Help! My landlord wants me out, now.
Donation protected
I’ve never done anything like this before. It’s often difficult for me to ask for help, so I’m trying to have faith and not sit in fear, panic, or despair. I am just putting this out into the universe and praying, with hope.
My landlord wants me to move out before the end of August and I don’t know what to do. I only have until August 5th to figure it out, which is why I am humbly seeking help from people I may never know.
I am a school secretary in a public school. Many people don’t know how woefully underpaid support positions are in public schools. It’s been an ongoing struggle the last few years to pay my rent and other expenses, literally living paycheck to paycheck, like so many others. My rent takes over 60% of my monthly earnings, even though it would be considered ‘affordable’ for where I live. Last year, an expensive car repair and some medical bills put me in a deep financial hole and I have not been able to get out since. There have been many months since that I have paid my rent late or in payments. My landlord has been very patient and understanding for a long time, but I think that has come to an end. I am hoping beyond all hope that I can convince her to let me stay and I desperately need help to do it.
If I can give her rent for this month and next, maybe it will give me a chance to find a second job, start building some savings again, and dig myself out of the precarious mess I’m in. I simply don’t have the resources to pack up and find another place to live right now, especially while trying to manage a full-time job that is enormously stressful in the midst of this pandemic.
I love where I live. It’s a fairly good neighborhood, close to work, and near family. I work hard to make it a comfortable home for myself and my two beloved cats, Molly & Seamus. I live very simply, so I don’t have any significant assets. My car is old and has nearly bare tires that I haven’t yet been able to replace and I worry that it needs some other expensive repairs. I have no savings of any kind, and I exhausted my meager retirement account during a year of unemployment when I lost my previous job. My family and friends have generously helped me in the past and just can’t do any more. And unfortunately, I am paid just enough to make me ineligible for most rent assistance programs.
I have plenty to be grateful for. Both of my parents are in their 80’s but still fairly healthy (though my dad is a two-time survivor of colon cancer). Our family is warm, loving and fun. There’s a small circle of dearest friends and a larger circle of people I care about & who care about me. My school family of students, parents, teachers, administrators and everyone else is an incredible community. I am healthy. My cats are my fur-babies & mean the world to me. I belong to a faith community that is incredible. My job is meaningful & fulfilling, with the ability to work effectively from home, as I have been doing since mid-March. And for now, I have a home that I love and don’t want to lose.
I strive to be a kind & gentle presence in this world. My goal every day is to be of service without recognition, though I am humbled when I receive it. Generally, I consider myself to be strong & resilient, though the COVID-19 crisis has revealed levels of anxiety I didn’t know I had. I’ve struggled with the isolation & loneliness. The separation from family & friends, from students & teammates, from my parish - it’s been grueling. I didn’t really take a summer ‘break’ & now I am officially back. We face enormous challenges preparing for this very strange school year; it’s overwhelming & this week has been especially exhausting. I am weary of waking every day under a cloud of uncertainty, even as I know I have to take it one day at a time.
Nothing tragic has happened to me. There are millions of people who are suffering right now, many whose situations are far, far worse than mine. Maybe that’s why I find this such a difficult ask. It’s hard not to feel selfish or to imply that it’s humiliating to ask for help. If I can get just enough assistance from generous, kind-hearted souls, I hope that I can stay in my home and maybe get some decent tires on my car. I know the gratitude I will feel from the tiniest donation will lift my heart & ease my fear. If you can help, you will be forever in my heart. Thank you so very much for listening.
My landlord wants me to move out before the end of August and I don’t know what to do. I only have until August 5th to figure it out, which is why I am humbly seeking help from people I may never know.
I am a school secretary in a public school. Many people don’t know how woefully underpaid support positions are in public schools. It’s been an ongoing struggle the last few years to pay my rent and other expenses, literally living paycheck to paycheck, like so many others. My rent takes over 60% of my monthly earnings, even though it would be considered ‘affordable’ for where I live. Last year, an expensive car repair and some medical bills put me in a deep financial hole and I have not been able to get out since. There have been many months since that I have paid my rent late or in payments. My landlord has been very patient and understanding for a long time, but I think that has come to an end. I am hoping beyond all hope that I can convince her to let me stay and I desperately need help to do it.
If I can give her rent for this month and next, maybe it will give me a chance to find a second job, start building some savings again, and dig myself out of the precarious mess I’m in. I simply don’t have the resources to pack up and find another place to live right now, especially while trying to manage a full-time job that is enormously stressful in the midst of this pandemic.
I love where I live. It’s a fairly good neighborhood, close to work, and near family. I work hard to make it a comfortable home for myself and my two beloved cats, Molly & Seamus. I live very simply, so I don’t have any significant assets. My car is old and has nearly bare tires that I haven’t yet been able to replace and I worry that it needs some other expensive repairs. I have no savings of any kind, and I exhausted my meager retirement account during a year of unemployment when I lost my previous job. My family and friends have generously helped me in the past and just can’t do any more. And unfortunately, I am paid just enough to make me ineligible for most rent assistance programs.
I have plenty to be grateful for. Both of my parents are in their 80’s but still fairly healthy (though my dad is a two-time survivor of colon cancer). Our family is warm, loving and fun. There’s a small circle of dearest friends and a larger circle of people I care about & who care about me. My school family of students, parents, teachers, administrators and everyone else is an incredible community. I am healthy. My cats are my fur-babies & mean the world to me. I belong to a faith community that is incredible. My job is meaningful & fulfilling, with the ability to work effectively from home, as I have been doing since mid-March. And for now, I have a home that I love and don’t want to lose.
I strive to be a kind & gentle presence in this world. My goal every day is to be of service without recognition, though I am humbled when I receive it. Generally, I consider myself to be strong & resilient, though the COVID-19 crisis has revealed levels of anxiety I didn’t know I had. I’ve struggled with the isolation & loneliness. The separation from family & friends, from students & teammates, from my parish - it’s been grueling. I didn’t really take a summer ‘break’ & now I am officially back. We face enormous challenges preparing for this very strange school year; it’s overwhelming & this week has been especially exhausting. I am weary of waking every day under a cloud of uncertainty, even as I know I have to take it one day at a time.
Nothing tragic has happened to me. There are millions of people who are suffering right now, many whose situations are far, far worse than mine. Maybe that’s why I find this such a difficult ask. It’s hard not to feel selfish or to imply that it’s humiliating to ask for help. If I can get just enough assistance from generous, kind-hearted souls, I hope that I can stay in my home and maybe get some decent tires on my car. I know the gratitude I will feel from the tiniest donation will lift my heart & ease my fear. If you can help, you will be forever in my heart. Thank you so very much for listening.
Organizer
Kathy Nemmers
Organizer
Englewood, CO