My name is Sheresse, and I’m coming here with as much honesty and humility as I can. I am asking for help because I am running out of time, resources, and options. I need to repair my home just enough to sell it before January 21 so I can pay off the bank and move somewhere else — I truly don’t know what else to do.

When COVID shut everything down in 2020, the business center I managed inside a convention facility closed temporarily—and by August 2020, it was shut down for good. I lost my job, and the owner falsely accused me of theft so he wouldn’t have to pay my unemployment benefits. Overnight, I had no income and no support.

Before losing my job, I only made $33,000 a year, and my monthly expenses were overwhelming:

• Mortgage: $1,783

• Electric: ~$320

• Trash: $80

• Water: $30

• Phone: $100

• Internet: $60

With inflation and grocery prices on top of that, I never had enough to catch up or take care of the house. The garage has been full of trash left by the previous owners since the day I moved in, and I’ve never been able to afford to remove it.

At the same time, my partner of eight years cheated and left me. I was suddenly alone, selling everything I owned just to survive. I fell into deep depression and anxiety.

After searching for a year and a half, I finally got a job as a purchasing assistant making $18 an hour — but because I don’t have a driver’s license, it cost me $40 a day to Uber to and from work. No matter how hard I worked, I could never get ahead.

The stress and the medication I was on caused debilitating migraines that affected my vision. I was eventually placed on FMLA, and when it ran out, I had to quit so I wouldn’t be fired. I withdrew the little money left in my 401(k) just to survive.

Then, the bank demanded all the forbearance payments at once. They started foreclosure. For months, I begged for information and was constantly passed between the bank and their attorney. They finally sent the payoff amount on October 1, and I learned I owe $206,000.

I am not trying to save this home — it is too old, too damaged, and too expensive for me to maintain. It was built in 1916, and years of poverty have left it with serious issues:

• It needs new plumbing

• It needs electrical repairs

• The upstairs tub doesn’t get hot water

• The shower doesn’t work at all

• I bathe by filling a bucket with hot water from the sink

• The garage is full of trash and heavy items I can’t move

• I have not been able to afford basic upkeep in years

My only goal is to repair the house enough to sell it, pay the bank, and finally move somewhere else — because right now I truly don’t know what else to do. My realtor said she can sell it in about 40 days if the cleanup and essential repairs are done — but I have until January 21.

Without insurance, I had to stop my antidepressants, and my depression has become worse than ever. I feel overwhelmed and scared. I don’t want to be a burden. I just want a chance to start fresh.

What the funds will help with:

• Removing years of garage trash left by previous owners

• Hauling heavy items (radiators, mattresses, debris)

• Essential plumbing and electrical repairs

• Materials and labor to make the home sellable

• Utilities and basic expenses during the repair period

• Any remaining bank or legal fees tied to the foreclosure

I have fought for years to get through everything life has thrown at me.

Now I’m asking for any help — whether it’s a donation, a share, or simple kindness.

Thank you for reading my story and for helping me try to rebuild my life.

— Sheresse