Hi, my name is Kaleb. I’m a current New Orleans resident. For those of you do know me and my story, I recently was able to fulfill one of my dreams of moving to New Orleans not to long ago. Recent events of Hurricane Ida have made an impact on me and my household that can leave my future here up to question. It left multiple holes in our ceiling as it tore off many shingles and let water come through, left extensive internal damage to the apartment throughout each room on the walls and ceilings, and for the time being regular leaks that we have to try to manage with buckets and bins when it rains. And we are awaiting blue tarp to come thru. The good news here is that we rent and all that will be covered and fixed through our landlord, hopefully sooner than later as resources are limited at this time with lots of evacuees, and some of the city still without power. All that aside, the reason for this fundraiser is it has been my dream to live here. I love this place, everything it stands for, and I have every intent to stay. We all know moving this far away can be expensive, and more importantly, I’m sure many of you know living paycheck to paycheck can be a challenge and takes some time to change. Especially after pouring your life savings into a big move like this recently and any disruption in $ can make a significant impact and leave you questioning what’s to come. For those of you know me, I’m a gig delivery worker and enjoy what I do. Hurricane Ida has shut down the market for that and has left me without work for well over a week now and counting. Word around town is that this could easily go on for another 2 weeks, which could put me at 2 to 3 weeks without an income, if not longer. Even when I return to work, it will be less lucrative for a little while as many homeowners and business owners have to assess and take care of damage and focus on rebuilding. We were able to get approved for some money from FEMA which will cover most of our rent. Forever grateful for that, but this still leaves the rest of the rent and plenty of other bills, and more bills to come shortly after in the next cycle. I don’t qualify for unemployment here to combine with FEMA as I haven’t been here long enough and made enough money. Please help someone just trying to live their dream, who was just getting on their feet but was pushed down a little, so they can get back up and continuing planting their roots in this amazing city if you can. I enjoy my little life I’ve started to build here with my lovely girlfriend, two dogs and friends/experiences I’m making along the way. The above amount being asked is a well thought out estimate of what would be needed to recover.  Every one needs a little helps sometimes, and I just need a little pushback, a little jolt to get me right back where I started just a short while ago and to continue living in the great city of New Orleans. 

This is unusual for me to do something like this and it’s definitely a step out of my comfort zone, I’ve been in tough spots before but this one makes the water look plenty dark and murky. Please be respectful. Again anything helps! And it’s beyond appreciated!!