Philip’s predicament
It has always been difficult for my family to reach out for help. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and my 59 year-old brother, Philip Honich, is nearly at rock bottom. Philip suffers from mental illness and has been receiving psychiatric care since his early twenties. He’s high functioning enough that he has been able to work at the same groundskeeping job for 32 years. My sister and I found out about two months ago that he lost his job in August of 2019. Instead of telling anyone or trying to get unemployment or other aid, he cashed out his retirement savings. He was able to survive on the $4,300 that was left after enormous penalty fees for early withdrawal. He ran out of money the beginning of 2020. Then COVID-19 hit, making it even more difficult to find any work.
Philip lives in a rooming house in the Denbigh section of Newport News, VA with three other men. His rent is $700 a month. His landlord has let him do some yard work and cleaning for him and has not kicked him out even though he is now $10,500 behind in rent.
Aside from some odd jobs and seasonal yard work for two homeowners and, in the last few weeks, around 6 hours a week of food prep for a Hardee’s in Hampton, Philip has not worked since losing his job in 2019. He doesn’t have a car, so it takes him three buses and one and a half hours to get to Hardee’s for a 3-hour shift. He is willing to do this because he needs money for bus fare and to supplement what he gets at a weekly food bank. He only recently applied for unemployment and has heard nothing back.
More about Philip
One of Philip’s best qualities is loyalty. When he has had work he always showed up on time and methodically did his job. Philip doesn’t drink, has never done drugs in his life, and has no criminal record. He has never even smoked a cigarette!
Life has been hard for him because of his mental illness, but before COVID he was always able to get by. Ever since COVID, it has gotten harder and harder. He is one of the kindest souls I know. It breaks my heart that he’s in this situation.
Philip has many positive qualities, but money management isn't one of them. For that reason, my husband Bill and I will be managing and allocating these funds as needed. Rest assured, ALL funds will benefit Philip.
Efforts to date
Since my sister and I found out about his situation, we have been working hard to help him get back on his feet. We have sent him money, care packages with food, underwear, socks, and toiletries, and a gift card for new shoes. We helped him put together a resume and are applying for jobs for him online. (He doesn’t have a computer and is very overwhelmed by cell phone technology.)
We connected him with Community Health Partners who have helped him apply for SSDI, SSI, Medicaid, and SNAP-food stamps. We have asked for a case manager to be assigned to him, but that can take up to a year. We contacted multiple local agencies about rent aid. We helped him file back taxes, so hopefully he will soon be getting some refunds and the stimulus checks he missed out on. We got him to open an account at a credit union and he has signed up for three free financial coaching sessions through THRIVE Peninsula.
Current situation
So far, no aid has come through for Philip. Rent aid agencies all require that rent be brought up-to-date before they will help with the current month’s rent. I connected his landlord with the Virginia Rent Relief program, which has funds through the CARES Act, that he’s applied for, but he hasn’t heard from them yet.
Community Health Partners told us that it can take a long time to get anything from Social Security and that unemployment is now harder to get since so many people are without work due to COVID. They encouraged us to think about doing a GoFundMe campaign.
How you can help
-Make a donation. I am running this campaign to raise money to help Philip meet his basic needs, pay his landlord back, and replenish retirement savings. No amount is too small! Even $5 would help him buy some eggs or cover his bus fare.
-Share this campaign with your community. Even if someone doesn’t know Philip, they may be willing to help. After all, “We are all in this together.”
-Pass along any leads for jobs or other resources that could help.
-Keep Philip in your thoughts and prayers.
Philip is thankful for the kind people at church and in his neighborhood who sometimes buy him a meal or offer him a sandwich or soda. He will be extremely grateful for any help you can offer! Thank you for considering and stay safe!
It has always been difficult for my family to reach out for help. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and my 59 year-old brother, Philip Honich, is nearly at rock bottom. Philip suffers from mental illness and has been receiving psychiatric care since his early twenties. He’s high functioning enough that he has been able to work at the same groundskeeping job for 32 years. My sister and I found out about two months ago that he lost his job in August of 2019. Instead of telling anyone or trying to get unemployment or other aid, he cashed out his retirement savings. He was able to survive on the $4,300 that was left after enormous penalty fees for early withdrawal. He ran out of money the beginning of 2020. Then COVID-19 hit, making it even more difficult to find any work.
Philip lives in a rooming house in the Denbigh section of Newport News, VA with three other men. His rent is $700 a month. His landlord has let him do some yard work and cleaning for him and has not kicked him out even though he is now $10,500 behind in rent.
Aside from some odd jobs and seasonal yard work for two homeowners and, in the last few weeks, around 6 hours a week of food prep for a Hardee’s in Hampton, Philip has not worked since losing his job in 2019. He doesn’t have a car, so it takes him three buses and one and a half hours to get to Hardee’s for a 3-hour shift. He is willing to do this because he needs money for bus fare and to supplement what he gets at a weekly food bank. He only recently applied for unemployment and has heard nothing back.
More about Philip
One of Philip’s best qualities is loyalty. When he has had work he always showed up on time and methodically did his job. Philip doesn’t drink, has never done drugs in his life, and has no criminal record. He has never even smoked a cigarette!
Life has been hard for him because of his mental illness, but before COVID he was always able to get by. Ever since COVID, it has gotten harder and harder. He is one of the kindest souls I know. It breaks my heart that he’s in this situation.
Philip has many positive qualities, but money management isn't one of them. For that reason, my husband Bill and I will be managing and allocating these funds as needed. Rest assured, ALL funds will benefit Philip.
Efforts to date
Since my sister and I found out about his situation, we have been working hard to help him get back on his feet. We have sent him money, care packages with food, underwear, socks, and toiletries, and a gift card for new shoes. We helped him put together a resume and are applying for jobs for him online. (He doesn’t have a computer and is very overwhelmed by cell phone technology.)
We connected him with Community Health Partners who have helped him apply for SSDI, SSI, Medicaid, and SNAP-food stamps. We have asked for a case manager to be assigned to him, but that can take up to a year. We contacted multiple local agencies about rent aid. We helped him file back taxes, so hopefully he will soon be getting some refunds and the stimulus checks he missed out on. We got him to open an account at a credit union and he has signed up for three free financial coaching sessions through THRIVE Peninsula.
Current situation
So far, no aid has come through for Philip. Rent aid agencies all require that rent be brought up-to-date before they will help with the current month’s rent. I connected his landlord with the Virginia Rent Relief program, which has funds through the CARES Act, that he’s applied for, but he hasn’t heard from them yet.
Community Health Partners told us that it can take a long time to get anything from Social Security and that unemployment is now harder to get since so many people are without work due to COVID. They encouraged us to think about doing a GoFundMe campaign.
How you can help
-Make a donation. I am running this campaign to raise money to help Philip meet his basic needs, pay his landlord back, and replenish retirement savings. No amount is too small! Even $5 would help him buy some eggs or cover his bus fare.
-Share this campaign with your community. Even if someone doesn’t know Philip, they may be willing to help. After all, “We are all in this together.”
-Pass along any leads for jobs or other resources that could help.
-Keep Philip in your thoughts and prayers.
Philip is thankful for the kind people at church and in his neighborhood who sometimes buy him a meal or offer him a sandwich or soda. He will be extremely grateful for any help you can offer! Thank you for considering and stay safe!