Help Steve Secure a Safe Home

My name is Steve Flato. I've experienced chronic housing instability my whole life. Especially over the past 10 years, things have gotten worse and worse as my health has declined. I've been homeless (not just houseless) numerous times for long stretches at a time, and I just can't go back to that.

I have been working towards a Social Security Disability case for the past four years to get some sort of support. I have severe mental illnesses, uncontrolled diabetes, and Crohn's disease that affects my ability to have a full-time job and compete in the national economy (which should make me eligible for Social Security Disability).

Six months ago, I asked for help when I was asked to leave my current residence after I'd been fired from my last job attempt. Thank you so much if you donated to that campaign. As a result, I was able to pay the security deposit on a new place and survive over the last six months. I managed to stave off the eviction for those six months by just refusing to leave. But now they want to take legal action and actually file the legal eviction papers July 1st. I can occupy my new space on August 1st. I'm hoping that I can figure something out for the month in between. I also have exhausted my unemployment from my last job attempt.

I need your help again. I am sorry to ask, but I don't know what to do while waiting for my disability decision. I had the hearing last Friday, and they said it'd take about 3 - 6 weeks for the decision. If I win my case, I'll be in a much better position. But I need to get through until then.

The money will be used to:

1. Pay first two months rent on the new place ($1000/mo x2)

2. Rent a U-Haul, turn on the internet, and move the electrical bill to my name (I'm estimating $200?)

3. Do a bare minimum of furnishing, buying toiletries, utensils, etc (I don't own anything like this since I've always lived in other people's places that were furnished) ($300)

4. Buy food and other miscellaneous expenses ($500 -- they're attempting to take my food stamps away so I'm not sure where I'll be with this).

That totals $3000. If I can raise that, I'll be okay in the short term. If I win my disability, I'll be okay in the long term. In the meanwhile, I have to figure out what I'll do if I don't win, but this money will help keep me afloat.

Thank you for your time and reading my story.

Steve Flato