Help John, Stephanie, & Honey Cat From Eviction

On October 11, 2021, John and Stephanie’s landlord did a drop-in visit. Stephanie and John were informed we would both be evicted if they cannot come up with $4,850.00 to pay balance in full, or face eviction by November 17, 2021.

 

As of November 3, 2021, John and Stephanie’s landlord has given them a last deadline of two weeks to resolve the balance or will proceed with eviction.

 

Overview:

John recently moved to New Orleans to pursue his Master of Social Work at Tulane University. Prior to moving to New Orleans, he spent the previous four (4) years working in San Francisco for the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, a Non-Profit that advocates for the homeless and most at-risk of being homeless. John worked diligently to support his clients, most of whom were formerly incarcerated and who struggled with mental health issues and/or addiction, with finding permanent housing. He now finds himself in the most difficult situation of his life, where John and his significant other, Stephanie, are on the cusp of being homeless, far away from family and friends.

 

While they have applied for New Orleans Rental-Assistance, this program is specifically geared towards assisting families who are suffering financial hardship solely based on the COVID-19 pandemic, which does not apply to John and Stephanie’s situation, being that the financial hardship was largely due to John’s mother’s multiple hospitalizations, the deep depression that John experienced as a result, and having to spend more time back in San Francisco, which ultimately resulted in not being enrolled for the summer semester, and therefore, not receiving financial-aid.

 

John's Emergency Situation and Timeline of Events (From John's Voice):

 

Due to personal, academic, and other factors outside my control, I am in need of help from our family and friends. Stephanie and I are asking for your support. We would be grateful for any amount of money you are willing to donate to help keep us and our Cat (Honey Cat) from eviction.

 

January 2021:

My car engine died, which ended up costing about $800 to replace the radiator, only for the car to die again the following week and being informed that the engine now has blown gaskets and would need a new engine. This is important to note because I was forced to keep a rental car for the duration of the time that they evacuated New Orleans after Hurricane Ida in August, since Stephanie and I were without power for 13 days, and the bill, as you can imagine, was exorbitant. We could not evacuate from our home, using our vehicle, which easily overheated and stalled.

 

March 2021:

I received phone calls from my mom and SF General Hospital a few days before my mom’s birthday. My mom informed me she had been hospitalized for acute heart failure and was told by the attending physicians and cardiologist, that she would've died, had she not been seen within 15 minutes.

 

My mom was hospitalized for 5 days that week. I came to San Francisco to visit on March 12th, and while here, she continued to be symptomatic, including swelling in her extremities, which was indicative of the swelling in her heart. I took her to a follow-up appointment with her PCP, and while there, it was observed that the swelling in her lower legs and was advised to bring her to the ER immediately.

 

My mom was admitted for the next four days and I remained in San Francisco for two more weeks until she was stable. I missed a significant time of school, and unsurprisingly, fell into a deep depression. This resulted in two incompletes for the semester, which I ultimately, could not finish to change, and resulted in my being placed on Academic Probation.

 

April 2021:

As my mom's health issues were still going on, not to mention the everyday fear of my parents getting assaulted in public, as many seniors of Asian and Pacific Islander descent, were especially targeted, I just could not focus and struggled with severe anxiety, not to mention the anxiety from knowing that I was slipping in school.

 

May 2021:

I was informed that I would not be able to register for the Summer semester, due to my grades in the Spring Semester, as they now would have to explore how they could revise my program in a way that would best allow me to earn my MSW within the required time frame. Also, they were concerned with how much time I had to miss, and they could not guarantee my Field Placement Supervisor that I would not miss anytime, and would be able to complete all the required hours.

 

May-Aug 2021:

I did not receive any Financial Aid-Disbursement, and was not able to cover rent during this time.

 

Aug 2021:

Aug 29th-Hurricane Ida makes landfall in NOLA

 

September 2021:

My Master Social Work Program was delayed due to major infrastructural damage in New Orleans, further delaying aid, but ultimately, would still not enable John to cover the past 3-months.

 

ALL DONATIONS WILL GO DIRECTLY TO JOHN AND STEPHANIE TO HELP COVER THE COST OF RENT TO PREVENT EVICTION