Looking for help for a family to make a fresh, and safe, start.

A family of three -- Dave (me), stepchild Max, and longtime roommate/"found family" member Jimmy -- live in a trailer that's increasingly deteriorated over the years. It was old when my late wife Diane purchased it in 2013. It served her and the kids well for the year of our engagement, served us well during our marriage, and served me, Max, Jacky and eventually Jimmy well for several years thereafter. But it's got a number of problems: water damage that has resulted in unsound flooring, an ancient furnace that we don't even use for safety reasons; and overall deterioration that we haven't been able to keep up with. We are all living essentially hand-to-mouth and have little in the way of savings (except for very modest retirement savings on my part, and sinceI'm mid-50s it's best to leave that untouched). We've been intending to find a small house to rent and then find someone to take this trailer off our hands if only to demolish it, but had been taking our time looking while trying to build up funds slowly -- until things came to a head this week: and a portion of the ceiling in Max's bedroom fell in. Not the whole roof -- a section of the plaster and drywall in the roof in the center of the room, a section that we didn't realize had water damage. There's still the wood frame above the hole, but it still makes that room unlivable. Which means it's time to expedite the move -- though we need an infusion of funds to get it kick-started.

Which is why we turn to you, our friends and community members. If you know us at all well, you know that we hate asking for help, especially monetary help, but I've learned that we have a good community behind us and that it's important to *let them help* just as some of you have *let us help* at times in the past. So essentially, we're looking for enough money to cover a first month's rent and security deposit at whatever home we find, as well as any moving costs; expenses associated with disposing of the trailer; and enough of a buffer to stay out of desperate straits. Given all of that, $5,000 seems like a good figure, but truly, any amount would help.

And once we're established again, we'll look for ways to pay your kindness forward.

Thank you.