I need a divorce

On Friday March 25, 2016 my current husband was arrested for assaulting me. This was the third time I had to call police after an altercation with him. After trying to get divorced for four years, I am turning to fundraising for assistance in getting out of this situation.

 

Some important facts about the situation:

 

I have filed for divorce twice by myself, each time this person has been able to contest the divorce because I am unable to afford an attorney.

 

I work two part-time jobs and have been actively looking for more work, but I still do not make enough to apply for another divorce myself or obtain an attorney.

 

Fortunately, the man who assaulted me has moved out of our shared home, but  has left me with all bills to be paid, including past due bills. There is no way for him to be forced to pay his share of these bills without filing for divorce through an attorney.

 

To make ends meet in the past few months I had to sell any items I can, including my car.

 

I have two children; these children are not the children of the man who assaulted me.

 

I do not get any financial help. I do not receive child support from the father of my children. My children and I do not qualify for any public assistance at this time because of my legal marriage to the man who assaulted me. My youngest son has autism, limiting my ability to work so that I may care for him.

 

We need assistance immediately.

 

 I have been left with many unpaid bills and having to sell possessions, such as my car, have even further limited my work options. While friends have helped tremendously by bringing food and allowing me to borrow their vehicles when needed, this is not a situation that can go on very long. We are in jeopardy of losing our home in May if I cannot pay our bills.

 

My option then will be to move into a shelter for abused women, which is not an option for my children. Their father shares custody, and is a good father, but moving into a shelter will mean I will lose partial custody of my children for an undetermined amount of time. Living in a shelter would still cost me money and these shelters are like half-way houses, where former prison inmates stay. Shelter options are not helpful because women who are abused do not deserve to be treated like criminals.

 

Any amount will help, but $5000 will help get us back on track immediately. I would be able to start paying off overdue bills, purchase a used car, and most importantly, obtain an attorney and file for divorce to be free of this situation once and for all.

 

I have spent much of my adult life helping people in need.  Asking for this financial help and sharing about the abuse I have been experiencing is very difficult for me but I risk losing so much if I do not so this. As a writer, I have found solace in writing about the experiences of my life. I hope one day to write a book about these experiences. The stress of trying to feed my children day to day takes over, but I have still managed to have my work published regularly. With this initial financial support, the opportunities for me to provide for my family by myself in the future increase dramatically.

This not only will help stop the abuse I have experienced recently, but will help me from ever getting into another situation like this. It will afford me the opportunity to not only get out of this situation but to continue my search for further employment and give me a starting point to obtain the very specific childcare my youngest son needs in order for me to work full time. It will allow my family to stay together in this very difficult time, instead of the possibility of my children being seperated from me temporarily, the thought of which is already causing them tremendous stress that a child should not be subjected to.  
 

If you donate to this campaign, know that you are supporting good people that devote themselves to trying to make the world a better place. Know that you are donating to people who live very simply. I am a woman who has pulled herself up by her bootstraps her whole life, I have never had a diamond ring despite being married twice, I have never thought I deserved anything I have not worked for, I am a woman that works two jobs and still struggles to make ends meet because of the situation my marriage keeps me in. This situation is nearly impossible to get out of without the finances to do so.