Hi everyone,

 

I'm here with the encouragement of friends to ask for help in our quest to secure stable housing.

 

I'm a full-time single mom to one amazing teenager. We've spent the last few years living in a remote log cabin while I've worked towards purchasing a permanent home for us. A little about us - I currently work in the nonprofit sector and am an artist on the side. I love my jobs and my side hustle (pottery and weaving). My teenager is in 7th grade and has a thriving network of friends. If possible, we'd like to stay in our current 5 Town area but are open to other local options.

 

We were recently informed we could not extend our lease this year (the owner is selling the cabin) and need to find housing ASAP. Unfortunately, like most states, affordable housing in Vermont is a tricky thing to come by.

 

We were fortunate to find a house for sale in our village and were under contract to purchase the home. But, we ran into several roadblocks, worked through them, only to loose the house to another offer after I paid for an inspection on the home, money that I won't get back.

 

We're still hopeful we can find a house for sale in our price range, but we have to look at all options (rentals, tiny houses, etc.) to secure housing before our lease ends.

 

I've spent the last three years saving everything I possibly could, building credit, and navigating unexpected unemployment (thanks, 2020). After suddenly leaving a marriage and our home, I did all of this while only having a seasonal, part-time job and a few hundred dollars to my name. We were graciously given a warm welcome to stay with friends while we got our footing after such a sudden change, and we're so grateful to have come so far. We just need a little help getting to the next step.

 

One thing that I've been encouraged to do along the way is to ask for your support. Admittedly I have a hard time asking for help, especially financial assistance, but it's become clear there are a lot of folks offering to help, and we need it!

 

We've lived in Vermont for ten years and have moved at least a dozen times in the last decade. We're tired of constantly moving and worrying about where we will live and if we will be able to find anything. We're ready to find stable housing. So I'm asking for your help.

 

I'm financially able to purchase a home but cannot compete with the cash offers currently floating around the housing market. I'm financially able to support us once we get into a place, but the financial barrier seems to be getting INTO a place. Down payments on land are expensive, cash offers to compete with other buyers are out of my reach, and even the cost of securing a rental has grown.

 

So I've started this fundraiser with the hopes of boosting our funds for any of the following scenarios:

 

1) gives us a little more buying power to purchase a house in this current market

2) act as a down payment on land to build a small house over time

3) help us purchase a tiny house (I can finance most of this, but not all)

4) help cover moving costs (to any living situation that arises)

 

We've considered all possible options. Although most take us out of my child's school district, I'm looking at all available rentals. We've considered building a tiny house on wheels. We've considered purchasing land to build a small and simple house over time slowly. We've also considered moving out of state. But, my work is here, my child's community is here, and we legally can't due to divorce/family reasons. I'm applying for Habitat for Humanity housing and have tried to reach our local housing trust multiple times. So far, we haven't had any leads in those departments.

 

Our goal is to find something that works for us long-term, whether building a tiny house on wheels, buying a small parcel of land to build a simple place, purchasing a home, or securing our next rental.

 

Our needs and hopes are simple, but we could use some help in making this happen. I know I've set a lofty goal for this fundraiser. I picked this financial goal with big hopes, but we're grateful for any support that comes our way!