Need to move ASAP from violent house

Hello friends, family and other thoughtful people. We are asking for help please, to make it possible for us to move out of an extremely dangerous living situation.

We are Elyse and Christine, and two cats, Toast and Crumbs. We rent a basement suite in the Willoughby area of Langley, BC. Our landlords live upstairs, along with a rotating door of violent, unpredictable people who participate in heavy drug use, theft, break-ins, violent sexual assaults, aggravated assaults and other harmful activities. These people are the adult daughters of our landlords and the company they keep. From them, we have received threatening notes, verbal threats, verbal abuse, harassment and multiple attempted break-ins.

Over the last fourteen months of our time living here, we have been experiencing steady escalations of violence, loss of safety and decreasing mental health. Recent events have reached new levels and we find ourselves forced to move immediately, despite not being able to afford moving expenses and the higher cost of rent.

On February 13 of this year, there was a violent stabbing in the house above us. The fear associated with the comotion and our encounter with the police was traumatizing. Since living here, we have had to speak with the police often and are happy enough to answer their questions. On this night however, we were surprised to be shouted at to leave our home with our hands up, and confused and frightened by the sight of blinding lights and guns drawn. We were then detained and handcuffed for the aggravated assault and left panicked by the thought of what was going to happen to us next. Just ten days later, our house was shot up with an automatic weapon in a drive by shooting. Elyse had left for work only seven minutes before. This was significant enough that major news broadcasters told our story in attempt to promote change for our communities. We are still extremely shaken from this entire traumatizing experience, and absolutely terrified for this to happen again, and even more so for what the escalation might be.

We aren't able to call this place our home anymore. It isn't a place of comfort, peace or safety. We have frequently looked into moving over the last year but it has been an unattainable dream. The rental market has been far above our affordability, with the added struggles of having two cats and high competition for housing.

If we are able to raise some money to help get us out of this situation, it will go toward moving expenses and paying some of the increased rent for a bit until we can get some extra work going, or the rental prices come down a little and we can move again.

We love and appreciate all of the advice, kind words and support we have received from so many of you. We feel the love. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.