Landlord Expecting 12k of COVID Debt by End of May

Addison Bates is organizing this fundraiser.

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Hi All,

Last year I had to leave a traumatic situation in Portland, Oregon. I do not want to share private details, but there was no way for me to continue living at the apartment I was staying in and could not get off the lease. Following that, I was then furloughed from my job due to Covid until late 2020.

From April 2020 to January 2021, I did not take a step into that apartment & meanwhile someone else was living there. Now, my landlord is asking for 75% of the rent from this period when I was not living there, $11,965, by the end of May or they will send me to collections/sue me.

I am working now as an educator but my job will come to an end this May while school is out of session. After that, I'm planning to return to college in the fall to further pursue my career in k-12 education & hopefully hold on to some much needed stability.

I do not have $12,000 and am asking for help so that I can hopefully finally leave this period of my life behind me.

Thank you for reading and donating.

**If you're confused about how this is possible with all the COVID relief & tenant protection during COVID, these support systems only work for folks who are current tenants & current residents, so what that means is that I never qualified for COVID rent relief as I never lived there when I needed rent relief & my former landlord is allowed to send me to collections / sue me because the lease is expired.

My friends and I have spoken with lawyers, state officials & tenant rights groups and they've all said the same thing, that I'm basically not protected at all for any facet of my situation.

The most tangible advice they've given me is 1) fundraise, 2) file bankruptcy or 3) sue the other person who lived there. Bankruptcy feels like it will prolong this period of my life even longer & suing poses the same threat. I'm really hoping that with the support of those who read my story I can move past this and step into the next moment of my life without this continuing to threaten to bar me from opportunities and weigh me down. Any support counts.

Addison