I am creating this in hopes of getting help to get back on track after having fallen behind on bills and rent during the brutal New Orleans slow season. I have survived 10 slow seasons so far, but this one has presented more challenges than I alone can face. I am a solo dad and have worked as a rideshare driver for four years now to make sure I can work as much as humanly possible while also providing everything my child needs for scheduling and day-to-day tasks.

We have lived in the same apartment for six and a half years and have been very fortunate to have had a lot of grace and understanding in the many trials of the last six years from my landlords, but now I am in a situation where I am 3 months behind and have to catch up in roughly 5 days or find a new place to live. I have already secured a place to stay with a good friend if need be while finding a new place, but if at all possible, I would like to continue staying in my 12-year-old child's longest-standing memory of a home.

I would like to assure you I have done everything I could to not fall behind this season other than asking for help. I had to dedicate a larger part of my time to my child the last couple of months to help them navigate a behavioral health medication change. This required numerous doctor visits and therapy meetings. We are weeks into the new medication and think we have really found what they need to continually be feeling well and meet the many challenges of life. In September, I had to miss 8 days of work to put my car in the shop for a little over $3,000 in repairs. I drive a rental car that I pay $350 every week for just to try to avoid being hit with a large repair bill and miss work. The rental covered the bill, but the process of getting the repairs caused me to miss work at a time that was absolutely dire in the slow season here.

I would have reached out when things first started to take a turn, but I thought I could right the ship on my own and I thought that I had grace from my landlord as I have had in the past that I no longer have. As I have reached out, I have already found a friend who can help me with my child so I can pick up a second hourly job that will provide me with much-needed predictability. I don't have one lined up yet, but doing so is an immediate priority.

I have tried to keep this post to the point. There have been a plethora of challenges and setbacks that have led to this point. I am happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have. I fully understand many of you are struggling as well and know you would help if you could. Please know that I appreciate you reading and if you can share the post that would be greatly appreciated.