Hi! Here I am at almost 50, starting my life over after divorce. I’ve been priced out of Portland and need to find a new place ASAP. I need enough space (2 bedrooms) so that my 3 kids will have a room when they are with me. I am autistic and have a chronic pain syndrome called hEDS (hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) and yet still work as much as my body will allow as a caregiver. I don’t make much money, but it’s an honest job that will never be replaced by AI.

I am going to have to get rid of my car because it’s electric and I cannot travel long distances in it, nor is it big enough to sleep in. The car payments are also killing me at $523/month. Im hoping Carmax will take it off my hands and I won’t owe much on it, but I have no idea. I’m planning on checking out Mesa, AZ, northwestern AZ, and parts of the California desert to see if it’s somewhere I could see myself living that would be a great second home for my kids. I need a van to travel and live in until I find my next residence. I need to be able to lie down flat in my vehicle as I survive houselessness. I need safety and security.

I have never asked for support from anyone in my life. Being in this awful marriage for so long, I isolated myself and lost connections I had in the past. I regret that. I am losing everything I’ve known for the last 27 years.

While I was stable, I grew and distributed thousands of pounds of organic fruits, vegetables, and herbs that were made into herbal medicines for my community and city at large. I housed 2 people who were in need of shelter at difficult times in their lives. I helped a young man get out of a cult and paid for his rehab and Amtrak ticket back to his family thousands of miles away. I gave $600 to another ex-cult member so he could travel and pay his bills. My autism causes me to have great empathy for people and also simultaneously be terrible at finances. I shouldn’t have given when I need two surgeries for torn ligaments/joint instability due to my EDS, and dental work (I have a tooth that needs to be pulled).

I do not have the means to do any of this on my own and I’m terrified and heartbroken and still grieving this divorce. I really need some time to figure things out, and I don’t have time without a van, which will be my temporary home. Why a van? Because RVs are way more expensive.

Would you consider helping me?

Right now I am seeking just enough support to secure a van (temporary home) and the tooth pulled. $8,000

I’m continuing to work, fighting back tears everyday, and saving. I’m feeling pretty lost and hopeless but I’m leaving it in the hands of god/universe and trying not to stress too much hoping I can lean on the kindness and generosity of others.

Thank you for reading this and for considering helping out a disabled mom put the pieces of her life back together after divorce

-Erica (or as some of you know me, Rica)