Kates urgent and life saving emergency move

Her story:

My grandmother never imagined she would spend her later years alone.

After losing the love of her life, my grandfather, to lung cancer in 2022, she has been living by herself in Tennessee. She is disabled, wheelchair bound, and has very little local support. The same woman who once hosted every family gathering, holiday, birthday party, and celebration now spends all of her days alone.

Recently, our family received devastating and scary news. Her home is being foreclosed on.

This situation did not happen because she chose not to pay her mortgage. Due to her disabilities, she was physically unable to safely reach her mailbox to send and retrieve important mail. Over time the help she once had was no longer available, and important mail could no longer be sent and critical notices went unread.

She was previously approved to move her mailbox to an accessible location, but the approval required that she or someone she knew physically move it. Living alone with limited resources and unable to do the work herself, she was never able to move the mailbox to a safe/accessible location.

Because of these circumstances, she did not realize just how serious the situation had become until very recently. She is now facing the loss of her home with very little time to prepare with no support nearby, to save money, make arrangements/plan, or pack up her belongings and leave before potentially becoming homeless. We have very little time to get her to safety, this situation urgent.

The heartbreaking reality of losing Dogie: 

One of the most devastating parts of this situation is that she is forced to give up her beloved dog, Dogie. 

 Everyone who knows my grandma knows that Dogie is her soul Dog. Through the loss of her longtime boyfriend, her health struggles, and years of isolation, Dogie has been her constant companion, and her only companion / source of comfort since 2022. 

 Because of housing limitations, rehoming Dogie is unavoidable. The emotional impact of losing both her home and her closest companion in such a short period at the same time will be overwhelming. Mental health professionals have expressed severe concerns about the effects this level of stress could have on her emotional and physical wellbeing. 

Dogie is extremely unsocialized, so we understand this is a tremendous request. However, if there are any experienced trainers or rescue workers in Massachusetts who may be willing to help socialize and provide a new safe home for Dogie with them while willing to send occasional updates and videos / photos to my grandmother and maybe even small visits, that would be a great deal of help for her mental wellbeing, and we would be deeply grateful.

A little more about my grandma’s situation: 

After losing the love of her life, my grandmother was later diagnosed with lung cancer herself. Thankfully, after treatment, she was told she had made remarkable progress and entered remission. 

 Unfortunately, because of the isolation and the lack of transportation she has been unable to attend regular medical appointments and has not seen her doctors in approximately 2 years.

How you can help:

First and foremost, We are not only asking for donations. 

The estimated fundraising goal is approximately $10,000 - $20,000 based on our current updated calculations and expected relocation costs (to stay 100% transparent we listed our calculations below)

We understand that this is a significant amount of money, which is why we are not only seeking financial donations. We are also actively looking for community support, volunteers, nonprofit organizations, housing resources, transportation assistance, and any other services that may help reduce the financial burden of this transition.

If you are unable to contribute financially, there are still many ways you can help. Any and all help would make a life changing difference. 

 Please consider sharing this fundraiser with friends, family, coworkers, community groups, churches, schools, workplaces, social media pages, and anyone/anywhere else who may be able to help. Even a single share can get this fundraiser to someone who has the resources, connections, or expertise making a huge impact.

How the funds will be used:

The cost of relocating a disabled family member across multiple states on short notice is significantly large. We have tried rehoming her prior but the cost was too large and we were unsuccessful, but now we have no choice but to come up with the money, and fast. Donations will help cover…

FIRST AND FOREMOST TO GET HER OUT BEFORE HOMELESSNESS Immediate emergency needs:

-approximately $7,000 will go towards Transportation costs, including movers who can accommodate her medical needs on the large move from Tennessee to Massachusetts (ACC Medlink is the service we will be using)

-Approximately $7,000 will go towards moving costs for her belongings, including either a large U-Haul or a professional packing and moving service capable of assisting an individual in packing belongings into a truck and transporting it for her as she is disabled and cannot do it herself. (Safe Ship Moving Services is the service we will be using)

-Approximately $400 per month will go towards a temporary storage unit for her belongings since housing arrangements are unlikely immediately available on such short notice. (Large 10'x25' unit through the Public Storage company)

-Approximately $1,000 will go toward Dogie’s rehoming and transition expenses. This would help cover transportation, gasoline, veterinary care, food, a crate, and other necessities she doesn’t currently have. The experienced trainer / rescue worker who agrees to take Dogie under the conditions in the “The heartbreaking reality of losing Dogie” section above will be receiving as much supplies/ financial help we have to offer for prices of the necessities to move her.

-Approximately $1,000 will go towards medical and accessibility related expenses, like wheelchair ramps, grab bars, shower chairs, emergency alert systems, medical copays, and any other safety necessities 

-Approximately $100 will go toward Massachusetts relocation expenses such as identification updates

SECOND Housing and Re-establishment:

-Approximately $21,000 will go towards security deposit plus 6 months of rent while she waits for long term affordable housing assistance programs

-Approximately $1,500 for essential household appliances that are currently broken. 

-Approximately $900 will go towards the first 3 months expenses for food, cleaning supplies, and other household essentials

-Approximately $200 will go towards transportation assistance through Uber and Lyft for medical appointments, grocery shopping, and other essential errands while she waits to be approved for an affordable disability transportation service

THIRD comfort, recovery, and quality of life

-Approximately $5,000 will go towards basic furniture and household items to help rebuild a comfortable living space after losing her home and many personal belongings she may need to give up

-If funding exceeds immediate and housing related needs, remaining funds will help provide supplies for hobbies she loves including baking, cooking, and crocheting, which would help in maintaining an emotional wellbeing after such a difficult and stressful time 

-if donors specifically wish to contribute toward this purpose, approximately $2,000 will go towards providing a small companion dog in the future to help ease the emotional loss of Dogie 

Our goal:

Our goal is simple, to bring my grandmother home before she loses everything she has worked her entire life to build.

Most of her children, grandchildren, extended family and support systems are here in Massachusetts. We want her final years to be spent surrounded by family, friendship, laughter, and community, not homelessness alone a thousand miles away.

Thank you for reading, sharing, donating, and helping us save her from homelessness giving her the opportunity to start again back in Massachusetts surrounded by the people who love her most. Thank you for bringing her home.