Hi, my name is Jacquie. I'm a single mother and artist from Chattanooga, TN. I have a beautiful 15 year old daughter who just lost her father.

In September of 2023, I was renting a house in Red Bank. My ex husband was dying of cancer and asked me if I would move in with him to help take care of him. I said I would. He was declining pretty quickly, so I had to spend a lot of time making appointments, taking him to appointments, talking with providers, filling out paperwork, dealing with friends and family members, taking him to the hospital, taking care of him, taking our daughter to visit him every day once he went to the hospital and hospice and eventually getting him into hospice. At the same time he asked this of me, a new management company took over the house I was living in. I turned in my notice to vacate on October 3rd explaining why I was leaving early. I got a message back from the office the next day stating the terms for breaking my lease and sympathy regarding my ex husband.

I went about my business and continued to care for my ex. I lost my job, because I missed too much work. On October 14th (my birthday), my daughter and I were on our way to hospice to visit him when I had a flat tire. I called roadside assistance but found out my car doesn't come with a spare tire. I had to have it towed, on a Saturday afternoon, to the dealer. I didn't get my car back until Tuesday, the 17th. Sadly, my ex passed away on the 18th (his birthday). Because of the flat tire and his death, I wasn't able to make it back to my house until the 23rd. A friend of his had gathered some people to help me move, so I went to pick up some clothes for the memorial and drop off some boxes, so I could finally start packing. When we got there, the house was completely empty, the locks had been changed and there was a realtor's lockbox on the doorknob.

EVERYTHING I owned was gone. My entire wardrobe, my shoes, purses, bed, bedding, dishes and cookware, canisters, thousands of dollars worth of art supplies and equipment, my inventory, toiletries, makeup, a jewelry box full of jewelry, my daughter's stuffed animals, sewing supplies and fabric, a laundry basket full of yarn - everything I needed to live and make money. I had to close my Etsy shop. I couldn't do markets over the holidays. It has completely ruined my life and my business.

I was in total shock. I had no idea what to do. I tried calling the office (Monday late afternoon) and all I got was voicemail. The only previous interaction I had with this company was their response to my notice. I left a message that went unreturned. The next morning, I sent an email. Still no response. I received a response just before they closed on Wednesday telling me that they will look into it. I sent several emails asking for answers and finally Friday (just before closing again), I got an email from the Director stating that he spoke with the owner and everything was in the detached garage, that I had no access to, except for my washer and dryer that were still in the house. Apparently for the next tenant who moves in. Finally, an entire week later, someone met me out there, so I could pick up my belongings. There was nothing in the garage and no explanation. After that, it was pretty much crickets from the management company.

Now, I have two sets of attorneys battling with each other (neither of which are mine because I can't afford one) as to whose fault it is. Each side denies cleaning out the house, but someone had to do it!!! In the meantime, they are trying to say my stuff wasn't worth anything, so that they won't have to pay me anything. Now, I'm sitting here with no way to make money and they don't care. I have been lied to by both parties. From what I can gather, a new employee entered my notice to vacate date as my move out date and told the owner I had moved out.

Here are the clothes I have. I have a small amount of makeup that I brought to his house and a couple of pairs of shoes. That's pretty much it. I have no way at the moment to support my daughter. Her birthday is Tuesday. I would love to be able to get her something and take her to dinner. We had a very thin Christmas which is sad after just losing her father.

I'm just looking for some help to get me through and get caught up on some bills until I can find another job and get a settlement from the management company or the owner. Also, I need to replace some of my equipment and my sewing machine, so I can start selling art again.

If you prefer to commission a painting instead of donating, my commissions are open. You can look at my Instagram @artistjacquie and message me there to order a custom painting.

Any help is greatly appreciated.