My name is Samuel, and I've recently been hit with an obscene amount of financial trouble. I have lived in the MHK area for almost three years now, and it's been a blessing, but recently so many things have compounded at once and I'm in dire straits. I'm facing fines, losing my only method of transportation, and eviction, and I honestly don't think I will come out of this situation with any semblance of stability or structure without your help.

In July of this year I was pulled over for having illegal tags on my vehicle. These tags were illegal due to a notice of suspension on my Driver's License for not having properly registered and insured my vehicle in the State of Kansas. I was not aware of this until I was ordered to go to court for having illegal tags on my vehicle. The legal situation has been resolved, pending the fine of $348 that must be paid by December 31st and the consistent registration of a punitive charge being applied to my car insurance until July of 2025. Failure to pay this fine or uphold the punitive measures on my car insurance will result in a warrant being issued for my arrest. This is why I am asking for your help for this campaign.

As a result of the above situation, I was not allowed to drive my vehicle and was forced to adopt a punitive cost on top of my car insurance. Because I could not drive it for four months, parts of the electrical system of my car (namely the battery and starter) have degraded to the point of failure. I need to buy a new starter and battery for my vehicle, a cost estimated to be around $100-150 per part. I will also likely need new tires, as they have been completely deflated as a result of me being unable to top off the air in them and have been sitting flat for over a month as of writing. I have no idea how much that will cost, but past tires have cost me roughly $70 per tire, totaling to roughly $210. This is why I am asking for your help for this campaign.

Due to my vehicle being illegal to drive and eventually inoperable meant that I was unable to work outside of the range that I can walk to, and as a result I lost access to most of the temporary jobs that made up over half of my income, and I lost access to the plasma clinic where I was making supplemental income, as I cannot walk to that clinic and still donate plasma due to blood pressure issues. The only job I have been able to sustain is as a part time cashier. My monthly income from this cashier job is roughly $1100/mo. My rent and bills, including the punitive costs imposed on my car insurance (which is necessary to maintain as ordered by the state of KS) are $1390/mo. I am currently roughly $2500 behind on rent and unpaid bills. This is why I'm asking for your help for this campaign.

Due to all of my income going towards trying to pay off all of the above in order to keep a roof over my head, I have been unable to afford food that is not ramen and eggs. I have been blessed with toiletries from neighbors and spare groceries from family, but I have been eating poor and light for three months now. I also have two cats to feed, who require constant litter changes as well, and one of them has health complications that have had to go untreated as I cannot afford to go to the vet. They are also indoor-only cats and thus I have no idea what will happen to them if I lose my apartment. This is why I am asking for your help for this campaign.

I myself have various health complications that have gone untreated as well. I have two cavities that have been actively searing pain into my jaw and skull since May, and I believe that in November my wisdom teeth finally began compacting. I don't believe I need to explain how reliant I am on ibuprofen to simply function when the pain flares up and becomes untenable. I was saving money to go visit a dentist before I got pulled over in July, and those savings wound up going to rent to keep a roof over my head after I lost my primary source of income. In addition to this, I have had blood pressure readings in the neighborhood of 120/175 for this entire year, and I cannot afford to have bloodwork done, let alone take medication to manage this very clear hypertension. This is why I am asking for your help for this campaign.

I am praying that God will keep me through this storm. I trust that, whatever the outcome, I will survive this. However, I know that I will be homeless, wanted, and in ill health if I cannot recover from these financial issues. Moreover, my cats will not survive without me, and I cannot, will not, allow them to suffer because of my very human problems. I do not know what will become of me if I cannot recover from this and I admit, I'm terrified.

While I only ask that you help me pay my rent so I can stay in one place this winter, if I get more money than that I will spend it responsibly, with updates here.

Here is the plan:

I will pay off my rent and bills first. My cats need my apartment and I need them.

Next I will be paying off my fine and covering January's car insurance payment.

Then I will be buying everything necessary to fix my car.

Then I will be paying off January's rent and bills ahead of time.

Then I will be buying groceries and cat amenities.

Then I will be making contact with a dentist and arranging to fix my cavities.

Then I will be taking my cat to the vet to fix his hair and teeth issues.

Then I will be heading to a clinician to get bloodwork done.

Any money in excess of these costs will be spent on paying for my rent and bills and paying off my car insurance in advance. Again, I will post updates to this campaign as I meet these goals.

Any help you can provide is appreciated more than you can know. Prayer, donations, sharing this campaign, anything. Thank you so much.

God bless us, every one.

Samuel Sweat