to secure a place for me and my son by 9/1 while I look for a stable job that pays enough to cover rent and bills on one salary.

Here's my situation: I’m overwhelmed with credit card debt from the past few months. I went from having a $0 balance on both my cards in March to them being maxed out by August. A large portion of this debt is due to childcare and living expenses. When we became homeless in early April, we stayed in Airbnbs and hotels, which I had to pay for using Klarna and Affirm plans because I couldn’t afford them upfront. This has resulted in an extra $850 a month in payments ($650 to Affirm and $200 to Klarna) on top of my other bills. My Discover card now costs me $250 a month, and Amex is $100 a month.

I almost have enough saved for the first month, a month-and-a-half security deposit, and a broker fee (which is an additional months rent that landlords require tenants to pay in NJ). I’m hoping I can find a studio or 1 bedroom under $2200, and even then that’s a lot more than I can afford with other expenses. I’m asking for help to make sure I can secure a deposit for an apartment, which will cover us for September’s rent. Then, I need to pay down my monthly Affirm and Klarna charges, and lastly, reduce my credit card minimums.

I’m swallowing my pride and asking for help because I can’t file for bankruptcy; I need to keep a credit card for emergencies and to have a landlord approve me for an apartment. My credit score has taken a huge hit, and most landlords require a score of 730 or higher. I’m scared that my son might be taken away if we end up homeless again in September, and I can’t continue to afford Airbnbs. My son deserves to be in school and get his autism services, which I want for him more than anything.

If you can help, even with $1, it would mean the world to us. I’m including my Venmo and CashApp accounts as well. I’m also sharing an Amazon wishlist with items for my son, like his PediaSure Grow & Gain shakes, diapers, mac and cheese cups, Cheez-Its, and his shampoo/body soap. These are things he loves and needs that I can’t afford often. His shakes are a necessity because he has feeding issues, which he was in feeding therapy for up until we became homeless. Because I can’t afford them anymore, I’ve been rationing his portions and only allowing him 2 shakes a day morning and night. This is resulting in him crying all day for shakes because he’s hungry and refusing other food I provide him more than half of the time. I hate that I can’t afford to give my son what he needs.

If you prefer to contribute items instead of money, this would also be greatly appreciated.

I’d like to make sure every person who donates leaves me a way to contact them because I want to pay you all back once we’re back on our feet. Thank you for considering helping us during this challenging time.

Venmo: @courtneyleighx3

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/27YGBVG6ZGCO1

Warm regards,

Courtney