Hope against Homelessness Help the Sims family

So here’s the problem: my husband Johnny and I have been living with our daughter Shelly in Columbus, Ohio since February 2023 because we could not afford our rent. Shelly is moving the 1st of November and cannot take us with her. She is a 33 year old single lady who shouldn’t be burdened with her parents just yet. We are paying her $700 monthly toward rent and utilities. That plus our other bills leaves nothing else. If we can eliminate our debts of $8000 (not counting the car, which is another story altogether), and accumulate $2000 for first months rent and deposit and moving costs we will be able to survive each month. That is how we have come to our goal of $10,000. We will have to find a place for $800 monthly. Our total monthly income is $2300. It’s possible.

Johnny and I are both retired because of health issues that prevent us from working. We did make some dumb mistakes regarding retirement savings in our younger years, but we can’t fix that now so we try not to stress over it. Johnny was a middle school band director for 35 years and a church worship leader and choir director for over 40 years. He currently is on 6 liters of oxygen 24/7. He has COPD, congestive heart failure, diabetes and prostate cancer. I was an animal advocate (dog rescue) for 35 years, served faithfully along side Johnny in church and spent many years dedicated to our two children, many foster children, home schooling and then caring for my mother. I have diabetic neuropathy that causes extreme balance issues and with no feeling in my hands, keyboarding is a major challenge. Last fall I was diagnosed with lung cancer. Because we caught it early with no spread, I was able to get past it with surgery removing a lobe of my lung. Last month I had a suspicious mammogram. They found a small cancer unrelated to the lung cancer. So now I am scheduled for a lumpectomy next week. They are also doing a uterine biopsy at the same time because something suspicious is going on there. My doctor said to plan on a complete hysterectomy regardless of the biopsy results. That will have to come after the move. After the lumpectomy, I will have radiation and possibly chemotherapy. It’s a lot to handle. Then trying to deal with this impossible move is too much.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, my son, Grady, has been experiencing some challenges this year. After getting divorced, we helped him through the process of buying a house and co-signed for him to purchase a reliable car. It was too much, too fast. He took on a roommate, got engaged to her, went through premarital counseling and then she decided it was a bad idea. She lied to Grady saying she was dying of cancer and wanted him to adopt her kids. So he cried a lot and refused to put them out. He finally realized that he was over his head. He moved out. I had to evict the “roommates” and spend over $1000 to get the house cleaned up. The car was repossessed, the house is in foreclosure and Grady is now living in a classroom at the church.

If you have stayed with me this far, you are probably thinking this is TMI. I agree. If you know us, you know that we never have drama in our lives like this. When I married Johnny 40 years ago, he was a well known school teacher and church leader in a small city. I knew we would be living in a fish bowl and we have always conducted ourselves with that in mind. We are open and honest, have paid our bills, tithed on our gross income, and stayed out of trouble. So all this chaos is too much for me. We have always been the ones other people have come to for help. So now I am hoping there might be some help for us.

I’m asking God to make a way for us to buy Grady’s house in Mansfield,Ohio, make all the repairs and live there for our remaining lives. We could be close to our grandchildren and spend some time giving Grady the coaching we apparently neglected to give him, so that he can survive independently. Of course that would push the goal to $100,000 but that is less than the house would be worth fixed up. He has the house listed for a short sale of $49,900. You can look it up on Realtor.com. 319 Altamont Ave, 44902. It needs plumbing and electrical and HVAC work. All the appliances are destroyed and have to be replaced including the hot water heater. All the interior doors are smashed up and will have to be replaced. All the walls are defaced and will have to be painted. All the carpet has to be replaced. There is a detached four car garage, but the garage door has to be replaced. It’s a lot, but God makes a way out of no way all the time. We’ll see.