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TLDR; We're two LGBT people living on the poverty line, and getting help from this campaign to cover our car costs would greatly improve our quality of life, let us direct more funds to our other living expenses, and ensure that my disabled trans husband can still make it to his many doctor appointments. See below for images of some of our loan info.
Kelsey & Owen:
My household has done a lot of back-and-forth on whether to make this, but I think we're reaching the point of desperation. Sorry that this will be sort of long; it's a lot.
I am a 28-year-old bi woman married to a 28-year-old trans disabled man, and we're both mentally ill and living on the poverty line. This last year, like it has been for so many others, has been impossibly difficult. We were both out of work for more than half of 2020 due to the pandemic. Despite the lockdown, the bank that holds our car lease demanded we keep paying our monthly payments—about half my monthly salary every month, even when I wasn't working and didn't quality for unemployment benefits. The only way we kept our car during lockdown, our only means of getting necessities and getting my husband to doctor appointments, was through crowdfunding.
In the midst of all this, my husband was hospitalized because of his chronic ulcerative colitis. He underwent surgery in November 2020 to save his life and try to restore some of his quality of life. Even after surgery, he was needing to be taken to near-daily doctor appointments for medication and professional aftercare. Our car was the only reliable and affordable way to get him where he needed to be.
Our roommate has been the main breadwinner, and kept us all off the street, but now our landlord has raised our rent despite the apartment getting worse and worse. We were forced to sign another year-long lease to keep from paying extra money every month that we can't afford, but we're still paying more than when we moved in in 2019. I need to be able to contribute more to our living expenses.
We've paid off about half of the car's loan since we bought it in 2018, but our living expenses have only gone up while our salaries have diminished, despite our best efforts. My husband is currently unable to work due to his surgery and medication (which are immunosuppressants, thus making him an incredibly high risk during this pandemic). He is in the long, arduous process of applying for short-term disability aid until he can work again. I work retail at a job I love that's been great for my mental health, and currently feel unsafe seeking out a second job while the pandemic is still raging onwards.
See the image below for some of our loan information. Our goal is slightly over the current payoff amount to cover GFM's site fees.
Paying off our loan in lump sums will keep us from paying an extra $1k on the loan!
With your help: I will be able to contribute more to our monthly living expenses—especially as we try to save to move out of our too-small, too-damp apartment and into a house that will hopefully be safer and more stable. You will also help us better maintain our car, and keep it from getting repossessed. It will also allow us to properly prepare to (hopefully) free ourselves from renting this apartment sooner rather than later.
Every dollar we earn from this fundraiser will go towards paying off the rest of our car loan. Any extra funds earned will be used to take the car to a mechanic and get everything that isn't covered by our warranty working in tip-top shape.
Thank you to all who read, share, and donate what they can. We know there's so much grief and injustice in the world right now, and we are just a drop in the bucket. Your help and support will help us gain a little more security in this uncertain world. We're so grateful for what help we've been offered over the last terrifying year, and will never stop saying "thank you" to all those who've helped us keep our heads above water.
Thank you, thank you.
- Kelsey Johnson
Kelsey & Owen:
My household has done a lot of back-and-forth on whether to make this, but I think we're reaching the point of desperation. Sorry that this will be sort of long; it's a lot.
I am a 28-year-old bi woman married to a 28-year-old trans disabled man, and we're both mentally ill and living on the poverty line. This last year, like it has been for so many others, has been impossibly difficult. We were both out of work for more than half of 2020 due to the pandemic. Despite the lockdown, the bank that holds our car lease demanded we keep paying our monthly payments—about half my monthly salary every month, even when I wasn't working and didn't quality for unemployment benefits. The only way we kept our car during lockdown, our only means of getting necessities and getting my husband to doctor appointments, was through crowdfunding.
In the midst of all this, my husband was hospitalized because of his chronic ulcerative colitis. He underwent surgery in November 2020 to save his life and try to restore some of his quality of life. Even after surgery, he was needing to be taken to near-daily doctor appointments for medication and professional aftercare. Our car was the only reliable and affordable way to get him where he needed to be.
Our roommate has been the main breadwinner, and kept us all off the street, but now our landlord has raised our rent despite the apartment getting worse and worse. We were forced to sign another year-long lease to keep from paying extra money every month that we can't afford, but we're still paying more than when we moved in in 2019. I need to be able to contribute more to our living expenses.
We've paid off about half of the car's loan since we bought it in 2018, but our living expenses have only gone up while our salaries have diminished, despite our best efforts. My husband is currently unable to work due to his surgery and medication (which are immunosuppressants, thus making him an incredibly high risk during this pandemic). He is in the long, arduous process of applying for short-term disability aid until he can work again. I work retail at a job I love that's been great for my mental health, and currently feel unsafe seeking out a second job while the pandemic is still raging onwards.
See the image below for some of our loan information. Our goal is slightly over the current payoff amount to cover GFM's site fees.
Paying off our loan in lump sums will keep us from paying an extra $1k on the loan!
With your help: I will be able to contribute more to our monthly living expenses—especially as we try to save to move out of our too-small, too-damp apartment and into a house that will hopefully be safer and more stable. You will also help us better maintain our car, and keep it from getting repossessed. It will also allow us to properly prepare to (hopefully) free ourselves from renting this apartment sooner rather than later.
Every dollar we earn from this fundraiser will go towards paying off the rest of our car loan. Any extra funds earned will be used to take the car to a mechanic and get everything that isn't covered by our warranty working in tip-top shape.
Thank you to all who read, share, and donate what they can. We know there's so much grief and injustice in the world right now, and we are just a drop in the bucket. Your help and support will help us gain a little more security in this uncertain world. We're so grateful for what help we've been offered over the last terrifying year, and will never stop saying "thank you" to all those who've helped us keep our heads above water.
Thank you, thank you.
- Kelsey Johnson