I am a mother and I'm reaching out to you for help in one of the most difficult times of my life. My son, who was valedictorian last year at the Excel Center in Lafayette, IN, is my pride and joy.

He landed his first job at a bakery last year, and I was thrilled to see him pursue his passion for baking. However, our happiness was short-lived as we found ourselves homeless with our three cats.

(pictured above: Carlos and White Tip chilling together at our last hotel. 3rd one is somewhere sleeping. They usually don't hang out much but need each other during this time)

I can't even begin to describe the pain and heartache we've been through since early March 2023, when we became homeless. We've been turned away from homeless services because we couldn't bear to give up our furry family members.

It's been a rollercoaster of emotions, but we've been blessed to receive donations of food, cat supplies, and even hotel stays from kind-hearted individuals who've heard about our story along the way.

We've been exploring better resources in Indianapolis, but we're still not out of the woods yet. Our funds are running dangerously low, and we're struggling to make ends meet.

Every donation, no matter how small, will make a difference in our lives. We want to get back on our feet and provide a stable home for ourselves and our cats.

This is why we're asking for your help. Here is where the funds will go:

* Rental application fees. Averages about $30-$50 per person. About $300 is probably reasonable.

*food. I applied for EBT but got denied because of a paperwork technicality which I am appealing. The appeal process could take up to 3 weeks.

* gas. To drive my son to interviews and the first couple weeks on the job, some other normal driving. (I work remotely therefore not needed for me).

* hotel stays. Ideally, we would like to stay at Extended Stay America which is pet friendly and has monthly discounts and a full working kitchen. The last quoted price was about $1700 for a month. If not, then an average hotel stay elsewhere is about $60-$70 per night or about $1800 per month.

Total: I am setting the GoFundMe goal to $2,000 to cover the hotel stay for one month and then anything extra will go toward the other items listed above.

If you can't donate, please consider sharing our story with your friends and family, leaving a comment or a word of encouragement, or even hiring me for freelance web design work. My portfolio is available at theWPGirl.com, and you can also support us through Venmo (lizzylinn) and CashApp ($stompingunicorns).

Thank you for reading. We appreciate all the friendships, words of encouragement, research, and advocating people are doing on our behalf which has touched me considerably.

God bless ❤

Pictured above: temporary office set up at the Red Roof

Pictured below: not the best view (they are remodeling) but it's cheap and everyone is safe

pictured below: beautiful sunsets from the same hotel location pictured above, which I will take as a positive sign that maybe something positive will come out of this experience.