Hi, I'm Rick Mercado, and we are getting evicted from our house that we have rented for 13 years. My spouse, Liz Edwards, and I have been together for 25 years and raised 3 daughters. We have had custody of our 13-year-old granddaughter since birth. I'm 68 years old and have been a handyman for 30 years, just making enough to support my family. I mostly worked with elderly women who are on fixed incomes and didn't charge a lot. Simple jobs that didn't take much time, I didn't charge for. I'm semi-retired now, only keeping customers that I've had for years. I can't really do all I used to do. I'm on social security and receive $1,700.00 a month. My problems, I guess, started a year and a half ago when my wife had health issues and couldn't work. We have depleted our savings trying to stay in our home where we raised our children. We have had two cars repossessed and have come to the point of getting evicted. We have asked for help from the government only to be told that my $1,700.00 a month doesn't qualify for any assistance. That includes food and housing. We have been looking for an apartment but are finding out we are undesirable renters because of my wife's credit score, and mine isn't that great either. The places that will accept us want 3 months' rent plus theirs, which I don't have right now and will leave us homeless. I am 2 weeks from becoming homeless along with my wife and 13-year-old granddaughter. We have nowhere else to go as both Liz's and my parents have passed away in the last 3 years. I have been a handy helper for a church, helping older people who couldn't afford to maintain their homes. I also donated my time at another church repairing cars for people who couldn't afford repairs. What I'm hoping for is a few kind people to assist us in helping get an apartment. As you can tell, I'm really not too good at asking for help and kind of embarrassed as I always considered myself self-sufficient. Thanks in advance.

Rick Mercado