Keeping My Home While Building My Future

I've called the Groton, Connecticut area home since 2007. It's where my family is, where my closest friends are, and where I'm working hard to build something sustainable — and right now, I need a little help to stay here.

I work two jobs while finishing a CS50 coding certification, adding to nearly 20 years of experience in graphic design, audio engineering, and content creation. I'm not looking for a handout — I'm looking for a bridge while I work toward something stable and long-term. The kind of job I can actually grow with and eventually retire from.

Like a lot of people, circumstances caught up with me. From the fall of 2024 through the spring and summer of 2025, I struggled with debilitating migraine headaches before finally finding a treatment that worked. Nearly a year of that took a serious toll — on my health, my ability to work consistently, and my finances. Just as I was getting back on my feet, a month of respiratory illness reduced my hours again at a critical time, and I fell behind on rent.

Both of my current jobs are retail positions with hours that fluctuate week to week depending on availability — making consistent income planning genuinely difficult. Freelance creative work that once supplemented my income has dried up, leaving me with little cushion when hours are reduced or health gets in the way.

Since December I've been honoring a court-ordered repayment arrangement — $988 due on the 25th of every month on top of my regular rent of $1530 due on the 10th — and that continues through October. I've kept up as best I can, but the health setbacks and reduced hours have finally caught up with me. I cannot meet the May 25th deadline of $988 without help, and June's combined obligations of $2518 feel impossibly out of reach right now.

I realize that with the current economic situation, everyone is feeling a squeeze. I'm not asking lightly, and I understand if you're stretched too. I just want to keep a roof over my head — and keep building toward something better.

I'm not lazy. I show up. I'm learning. I'm building.

I've exhausted every avenue available to me — social services, assistance programs, payment arrangements for utilities, and every resource I've been able to find. This is genuinely my last option, and I don't ask lightly.

My cat Lucky Starr keeps me grounded through all of it. She's named after my mother. We found each other when we both needed it most, and I'm determined to keep us both housed.

Anything helps. Sharing helps just as much as donating.

Thank you for reading.