In December 2022, I was terminated in my company's third wave of layoffs. Three months later, my husband lost his job as well. We also have a 14 year old son who is autistic and we knew right away that we needed to keep our lives as stable as possible.

We tried everything, applying to jobs like mad, and everything was made infinitely more difficult because we didn't have a car or and friends or family in the area.

In January 2024 we lost the apartment we'd been living in for the last 5 years. We managed to briefly stay with a couple of friends an hour away from where we'd come from, but soon after we had to leave again. A friend helped us rent a car and we drove all the way from Salt Lake City, UT to Madison, WI to live with my husband's parents.

We managed to get jobs, and we started saving up for a place of our own. But there were daily fights that made us feel more and more unsafe. Finally, after 2 months, we were kicked out.

My husband and I have tried everything. Hotels around here don't offer extended stay anymore due to post-COVID squatting. We've searched for apartments high and low and have even considered buying a cheap vehicle so we could at least have somewhere to sleep while we work. We have enough money to pay rent at an apartment but not enough for a security deposit, and we had to spend some last night for a hotel room so our family would have a place to sleep. We're at the end of our rope.

My husband doesn't have full-time hours yet so he only works 3 days a week. I've only been at my job for 3 days and get paid twice a month, so it will most likely be a month before I start getting paid. Please, we need your help!