I am at an exciting threshold in my life, which brings me to this request for help. I will share a brief summary of events leading up to this opportunity. Thank you for taking the time to consider supporting my future in sobriety, health, and abundance.

I have been accepted into “tribal housing”. This means that I have been chosen (after over 2 years on a waiting list) to move into a one-bedroom subsidized housing apartment unit, close to the Delaware Tribe of Indians Tribal Headquarters. I have been actively working on getting more directly involved with my tribe for many years. At the headquarters, I can join other tribal members for lunch in the cafeteria, take cultural classes, utilize the food pantry, volunteer for, and seek employment opportunities within the tribe.

After my near-death experience with chronic alcoholic liver cirrhosis in 2020, I was deciding whether or not I wanted to do what was required to keep living, let alone have a fulfilling, purpose-filled rest of my life. Along with all the other ensuing health ailments, I am officially disabled (which means I now receive a fixed monthly income through SSDI). I decided quickly that I had to set some long-term goals.

I have been pushing myself to gain muscle after a diagnosis of myopathy, and to overcome chronic pain due to fibromyalgia and neuropathy by increasing my activity levels consistently. From a wheelchair to a cain, to wall pilates, to now hiking 3 miles nearly every day.

There was no way I was going to be able to remain in California with the cost of living there. (I have three grown , independent children still residing there.) I also needed to create distance from people and places that were no longer in my best interest to ensure my success with sobriety.

I set out for Oklahoma with just a small monthly allowance from SSI at the time. I camped and basically lived out of my vehicle for months with some rented spaces as finances allowed, until the back pay from my disability case award arrived in my account. As soon as I arrived in Oklahoma, I put myself on the tribal housing waiting list. (There is no way for them to predict or determine how long an applicant could be waiting.)

Right away, I bought myself a 10' camper and planned on camping around until housing came through but soon realized I could run out of money in the meantime, so I decided to purchase a small piece of undeveloped land where I knew I would always have a place to park and survive, which is also something I can leave my kin giving them easier access to the tribe in the future.

I have been living here for nearly two years now, slowly making it habitable. Other than having an electricity pole installed on the property and an established mailing address, I have been living off-grid in every other aspect i.e.; bathroom is a tent, 5-gallon water jug refills, shower bag in a tree, and weekly warm showers at a local (30 min drive) campground. All of my money has been invested and I am now paying back debt.

I receive free medical services through another local tribe , which includes chiropractic! I suffered from severe ascites as a result of my liver condition which led to a surgery that placed a stent inside me that needs to be monitored regularly. (It's been replaced once already.) I'm told, my liver health is the best it could possibly be today. I remain alcohol free. I quit smoking cigarettes two months ago as well.

I was doing a little bit of Instacart shopping and UberEats to supplement my income for a while until my car engine blew just months later. (I'm still making payments.) I'm in a rent-to-own contract on two small buildings that serve as storage and a small kitchenette/living room area. The bedroom is the camper.

Being that I'm without my own personal transportation, I will be able to do more in general in an apartment in the city. Uber and a prepaid bus service will be convenient, however, my apartment is within walking distance to the tribal headquarters, and other basic essentials like grocery stores and the bank.

I look forward to this new chapter in my life, POST single mom, alcoholism, abusive relationships, addictions, poverty, etc. One that will leave something of value for the generations behind me, allowing my kids and grand-kids to have an opportunity to explore our lineage more directly. I feel like a pioneer of sorts, at least in my direct family and generation, with this ability to explore what reuniting with this part of our ancestry could offer them in the future. It's important to encourage the education and continuity of our heritage.

The Delaware Indians are currently executing big developments for our people, i.e., a full-blown ranch, healthy organically grown food for tribal members, just to name a couple. You can see all of the tribe's activities online @https://delawaretribe.org.

I still have some things in a storage unit in California that I need to retrieve (saves me $60./mo), so I've included the cost of gas and overnight stays which will take me approx one week to execute. I have a move in, and a pet deposit. I will also need some furniture for the apartment;

mattress and frame

sheets

pillows

comforter

sofa

dining table and chairs

curtains

area rugs

vacuum

dresser

end tables

book shelf

screen door

shower curtain

bath rugs

microwave

dog bed

door mat

You can follow me for more context on TikTok @sknowburd.

Rebecca/Snowbird