Urgent Help Homeless & Needing Surgery

Hello, we are John and Sandra Havlicek, and this is our story.

We are currently experiencing an overwhelming crisis where our pride and dignity need to take a back seat. We have been faced with some really tough challenges and have always insisted on being self-reliant. We have been consistently struggling, and our needs lately have drained our social goodwill. There is only so much vulnerability you can share and so much anguish people can express sympathy for before it becomes too much. As I have navigated through every resource made available, I have come up short. The places and resources that were supposed to support us in crisis cannot and do not have the funds to do so!

We have had a series of things that have devastated our household.

I was laid off in March 2024, after being with the company for almost 5 years as a chemical operator. I was confident, as I have always prided myself on my work ethic, that finding a new job would be easy. I was very wrong. After sending my resume to 278 companies in and out of my field, I was given an interview for a company that would have been life-changing if offered. At the end of August 2024, I was offered that job and accepted their offer. A few days before my start date, I was informed they needed to push my start date back for internal issues. Long story short, that company ghosted me! You see, that offer was given to me in September 2024 as my unemployment benefits were exhausting. So with no job and no more unemployment, we are down to only one income from my husband's job, and that is falling behind fast.

At the beginning of December, I fell and was forced to go to the hospital to be told I have a bucket handle meniscus tear and a partial ACL tear that will require surgery to repair. Unable to bear weight and walk, I am relying on a walker. With the lack of a job and no health insurance, I was set up with state insurance, which was valid for only 30 days unbeknownst to me as this was my first time on state insurance. Surgery was scheduled for January 10th but canceled 3 days before as the surgeon did not accept state insurance. I knew I needed to start over with a new surgeon. A new surgeon was found, and a new date for surgery was given for the beginning of February. However, that was also canceled as the emergency state insurance was no longer valid.

As the new year was not starting off great, we were hit with our landlord terminating our lease and were given 60 days to find a new home.

With the termination of our lease and the need for medical insurance, I turned to social services. They have been somewhat helpful as we now have medical benefits through the state, and surgery is now scheduled for March 14th, and recovery should take 6-8 weeks.

Unfortunately, as of March 1st, we became homeless and could only take our essentials. We have been staying in a hotel with our dog, but the money we saved is depleting quickly. Social services, as well as all other agencies, have been unable to assist with housing, and it is impossible to secure a decent apartment with no income. Any low-income apartment has a 5-10 year waiting list. We are in Salem County, New Jersey.

Immediate Necessities:

- Securing a clean, safe, place to live and pay 6 months advance rent

- Pay off past utilities

- Securing a bed and sofa

If you would be so kind to share this with your family and friends, it would mean the world to us! Thank you, as we are forever grateful!!!! John and Sandra