Help Us Move Mom Back Home--to Family, Resources, and Safety

Please help us move our elderly mom to safety and to be near family!

We are sisters: Jessi, a substitute teacher and self-employed artist, and Corky, a nanny, housecleaner, and artist who is also disabled with multiple sclerosis. We've recently learned that our 70-year-old Mom, Pamela, is in a worse situation than we feared. She lives alone, far from family. Although she's mostly self-sufficient, she could really use help with things like transportation and repairs. And when she experiences injuries or other medical setbacks, she's completely alone.

Mom's trailer is over 60 years old and doesn't have a working furnace or hot water heater. It's barely livable and mostly beyond repair. Living on a limited fixed income, Mom has struggled to keep the inside of the trailer at a safe temperature, and it has reached freezing temperatures inside.

Additionally, Mom is very isolated. The trailer park is about 5 miles from town and is not on any bus route. She doesn't have a car, and deliveries and taxis are expensive because of her location. Her nearest family is over 6 hours away. Getting closer to family and friends, to an area with accessible transportation and services, would ensure that she could get groceries, keep appointments, and get much-needed help from us.

Another reason she needs to move is to be out of the grip of her landlords, a predatory, out-of-state agency. When they purchased the trailer park, they raised rent, began making unreasonable demands, and changed the lease, charging extra fees whenever possible. We believe that the company's MO is taking advantage of the powerlessness of low-income and elderly residents, and this is just one more reason we need to help our mom move.

Pamela, a loving mother and gifted artist with a wicked sense of humor, has had a lot of hardships in life. She has persevered and is fiercely independent. But at 70, she's ready to move back home and be closer to family. Due to her unsafe living conditions, this is an urgent situation--but unfortunately, we can't afford the cost. So we're asking for your help.

The fundraiser is to help with the following, starting with the top priority: Costs associated with moving from Wyoming to Oregon (2,500-3,000), an estimated deposit on a new apartment (1,500), and the fee for demolishing and removing the trailer (at least 1,000). We will utilize all public resources available, but moving costs are more difficult to get assistance for than other needs. In nearly all cases, she must first reside where she applies for assistance. Every penny counts; even if we're able to raise just the cost of moving, she'd be in a much safer position.

We miss our mom and worry about her living alone. Please help us bring her back to Oregon, her home state, before winter, so she can be near family and spend less energy on surviving--and more on enjoying life and creating her absolutely stunning artwork.