Help Us Afford to Survive
Donation protected
We are a young couple who, like many others, has lost a lot since March 2020. It started with our homes, then our jobs, most of our personal possessions as we've had to sell them to survive, and - most recently - my car. It's not as if we aren't trying, though; we're just stuck in a rut and need help to get back out. I've reached out to local groups for aid and they have helped us a lot, but of course they can only do so much. I applied for food stamps to help us afford groceries in June 2021, but was denied because we somehow made too much money to qualify. I have recenctly reapplied because our situation has changed a lot since then; I'm still waiting to get a response. We have no family from which to ask assistance. We've already asked too much of the very few friends we have and we don't want to burden them any further. So sharing our story via GoFundMe is our last option. (Most of our story is also posted in the Updates here, if you want to read more about what's been happening to us.)
As of writing this (Nov 14, 2021), I'm working 2 jobs and my fiancé is a member of management at his workplace. We are still homeless, barely able to afford the rate of nearly $400/week for the hotel room we occupy. We've been struggling to afford groceries and food for the last month and a half. Since my car died in August 2021, my fiancé has been given less hours at work because they believe he doesn't have reliable transportation to make it in regularly (despite the fact that he's always been there on time, never called out except when we had COVID-19, and is usually early for every shift).
If we could get an apartment, we would have already - saving for the deposits and application fees is nearly impossible in our current situation. We're trapped in a vicious cycle - all of our money goes into paying for this room week to week, leaving us with little to nothing left to use for bills and groceries. If we could get a car, that would help get us moving in the right direction, but again, it's difficult to save up for one when we have no money to save.
Needless to say, we're exhausted. All of this stress, depression, and anxiety is wearing us down. We're working hard to make ends meet and it constantly feels like our efforts amount to no real progress. Our goal in life is to create for people - we want to write books, draw comics, make art, create videos, stream on Twitch. But we can't do any of that if we're trapped in a whirlpool of wondering if/when we'll get to eat or if we'll even have a bed to sleep in next week.
As of writing this (Nov 14, 2021), I'm working 2 jobs and my fiancé is a member of management at his workplace. We are still homeless, barely able to afford the rate of nearly $400/week for the hotel room we occupy. We've been struggling to afford groceries and food for the last month and a half. Since my car died in August 2021, my fiancé has been given less hours at work because they believe he doesn't have reliable transportation to make it in regularly (despite the fact that he's always been there on time, never called out except when we had COVID-19, and is usually early for every shift).
If we could get an apartment, we would have already - saving for the deposits and application fees is nearly impossible in our current situation. We're trapped in a vicious cycle - all of our money goes into paying for this room week to week, leaving us with little to nothing left to use for bills and groceries. If we could get a car, that would help get us moving in the right direction, but again, it's difficult to save up for one when we have no money to save.
Needless to say, we're exhausted. All of this stress, depression, and anxiety is wearing us down. We're working hard to make ends meet and it constantly feels like our efforts amount to no real progress. Our goal in life is to create for people - we want to write books, draw comics, make art, create videos, stream on Twitch. But we can't do any of that if we're trapped in a whirlpool of wondering if/when we'll get to eat or if we'll even have a bed to sleep in next week.
Organizer
Bryana Marshall
Organizer
Johnson City, TN
