Preventing Homelessness and Tragedy

I’m sure you know that this spring and summer have been affected by the concurrent Writer and Actor strikes in Hollywood. What you may not know is that I have been severely impacted by these walkouts. Don’t get me wrong. I fully support the strikes. I’m employed in the post production side of the industry and realize the importance of fair pay. Living in cities like Los Angeles, New York, and Atlanta are not inexpensive places to live.

I also realize that I am not alone in the struggle to exist during these strikes. Unfortunately, my situation is a little more grave than the average person. If you don’t know, I’m a diabetic who regularly must inject insulin daily along with another medication. Both of these medicines must remain refrigerated. The issue for me and my family is that we’ve fallen behind on our rent by 4 months. My employer couldn’t continue to keep his business open without work from the studios. I was fortunate to be eligible for unemployment insurance, but I barely receive $900 every two weeks. That amount doesn’t cover rent (at nearly $3,000 for less than 1000 square feet), gas, food, and other bills and medications. We’re running behind on everything. It’s seems as if the walls are closing in. Last night news of the continued actors’ strike didn’t help the situation. It made it worse. Me waking up this morning with the Landlord demanding the back rent. I’m at a lost at what to do.

If we lose our housing because of eviction, my life is in jeopardy. Pure and simple. I’m 60 years old. I have a 30 plus year career in Hollywood. Not just a job. Without work that will pay what my career does, I can’t keep the roof over my head. A minimum wage job will not suffice. My daughter works a part time job and helps where she can. It’s not enough. My wife does what she can to help, but she’s also close to retirement age. Her income doesn’t do nearly enough, either.

Our landlord has been very reasonable and understanding. But she needs to be paid something too. Our savings have been depleted. We don’t have anywhere else to go. The business will return. I need to be here for work, But time is of the essence. I need my medication. I need to keep the roof over my family’s head.