Donation protected
I am sharing my story here on GoFundMe in hopes of avoiding homelessness. At age 58, I’m facing eviction and homelessness with severe food and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS), and Crohn’s disease, including an ileostomy. My compromised immune system also means that I’m even more at risk of contracting COVID-19.
I have been ordered to vacate my current rental home of 14 years, as the owner wants the house back for a relative. If it were not for the current Washington State eviction moratorium, I would already be homeless. The current moratorium is scheduled to end December 31st, 2020. [Now extended to March 31, 2021; the Federal Moratorium does not apply to me]
As I am on a Section-8 housing voucher, I am able to fundraise for only one month due to HUD limitations regarding lump-sum payments, so I am only going to be able to run this fundraiser until the last week of December.
Medical Obstacle to Safe Housing
Due to my MCS, the likelihood of finding a medically-safe rental is almost nil, as I need a house away from residential, major roads, and agriculture, and because most previous tenants/residents have likely used household products that are toxic to my immune system. If these products were used often, the chemical compounds will remain in the house for a long time; potentially weeks or months or longer, and landlords are not likely to allow time for rentals to air out unpaid.
Having once been a wildlife field researcher, I am familiar with camping and outdoor living. But that kind of living is no longer an option for me due to my health issues.
I have many food and additive allergies that require me to prepare whole foods from scratch. My chemical sensitivities prohibit me from using a gas stove or campfire. I have pain-related issues from Crohn’s requiring me to have special bedding in order to sleep.
Most worrisome, I have an ileostomy (removal of my lower intestine), and use an ostomy appliance (bag). I must empty this bag several times throughout the day and night. This requires a clean bathroom. Due to my MCS, if I use a public restroom, it must be free from fragrance dispensers, strong soaps and cleaners, and even hand sanitizers. A mask doesn’t afford me enough protection from these. My ileostomy also requires complete changing to a new bag every 3-4 days. To change the bag, I must have a bathroom that is private and one that has clean countertop space.
My medical conditions make having a house a necessity. The prospect of being homeless terrifies me. I’m afraid I won’t survive it. And the stress of this potentiality over the last year has taken a big toll on my physical and mental health.
Use of Donated Funds
It’s my intention to use the money raised to do one of the following:
Option 1: Pay for the rental applications and deposit fees; plus storage unit costs if the rental is too small to accommodate my belongings.
[Application fees run $35 -$75, deposits vary from $1300 - $2500, and storage unit costs vary from $150 to $250 or more per month depending on location. ]
Option 2: Fees and down payment for a low-income home loan, plus debt elimination (required to qualify for the low-income home loan).
[Approximately $6000 for the down payment and other loan fees/requirements, and between $9000 and $10,000 for paying off debt (which includes my car loan and one credit card). ]
Of course, the higher amount I can apply towards a down payment on a home, the more likely I will be successful in finding one, since most homes are currently going for $200,000 or more.
Option 3: If the other two options fail, I would put the funds toward the purchase of a motor home to live in.
[Approximately $12,000 for a down payment on a motor home large enough to live in and to have its own washer/dryer, since my chemical sensitivities prohibit me from even approaching a public laundromat. ]
Since I have not yet looked into this last option, I am assuming I would qualify for a loan with a $12,000 down payment. It is possible I would need more than this, especially if excluding having paid off my other debts.
To increase my chances of securing a home through this program, I am listing my fund- raising goal a little higher than the exact amount I owe for debt and for home-loan fees; should I meet this goal, it would allow for a higher down payment thereby expanding the pool of homes I can qualify for, as well as account for any possible increases in loan fees that may occur prior to the conclusion of this fundraiser. However, an amount of $15,000 would likely be sufficient to eliminate my debt and allow for my minimum down payment, etc., and I would be so grateful for just getting close to that amount.
Challenges
I have been diligently searching for rentals that meet my needs for the past 7 months without success. The two major obstacles I face in locating a rental are:
Due to my severe chemical sensitivities, I have to check out a rental personally to do a “sniff test” to make sure it is medically safe for me to live in. Of the few rentals I’ve been able to view in the last 7 months, none of them have been safe for me to live in.
The incredibly high demand for rentals right now precludes me from even having an opportunity to view most of them, even if posted the same day I find them. Most prospective renters have been willing to pay the application fees and put down the deposit without even physically viewing the rental. As a result, I have been able to physically check out only 6 or so rentals over the last 7 months.
My experience looking for a rental thus far, leads me to believe this option will not likely pan out for me. Although I continue to check out potential rentals when able, those rental roadblocks have recently led me to look into the possibility of qualifying for a low-income home loan. Luckily, I have found that this may work for me, however the loan officer I consulted with informed me that I first need to take care of my current debt.
Desired Outcome
Right now, a low-income home loan appears to be my best option, both in attaining a house and to get one that I can safely live in. Owning my own home would allow me extra time to rent special equipment that would help eliminate residual chemicals and the time to let it off- gas.
Another major advantage over a rental would be not having to move again, which would put me again in the position of having to find another medically safe rental at a time when my condition would be even worse (chemical sensitivities worsen over time with subsequent chemical exposures), and down the road, there likely won't be eviction moratoriums in place that would allow me more than the usual 30 days to vacate (which would be impossible with my physical limitations).
For these reasons, my ideal, and best chance of success, would be to fundraise enough to pursue the home loan option.
Gratitude
Thank you for taking the time to read my story.
I realize these are unusually difficult times for many, if not most, people, so I greatly appreciate any help you can give, even if that is just to share this fundraiser story on your social media.
Thank you so much.
Seren (aka Roberta)
P.S. To help verify my story and who I am, I have attached a couple links.
https://justshelter.org/2020/09/12/seren/
https://www.hsa-haiku.org/regions/Washington.htm
https://www.wildlifeprofessional.org/western/transactions/transactions_1999_11.pdf
I have been ordered to vacate my current rental home of 14 years, as the owner wants the house back for a relative. If it were not for the current Washington State eviction moratorium, I would already be homeless. The current moratorium is scheduled to end December 31st, 2020. [Now extended to March 31, 2021; the Federal Moratorium does not apply to me]
As I am on a Section-8 housing voucher, I am able to fundraise for only one month due to HUD limitations regarding lump-sum payments, so I am only going to be able to run this fundraiser until the last week of December.
Medical Obstacle to Safe Housing
Due to my MCS, the likelihood of finding a medically-safe rental is almost nil, as I need a house away from residential, major roads, and agriculture, and because most previous tenants/residents have likely used household products that are toxic to my immune system. If these products were used often, the chemical compounds will remain in the house for a long time; potentially weeks or months or longer, and landlords are not likely to allow time for rentals to air out unpaid.
Having once been a wildlife field researcher, I am familiar with camping and outdoor living. But that kind of living is no longer an option for me due to my health issues.
I have many food and additive allergies that require me to prepare whole foods from scratch. My chemical sensitivities prohibit me from using a gas stove or campfire. I have pain-related issues from Crohn’s requiring me to have special bedding in order to sleep.
Most worrisome, I have an ileostomy (removal of my lower intestine), and use an ostomy appliance (bag). I must empty this bag several times throughout the day and night. This requires a clean bathroom. Due to my MCS, if I use a public restroom, it must be free from fragrance dispensers, strong soaps and cleaners, and even hand sanitizers. A mask doesn’t afford me enough protection from these. My ileostomy also requires complete changing to a new bag every 3-4 days. To change the bag, I must have a bathroom that is private and one that has clean countertop space.
My medical conditions make having a house a necessity. The prospect of being homeless terrifies me. I’m afraid I won’t survive it. And the stress of this potentiality over the last year has taken a big toll on my physical and mental health.
Use of Donated Funds
It’s my intention to use the money raised to do one of the following:
Option 1: Pay for the rental applications and deposit fees; plus storage unit costs if the rental is too small to accommodate my belongings.
[Application fees run $35 -$75, deposits vary from $1300 - $2500, and storage unit costs vary from $150 to $250 or more per month depending on location. ]
Option 2: Fees and down payment for a low-income home loan, plus debt elimination (required to qualify for the low-income home loan).
[Approximately $6000 for the down payment and other loan fees/requirements, and between $9000 and $10,000 for paying off debt (which includes my car loan and one credit card). ]
Of course, the higher amount I can apply towards a down payment on a home, the more likely I will be successful in finding one, since most homes are currently going for $200,000 or more.
Option 3: If the other two options fail, I would put the funds toward the purchase of a motor home to live in.
[Approximately $12,000 for a down payment on a motor home large enough to live in and to have its own washer/dryer, since my chemical sensitivities prohibit me from even approaching a public laundromat. ]
Since I have not yet looked into this last option, I am assuming I would qualify for a loan with a $12,000 down payment. It is possible I would need more than this, especially if excluding having paid off my other debts.
To increase my chances of securing a home through this program, I am listing my fund- raising goal a little higher than the exact amount I owe for debt and for home-loan fees; should I meet this goal, it would allow for a higher down payment thereby expanding the pool of homes I can qualify for, as well as account for any possible increases in loan fees that may occur prior to the conclusion of this fundraiser. However, an amount of $15,000 would likely be sufficient to eliminate my debt and allow for my minimum down payment, etc., and I would be so grateful for just getting close to that amount.
Challenges
I have been diligently searching for rentals that meet my needs for the past 7 months without success. The two major obstacles I face in locating a rental are:
Due to my severe chemical sensitivities, I have to check out a rental personally to do a “sniff test” to make sure it is medically safe for me to live in. Of the few rentals I’ve been able to view in the last 7 months, none of them have been safe for me to live in.
The incredibly high demand for rentals right now precludes me from even having an opportunity to view most of them, even if posted the same day I find them. Most prospective renters have been willing to pay the application fees and put down the deposit without even physically viewing the rental. As a result, I have been able to physically check out only 6 or so rentals over the last 7 months.
My experience looking for a rental thus far, leads me to believe this option will not likely pan out for me. Although I continue to check out potential rentals when able, those rental roadblocks have recently led me to look into the possibility of qualifying for a low-income home loan. Luckily, I have found that this may work for me, however the loan officer I consulted with informed me that I first need to take care of my current debt.
Desired Outcome
Right now, a low-income home loan appears to be my best option, both in attaining a house and to get one that I can safely live in. Owning my own home would allow me extra time to rent special equipment that would help eliminate residual chemicals and the time to let it off- gas.
Another major advantage over a rental would be not having to move again, which would put me again in the position of having to find another medically safe rental at a time when my condition would be even worse (chemical sensitivities worsen over time with subsequent chemical exposures), and down the road, there likely won't be eviction moratoriums in place that would allow me more than the usual 30 days to vacate (which would be impossible with my physical limitations).
For these reasons, my ideal, and best chance of success, would be to fundraise enough to pursue the home loan option.
Gratitude
Thank you for taking the time to read my story.
I realize these are unusually difficult times for many, if not most, people, so I greatly appreciate any help you can give, even if that is just to share this fundraiser story on your social media.
Thank you so much.
Seren (aka Roberta)
P.S. To help verify my story and who I am, I have attached a couple links.
https://justshelter.org/2020/09/12/seren/
https://www.hsa-haiku.org/regions/Washington.htm
https://www.wildlifeprofessional.org/western/transactions/transactions_1999_11.pdf
Organizer
Roberta Fargo
Organizer
Bellingham, WA