My name is Jill, and my dog and I are facing an urgent housing crisis in Denver, CO. We must vacate our rental home on July 31st to make way for new home construction, and we do not yet have a new home. Several obstacles threaten to prevent us from renting a new place: a low credit rating; outstanding rent owed to our current landlord; lack of funds; and Kaiser himself, my 6-year-old German Shepherd. Denver is a dog friendly city, but most rentals restrict size to small dogs only. Kaiser is my friend, companion and protector, and I cannot bear the thought of not being able to keep him with me. The reality is that without financial support, we are at serious risk of homelessness. If it comes to that, I will either have to return him to the rescue or have him euthanized because I will not subject him to being homeless. As a 56-year-old woman, I do not believe I would survive long without shelter. Multiple challenges and circumstances have led to this point in my life, including severe depression and anxiety. I do not use drugs, and I am sober. I have a master's degree, and I have a job.

Some people will react to my story with sympathy. Some will react with contempt and judgement. The opinions of others are out of my control, and I must believe within myself that I am worth saving or I will give up on life. If I do not ask for help, help will not come.

Many people are one adverse event away from disaster. In my case, several adverse events occurred in a relatively short period of time--job loss; unemployment; underemployment; loss of housing; lost wages; damaged credit rating; debt to landlord; loss of reliable transportation; a career change that has not worked out. I do not have the financial resources to recover. My Jeep blew a head gasket five weeks ago and needs a repaired or replaced motor. I owe my landlord $7,200 ($9,000 but he will keep the security deposit), and my credit rating has gone from “good” to “poor” because of unemployment. I am losing my job on August 13th (through no fault of my own). For the second time in a little over a year I am being displaced from my home for new construction. Even if I had the funds to pay the costs of moving and renting a new place, it is highly unlikely anyone would rent to me. I would need to be able to offer an additional deposit and/or additional monthly rent.

A career change several years ago has in great part led to the current crisis. I have been working as nanny for special needs kids since December 2018. Prior to becoming a nanny, I had a successful career in higher education, but after being laid off from my last two jobs in that field, I decided to make a change. My love of kids led me to pursue being a nanny. The wonderful and unexpected blessing is that from my first nanny job to my current one, I have cared for kids with special needs, including feeding tubes; autism spectrum disorder; hearing loss; developmental delays; and sensory processing disorder. I participated with them in a range of therapies, including physical, occupational, feeding/eating, speech, behavioral/emotional, and sensory processing, and I learned American Sign Language with one of them. I was with my first nanny kid four years, and he is a big part of my life. He is the one you see in the photos. He and Kaiser are best friends, so losing Kaiser would be major loss for him, too. It has been an amazing experience to care for the children I’ve worked with and support their families, but low pay, job instability, and lack of full-time jobs that pay a living wage have put me in a precarious situation financially.

The Timeline of Adverse Events is:

Mid-July 2024:

I left my nanny job because there was abuse and neglect in the home. The children and I were not safe, and I made a report to child protective services.

Mid-July 2024 to Early November 2024:

I was unemployed and applying to and interviewing for nanny positions and “survival” jobs, such as Target. I paid rent with savings and tax refunds.

November 9th, 2024 to January 3rd, 2025

I worked as a seasonal employee at a department store for less than $20 an hour. Beginning in November I was unable to pay rent.

January 3rd, 2025 to March 17th 2025

I was unemployed again and searching for jobs and was still unable to pay rent in full.

March 17th, 2025 to Present

I started a full-time nanny job March 17th. It has been a great experience except that we never made a contract that would have protected my wages with guaranteed hours, paid time off, and paid holidays. A contract was promised, and I requested periodically that we make one. The parents did not follow through. This resulted in two weeks of unpaid time in June and July due to family vacations. A few weeks ago, they reduced my hours from 37.5 to 32 without notice (they spend long weeks in the mountains, so they do not need a nanny on Fridays) and further reduced them to 24 beginning August 1st because the grandfather wants more time with the kids. The mom quit her job in April, and her recently retired parents want to help care for the kids. I was informed June 26th that my job would end August 13th. This is a major blow to my already dire financial situation.

Denver does have emergency rental assistance programs. However, they are by lottery because there are so many people who need assistance. Even if my application is selected in the lottery, assistance funds are limited and would not cover all the outstanding rent, moving costs, new home rental, and vehicle repairs.

If I do not receive any financial assistance and cannot find a new place to live as of July 31st, I plan to stay in an extended stay hotel that will allow me to have my dog. Without another job starting immediately after my last day in my current job, I will only have enough money for a week or two. Without reliable transportation (public transit is not considered reliable in Denver) getting a job is going to be challenging. The plan is not a reliable one. It’s a desperate hope to stay sheltered.

I desperately need the financial resources to:

• Have my Jeep’s motor repaired or replaced.

• Repay my landlord or at least pay some of what I owe.

• Pay security deposit, first month’s rent, additional deposit, and/or additional monthly rent to secure housing.

• Cover moving costs.

• Rent a storage unit in case I have nowhere to go. I will get rid of a lot of belongings, but I do not want to lose everything.

Your support will save me from losing my beloved Kaiser and being lost in the abyss of homelessness. For my part, I will be diligently applying for jobs; rebuilding my confidence to pursue professional positions in higher education and other sectors; and accepting any job offered that I could get to without a vehicle until I have a long-term position.

Many people in the world are suffering and need help. I am ashamed that I am in this situation, as if everything I have done in my life has been wrong. I am also sick with fear and despair. What hope exists has compelled me to ask for help.

Thank you for reading and for any help you can offer.