My name is Samantha Zelinski and I’ve been a stay-at-home wife and mom since my wedding in 2016 and my children’s births in 2018 and 2020.

At the end of July 2023, after years of emotional and financial abuse and more recently aggressive behavior which escalated to domestic violence, I fled with my young children from my husband. Several days later at the beginning of August 2023, I obtained a temporary restraining order against him. After our hearings in October and November 2023, the court granted that the restraining order change from temporary to permanent for two years.

In the five days between our fleeing in July and his removal from the marital home in August, my husband blocked my access to the bank account card he had been allowing me to use, cutting off all my access to marital funds (he refused to get a joint bank account for our entire marriage). Once served with the temporary R.O., he withdrew all financial support from his children until he was court ordered to pay child support in November 2023.

During those three months I was able to buy basic necessities by generous donations from my elderly grandmother and some long-distance members of my faith community. In October 2023 the children and I began receiving food stamps and we used that assistance until the spring of 2024.

Despite making a six-figure salary, my husband has paid child support sporadically, continuing to force financial hardships on his family. These hardships include food insecurity, non-payment of the mortgage, repossession of our vehicle (I had to use money saved for securing legal counsel to recover the vehicle from the impound lot), and shut-off of several utilities (in May 2024 I used the remaining $1,300.00 in my account to bring the electric account current and service turned back on).

In the spring of 2024, my soon-to-be-ex husband was court ordered to bring accounts current and pay them on time going forward. He was also ordered to begin paying spousal support so I can move out of the marital home, and additional financial support to secure day-time care for our two children so I can find employment.

As of the beginning of November 2024, the foreclosure process now is underway, the electricity and water are shut off due to non-payment, there is a lien from the sewerage district, there has been no child support payment since September 9 2024, and I am owed thousands of dollars.

My children and I are currently living with friends since there is no heating fuel at the marital home and no way to pay for more of it. This imposed impoverishment is now negatively affecting the sale of the house and is causing a drawn-out court process.

I’m again struggling to buy basic necessities for myself and my children while we wait for a hearing to address these issues. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated during this difficult journey out of domestic abuse.

Thank you,

Samantha Xenia Zelinski

Sanford, Maine, USA