Urgent Support for Amber and Zen After T.S. Helene

Friends and family and anyone so moved:

Um, I don’t know where to begin. I know so many are struggling, so many are worse off than me and it feels icky to even be asking for help.

This Hurricane hit while I’ve been embroiled in a personal hurricane of separation, custody litigation, and seeking a safe, stable refuge for Zen and I to live. I have been fortunate enough to be renting an air bnb in the neighborhood, close to Zen’s father, for the last 7 weeks while I sought a more long term, stable housing solution. After weeks of arduous determination and scrambling for all the work I could muster, I managed to secure an apartment for Zen and I to live very near our current neighborhood. We are slated to move in on Wednesday Oct 9th, less than a week from the time of this writing. I signed the lease agreement the evening hurricane Helene came rolling into town.

For the foreseeable future, I have lost all of my income in the wake of the devastation that is still unraveling. I, and the community are in a state of collective shock.

To ensure Zen and I’s housing future, I’m humbly requesting donations to help support us in that end. At least until things stabilize and our financial future becomes clear.

I’ve worked as a self-employed vacation rental cleaner; for the last 4 years. As of this writing, I’m not even sure if some of the properties I have been servicing are physically there anymore. One is very near the town of Chimney Rock that no longer exists. I’m still processing this fact. It’s too hard to accept the reality that such a beloved place, a place we joyfully took family and friends when they came to

visit, is no longer in existence. I took Zen there mere months ago to the gem mine place with his visiting cousins and again more recently to wade in the water.

One of my most recently secured clients, PROS Sportshousing (a national, professional athlete housing company headquartered out of Phoenix, AZ) may have also gone by the wayside. The River Mill Lofts Apartment complex in Biltmore Village, where the athletes are housed during season, flooded the entire first floor rendering the building condemned. Not sure at this time what will become of that revenue stream when the Tourists (the local MiLB team here) season begins in March. Another long-time client, is in the river arts district. She is safe, thank goodness. The future of her air bnb remains uncertain.

We are also approaching our busy leaf season where the bulk of my earnings would ordinarily come from.

I will be applying for DUA (Disaster Unemployment Relief) and hope that I qualify. I’m not sure if it’s income-based but if it is, I may be out of luck there; I show very little income over the last year as I gave birth to a hearty 10lb 3oz boy by c-section and have worked little while taking care of him the last year.

If you are able and willing, Zen and I graciously and humbly accept your donations. They will assure that our basic housing needs are covered for some period of time before DUA is hopefully sorted out and work can resume.

I have all the supplies (diapers, formula, food, water, etc) that I need. Cash to ensure our rent and bills are paid for the foreseeable future is the chief necessity and my greatest stressor.

I will keep everyone posted as things develop and as I hear from DUA on what financial assistance they may or may not provide. I will also remove this GoFundMe once sufficient funds are reached and/or DUA assistance comes through. Not even sure how to determine ‘sufficient amount’. I just know I need to ‘stop the bleeding’ so to speak and ensure Zen and I’s stable housing future. The little I have saved won’t last long in Asheville’s high cost rental market.

Please feel free to message me directly with any questions/clarifications you may have.

And, if you are aware of other resources I may qualify for or just have general information that could be helpful, I welcome it. This is my first natural disaster. And with a 1 year old. And in the middle of a separation and a complicated, active custody arrangement being sorted out. It’s a lot.

Thanks again for anything you have to offer: cash, information, tips, support, positive affirmations. We need it. We thank you. And my heart goes out to my beloved community and those suffering. I hope to get out and volunteer in the efforts to supply aid and rebuild asap.

Humbly,

Amber & Zen

*GoFund Me would like me to specify that I am raising the funds for myself and my son, I live in Asheville, NC and the funds will be used to pay rent and bills to keep a roof over our head in the coming months.