Help Senior Couple Fix RV They Call Home

My name is Charity. I'm 64 and live in an older RV with 3 older cats (17, 16, 15) and my 58 yr old disabled husband. (And the little tortie we brought in from the cold.) We're currently in a very small RV park next to the refineries and port of Long Beach. We pay $1100 a month to basically be able to park there and hook up to electric and water. It's safer than being on the street but not by much. It's a very rough neighborhood and 30 miles from where I work.

My paycheck is barely enough for rent so any little thing messes us up. My meds (I'm a stroke survivor), the car insurance getting raised $40/month, needing work clothes because my car was broken into and my laundry stolen, the window in the door of the RV breaking. We have a bunch of things that need fixing but don't have the funds for them. The car window is broken (that's how they broke in) and it needs to be serviced. We've had it a year and haven't had the money to get the oil changed. The window in the RV door fell out, the frame is brittle from the sun, so it needs fixing as it lets in cold air and we and the cats have all been sick. The heater in the RV doesnt work. Neither does the fridge and stove and AC. We'd like to fix the door window before one of us gets seriously ill.

It's a struggle for us not being able to cook, not being able to get warm on cold winter nights. I have severe arthritis and need knee replacements. I don't walk very well and am in constant pain. I cannot afford to be on disability and have surgery. Disability is far less than my paycheck. Discovered that when I went into renal failure Thanksgiving 2023 and needed 3 surgeries to remove all the stones filling my kidneys. Work put me on disability and we had no money for a month. We're still recovering from that and having our car totaled Oct 2023. That left us with only $1000 toward another car so the payment is high and the car is almost 20 yrs old. We're struggling severely. Every time something happens we become less and less stable, one emergency from being on the street.

It's been very rough. We just want to fix a few things on the RV and car and pay some bills without stressing. I've already wiped out my 401K trying to keep us off the street over the past few years. The RV won't start and needs a new battery, the windows in both car and RV, I need to replace the clothes and shoes stolen out of my car, and having one hot meal with vegetables instead of fast food tacos or burgers would be amazing. I crave veggies all the time now that I am unable to cook.

• Please if anyone can help we would so appreciate it. We aren't asking for much because we know there are so many needy people and families. Our elder cats need meds but are otherwise doing okay. We just need a little help to fix things so we can get through the winter. Thank you so much.