Legal Debt, Moving Costs, and New Home Needs

Hi, my name is Anna, and I am fundraising for myself and my family.

Last year, in 2021, my dad and I started to think about moving out of California. I have known for as long as I could remember, as much as I wanted to continue living in California as I grew older, it didn't look good financially. My dad knew that too. Anyone who has met my father and knows his heart knows that family means everything to him. He has always wanted to provide for my brother and I to the best of his abilities. A huge way for him to do that was for him to buy a home, become a homeowner, and be able to leave something to my brother and I once he moves on from this life. He spent so much time trying to figure out a possible way to purchase a home in California, but it's just way too expensive here for him to be able to do that. So we decided, why not move to Arizona?

So, with our hearts set on Arizona and our dream home, we started the process. Although moving for us isn't as simple as packing up and leaving, we had a legal process to go through because my brother is conserved within the state of California. My dad and I are Chris's full-time caretakers and two of his co-conservators. Transferring a conservatorship to another state can be strenuous, and our's definitely has been. Chris has three co-conservators; my dad and I are two of them. The third co-conservator objected to our petition to transfer the conservatorship to Arizona and attempted to remove us as his conservators.

This meant that while we worked with a builder to build our future home, we also now had to deal with a legal dispute, the emotional and mental stress that comes with it, as well as overwhelming legal fees. Not only did we have this legal case to deal with (the conservatorship/state transfer case), but then the third co-conservator threw a second case at my dad at the beginning of this year that is still in the early stages and ongoing.

Thankfully our first case regarding transferring the conservatorship to the state of Arizona, has finally been settled. We recently reached a settlement agreement and can breathe a somewhat strained sigh of relief. Because while it is a relief to have this first case behind us and wonderful that we will not be removed as co-conservators of my brother, the legal debt my dad and I have incurred is terrifying. My dad already has debt that he took on from his divorce over a decade ago, and I am 25, turning 26 next year, and I have never once experienced being in debt until now.

As of August 8th, 2022, our legal debt for this first case is at $33,161.81. And it is higher now since August is almost over, and we won't know how much higher until we receive our updated bill. While this first case is wrapping up, my dad still has this second case that he is dealing with and those costs are going to increase as the case progresses. Also, in order to establish the conservatorship in Arizona, we will need to retain new legal counsel for that as well. So the legal debt just keeps getting deeper.

Not only do we have this debt to worry about, but also moving costs. Originally, a year ago, we were nowhere near as stressed about moving costs as we are now, and that's because a year ago, we didn't have outstanding legal fees to pay off. Our new home is expected to be finished in October, and we need to start getting ready for our big move. We need to pay for moving/packing supplies, we will have to hire folks to move our packed-up stuff and furniture to Arizona, and we will need to rent a moving trailer too.

Plus, there are things we need for the new home pretty early on into moving in; for example, our HOA requires window coverings (blinds) shortly after moving in, and those aren't cheap, and we need to purchase six ceiling fans as well, because it is super hot in Arizona. We have some furniture and other supplies we will need to purchase as well. However, the window treatments and ceiling fans are our first priority upon moving in.

We will be using donated funds for the following:

We know how necessary it is for us to be transparent and keep folks updated on how we are using these donations, and we absolutely plan on doing just that. I will be keeping this gofundme frequently updated so you all know where your donations are going/how they're being used, and how incredibly thankful we are for your help.

This last year has been painful. I rememeber at the beginning of 2022, telling my dad, "This year is going to be the worst and best year of my life." I still believe that. These past months have been so stressful and traumatic. Mentally and emotionally we are so, so tired. However, we are also so full of hope. Hope and joy for what is to come. Now that out first case is starting to be behind us, we can finally let ourselves be excited to get ready to live in our dream house and for all the memories we are going to create there.

While this year has been one of the worst I've lived, I also know in my heart that the worst is behind us. All the best is yet to come, and I can see it more clearly now.

So please, if you can, help us. Donate and please share. We can never underestimate the power of community coming together and helping one another. Thank you so much for reading this and for helping me and my family.