Keep Paul and Teresa's Home and the TSC Studio Intact

Hello,

This is Paul Lopez. This is by far the hardest thing that I have ever done. As all of you may know, I am a very private person. If you had told me six months ago that I'd be posting a GoFundMe page, I would not have believed you. However, life can change in the blink of an eye really quick. Things for me have been financially difficult these past few months. Working from a remote location has been slow. My wife was laid off at the end of May from her position at Adventist Health for over 16 years. The only income that is coming in at the moment is her state unemployment benefits. We have both been job searching and believe we will both have jobs soon.

We have gotten behind on rent because it took over a month to get unemployment benefits to kick in, and it was during that time our bills started to pile up. We have made arrangements for our utilities and have been using the unemployment to keep our water and electricity going. If we can catch up on the rent, we will be able to manage our other bills and be up to date.

Coming up with a large amount is difficult. I have been scrambling to connect with tenant/landlord resources for help without success. Other resources with the county that I live in either have a waiting list or are no longer accepting any applications for rent help. My hope at this point is to catch up on the rent. The stress in the household is beyond any stress that I have ever endured. Some of you know that I am a retired police officer, and the everyday stress that comes with the job is far less painful compared to the stress that I feel now.

As embarrassing as this public display of desperation is, we have exhausted all other options and again could be facing eviction/homelessness. We are extremely worried about our cats as we do not want to have to displace them. It would break our hearts. We love them very, very much. The other concern that I have has to do with my small home studio where I create music and is the nerve center for The Shoegaze Collective. If we have to leave the home, my studio will be dismantled, and I do not know if or when The Shoegaze Collective would ever return. Odds are that it will never return, and I do not want that to happen. It really is a part of my identity, and I do not want it to vanish.

We are proud to say that with all of the given stress, we have managed to keep going even in the darkest of times. But it is a struggle. We appreciate all of you for your love and friendship and for listening and for the emotional support. We know that everyone has problems, and many are more serious than ours, so I sincerely appreciate any help but also don't want anyone else to overextend themselves financially. Words of support and encouragement are awesome as well.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. Any help we receive will go to our realty company, and the threat of eviction/homelessness will vanish.

Once again, we thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Paul and Teresa.