On the brink of homelessness with dying pup...

Thank you for taking the time to read about the current plight of my family and I. My name is Sean Powell and I currently reside at the Santa Fe @ Cottonwood Apartments in Cottonwood Heights, Utah with my wife, Jill and the love of our lives, our 15 year old shihtzu named "Nero." After paying over $100,000 in rent to Santa Fe, which is managed by AMC Property Management Company, over the course of 7+ years, we are being evicted due to non-payment of 1 months rent (July, 2024). Our 3 day notice has come and gone. We have already been served the summons and complaínt. The final progression of the eviction process is the sheriff coming to our door and escorting us out, at which time we will "move into" our beloved 2007 Outlander with 240k miles. Excuse my language but at our age, with health issues and a lack of street smarts, we are scared sh**less. We have accessed every possible resource in the State and have documented this on NextDoor. We were denied help from UCAP, where the majority of funds for temporary housing crises are funnelled through, being told they are out of funds for the year. We attempted mediation but AMC refused. The Bishop told us he was directed last year to "get out of the housing market." Our extended family members live paycheck to paycheck like many Americans. We have listed every item of value on KSL and Craigslist, many at the 80% discount expected by online buyers. We tried setting up an Etsy store selling custom dog collars. Jill's clothing is up for sale on Poshmark. We have absolutely no safety net to compensate for the temporary financial crisis that resulted from me being laid off in December, 2023. We have been incredibly resilient and creative the past 6 months to stay afloat but our resourcefulness has run out.

This is an incredibly humbling experience asking strangers for help. But we are out of time. And out of ideas. This is our last ditch effort to possibly save our housing.

This is not a campaign to bash AMC. Furthermore, I will not be sharing the many "not so great" experiences we have had with them, as I believe this would take the focus off the fact that one, we are facing imminent homelessness and two, we are amongst MANY families in this State, who as the result of what I see as the proverbial "perfect storm" of factors that include the lowest percentage of available rental units in decades; the proliferation of Real page, a pricing algorithm software that companies suçh as AMC have utilized to continuously raise property rents and is now being investigated in numerous illegal price fixing schemes ( https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/fbi-arizona-charge-rental-firms-in-price-fixing-scheme-centered-around-ai-driven-rent-control-software/) and the fact that many families in America are one paycheck/one unplanned emergency/one temporary crisis away from finding themselves on the streets, are also facing imminent homelessness. However, I will include a screenshot of AMC'S Better Business Bureau record, as we believe it is utter shame that after 7 years of living here, we were refused even an extra week to come up with our July rent. These big money property management companies, like AMC, refuse to give any extra time to those who find themselves in once in a lifetime dire circumstances. To get into the specifics of our situation would require me to write a short novel. I encourage anyone who would like to know the specific course of events that led us here to directly contact me. I am more than happy to share all the specific details dating back to December, 2023.

I think it is important to know that between my wife, who is 52, and myself, at age 46, we have a combined 61 years of full time employment. I have spent my life ín HVAC, recently finding success in the niche branch of Radiant Heating. Jill was employed for two decades in numerous behavioral health positions, including a 5 year SAMHSA Grant to transform Washington State's behavioral health system, based out of the Governors Office. During the years Jill spent at home, helping to raise my son who is now 19, she also volunteered her time ironically supporting the needs of homeless individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. We never dreamed we would be in this position. Again it is incredibly humbling. At the onset of this, Jill and I had some very disturbing conversations regarding what we would do if we soly couldn't handle the thought of going into the streets. We are thankful for our strong faith for returning us to a place where we can believe NO MATTER WHAT that we CAN survive the enormous hurdles we have yet to face. One of our biggest concerns was bringing our completely innocent and beloved Nero, who has been valiantly fighting congestive heart failure for 3 years into this mess with us. It saddens us beyond words to share that Nero has suddenly gone downhill fast over the past 48 hours. Two days ago he was crazily hopping around after going potty, anticipating his special treats. Today, he cannot walk and has stopped eating...even his favorite marshmallows. We are looking for very low cost options for at home euthanasia. Due to our current situation and associated emotional upheaval, taking him into a vet office to be put down simply doesn't feel feasible. However, we will do whatever is necessary to ensure his last days with us are as peaceful and pain free as possible. Prayers that we can put together the resources to make this happen are appreciated. This is a wonderful community and I am thankful for all of you two have graciously taken the time to show care and compassion for us. While we are living the crisis, we are very aware that there are MANY in our situation. My wife's Grandfather, James San Jule was one of the initial organizers of the ILWU (International Longshore & Warehouse Union). She comes from a family of organizers, of people who have served the plight of those less fortunate. We truly care about the welfare of others and this experience has led us to wanting to do anything we can to ensure others don't have to face the utter nightmare we have. It will happen. I have faith that we will somehow endure. With that said, we have been asked by several on NextDoor if we are open to direct financial help...if we can start a GoFund Me. This is our response. Thank you from the bottom of our in the photo, final kisses to Mama from the bestest boy!