I’m a single father trying to move my daughter and myself from South Carolina to California after years of loss, pain, and rebuilding.

We’ve come a long way, but we need help to make it the rest of the way home.

My name is Josh Allen, and for most of my life I’ve been building things — careers, creative projects, homes. But the past few years have been about something harder: rebuilding.

I live with cerebral palsy, degenerative disc disease, and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). These conditions bring constant pain, fatigue, and physical limits. Some days are manageable, others are spent just trying to make it through, but I keep going. My daughter is the reason I do.

A few years ago, we lost my wife, my daughter’s mother. Losing her changed everything. The house that once felt full of laughter and light now feels heavy with echoes. It is the place where she took her last breath, and though I have done everything I can to hold life together for my daughter, it is difficult to heal in the same space where everything stopped.

Every corner holds a memory — the sound of her voice, the sunlight on her favorite chair, the last day we spent together. We have stayed because it was what we could afford, and because part of me could not let go. But grief has lingered here for too long. It is time for both of us to have a home that feels alive again, a space where my daughter can grow without pain surrounding her, and where I can focus on being her dad instead of fighting ghosts.

Last year I was laid off from my job as a network engineer with Mile 18 IT Services after the small business could no longer afford to keep staff. I worked directly with the owner, and when the company’s finances collapsed, there was not enough left to sustain payroll. It was not anyone’s fault, just a difficult ending for something that had meant a lot to me.

In May 2025, I found new work with EBRYIT, repairing computers for Richland 1 and Anderson school districts. It is good, steady work, and I am grateful for it. It keeps us going day to day. But what I earn only covers rent, food, and the basics. There is nothing left to save, and no margin for something as big as starting over.

Earlier this year, I also lost my health insurance when Affordable Care Act subsidies changed and made my plan impossible to afford. Living with chronic pain and physical disabilities without coverage has been brutal. Even small things like filling a prescription or scheduling a checkup now come with difficult choices.

Despite all of this, I have kept working and trying to move forward. My daughter is the reason I stay focused. She deserves stability, safety, and a sense of home that is not tied to loss.

We have family waiting in California who want to help us get back on our feet. Being closer to them means better support, better healthcare options, and a stronger foundation for both of us.

But moving across the country is expensive, even when you do everything yourself. Between higher rent, deposit requirements, travel expenses, and temporary housing during the transition, the costs add up quickly.

I am raising $15,000 to make this move possible. The funds will help us secure a home, cover moving and travel costs, and allow a short period of stability while I continue working and rebuilding.

This is not about running from the past. It is about creating a future. It is about building again, slowly and carefully, on solid ground.

How the Funds Will Be Used

• $7,000 – Rental deposit and first two months’ rent

Covers deposits and initial rent in California’s higher-cost housing market

• $2,500 – Moving truck, supplies, and transport

Truck rental, fuel, and help with loading and unloading

• $1,500 – Temporary housing and utilities setup

Short-term lodging, deposits, and setup fees

• $1,500 – Travel expenses and car maintenance

Gas, meals, and minor car repairs for the trip

• $1,500 – Medical transition and prescriptions

Medication refills, coverage gaps, and establishing new providers

• $1,000 – Emergency and resettlement buffer

A small cushion for unexpected costs during relocation

Total Goal: $15,000

We have spent years surviving.

Now it is time to live again. To heal. To rebuild. To find home.

This move represents the first real step toward stability and peace in years. It is a chance to turn loss into something that moves forward. A way to give my daughter the sense of home she deserves, and to finally begin again somewhere that is not defined by pain.

Every donation, every share, and every kind word helps bring that goal closer.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for helping us find our way home.

-Josh and Zoe Allen