Help Toronto Comrade Avoid Homelessness

Hi, I’m Melody Anne! I’m a 28 year-old disabled non-binary person who is currently at risk of homelessness. Until very recently I had been left in the dark about the financial problems in my household--I knew we were behind on rent, but not how much, and just assumed it was a few hundred dollars and we’d be able to catch up with ease. It turns out my assumption, however, was incorrect: we instead owe around 4K, on top of our ongoing monthly rent. Having this information dropped on me was a stressful enough event already, but to make matters worse, our landlord has communicated that he will finally begin filing for eviction if we do not pay in full the amount owing, as well as our ongoing rent.

I feel very helpless in the matter, as what I receive from ODSP (Ontario Disability Support Program) is barely enough to live on after I pay rent, and while I’ve been looking for work to help supplement my “income,” I haven’t had much luck during COVID. My work options are also unfortunately limited due to my disabilities; CVS (Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome) episodes leave me out of commission for days on end, and even with my best efforts I’m usually unable to stop an episode before it happens. Hypothyroidism often leaves me feeling fatigued, and with limited energy throughout the day I struggle to go throughout my day as one normally would, with most of said energy going towards the upkeep of the house (cleaning, organizing, pet care, keeping mental stock of what we do/do not have, etc.) which I am solely responsible for. We house many animals - 5 cats and two dogs - and that's a concern for me because if we lose this house, what will happen to them? I also have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and while I can usually do a good job of managing it with the help of medication, recent events have unfortunately led to me spiral into an anxiety induced depression--overall my mental & physical health has been declining over the pandemic, and are at an all time low. 



My roommates are also not in a position to help, between the pressures of school and dealing with addiction, their minds are focused elsewhere and they are also at their limit. The pandemic has been rough on us all, and it almost feels like we’re all backsliding on whatever progress we’ve made in our lives. Our landlord is not a very understanding person, and while we’ve tried to communicate this to him it seems to fall on deaf ears; his only concern is the money, and while we’ve tried to create a payment plan with him it seems it is too little too late. We want to be good tenants and pay our rent, however paying such a large amount in the short amount of time we’ve been given is completely out of the realm of possibility. 



Being behind on rent and having so little time to catch up has left me feeling hopeless--I’ve experienced homelessness before as a young teen, and the threat of being back in that situation, and losing what little security I have is terrifying to me. Reaching out for help, especially monetary help, is very difficult for me as someone who’s been alone most of their life, and told that that sort of thing would make me “weak,” but any support you could provide would mean the world to me. Any money raised will go towards paying off what we owe, and ensuring we can pay our rent going forward without issue, which would give me the breathing room I need to continue my search for work, and put my mind at ease a little. Even if you can’t help financially, just sharing this page to your social media would be amazing, and I couldn’t thank you enough. Any help I receive is a blessing that I hope to give back ten-fold one day.