TL;DR: My parents are unable to work due to health challenges, and we need help supporting them and keeping them housed.

My parents - Rick and Cindi - are in a desperate situation. After having several spinal injuries and resulting surgeries, my mom has been unable to work for years; it is difficult for her to even sit or stand. Near the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, my dad was laid off, and has since struggled to find or hold down a job, despite having been a very successful and esteemed employee in the past. We began to notice that he was having trouble with tasks that had once been simple, which interfered with his ability to work.

Three months ago, my dad saw a neurologist, and we received the heartbreaking diagnosis of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. While we are still looking into treatment options, we know that the prognosis is not good, and that there is little chance that he will be able to work again.

My parents are currently living off of Social Security, but it is not enough to cover their basic needs, including rent. My wife (Sarah) and I - who were just married in April 2022 - have been doing our best to support my parents through all of this. We have been looking for a new, lower-cost apartment for them, but over the past several months, we haven’t found anything that will work; so far, they have been too expensive and require too-high of a credit score and/or income. Additionally, all of the government/non-profit resources and restricted-income housing we have looked into either cannot offer help, or have waiting lists that are months or even years long.

For quite some time, in addition to doing research and checking out potential housing, I - and now my wife as well - have been aiding my parents with rent, bills, and other necessities, doing our best to prevent them from being evicted or losing the ability to make calls for housing, resources, or emergencies. However, we are now at the point where financially supporting my parents has gone from extremely difficult to impossible.

We are trying to be faithful, but we’re struggling to tread water. This is why we’ve turned to our friends on social media for help. We have received permission from my parents to do this, but we do ask that those who may communicate with them directly be very sensitive to their situation and the emotional turmoil that it has caused.

My wife and I pledge that all funds received will go first and foremost towards expenses related to housing, moving, utilities, and other necessities for my parents, and then - if there are sufficient funds - towards the debt that we have accrued from taking care of their rent and bills. Our hope is to get to a place where basic needs are met, no one is in danger of eviction, and my parents are in the best-possible position to find suitable housing. Also, rest assured that we have been and will continue to receive advice on how to navigate these challenges and be as responsible as we can be.

Thank you in advance to anyone who has the generosity and compassion to help us. Even if you cannot give much, we treasure every gift that we receive. We hope that, one day, we can give back and/or pay it forward.

Please direct any questions to me or my wife. We are keeping my mom in the loop, but don’t want her to be inundated with phone calls, messages, etc., especially during this particularly difficult time. However, if someone needs to speak with her directly, let us know, and we can connect you. We will make updates to this as needed.