Keira's Courage
Donation protected
To begin with, it's important to understand that I didn't did not do anything wrong to get me and my children into this dire situation. It happened WHILE I was doing everything you are supposed to do.
A little over a year ago I took my children and left a ten year abusive relationship after trying everything you can to salvage such things. I didn't know how I was going to do it but I knew it was time to leave. It was terrifying. I didn't have a lot of friends and family for support. I had been isolated for that ten years which is pretty common with abusive situations. But...I went. In the first week I found an apartment and a full time job. After having been a stay at home mom for ten years I was pretty proud of myself for marching out an getting hired by the most prestigious company in our county.
The only problem was that I had to work the graveyard shift. 11:30 at night until 7:30 in the morning. I was promised that it would only be temporary. As the months went on trying to survive on an average of less than four hours a sleep a night - and several times none at all- started to take it's toll. Working hard all night only to get home in time to get kids off to school and take care of all of the things people do during business hours, then after school making dinner, helping with homework, AND all of the other household chores didn't leave any time for sleep.
Needless to say, my health started to fail. It was compounded by finding out that I had unwittingly moved into a sleazy apartment complex that while beautiful to look at was not only posing several health hazards to its tenants including heavy criminal activity, it was also partially low income housing and the corporation that built them teamed up with a law firm that is famous for preying on people who feel they don't have the same rights as everyone else because they are getting some kind of assistance. *I* was paying full price but most of my neighbors were too afraid to lose their housing to lodge formal complaints. Several of the tenants developed staph infections due to the stagnant water in all of the play areas that didn't drain properly and were constantly exposed to both animal urine and feces from people walking their pets in the grass and the ever-present flea infestations in the grass that got tracked into everyone's homes regardless of whether or not they even owned a pet. A bite from one of those fleas was all it would take.
I personally had to have THREE separate infections treated in a little over a year and was trapped (like most of us were) by a very complicated and suspicious lease agreement that among others things stated that we waived the right to ever sue the property or its managers and owners for ANYTHING.
As the months crept by my immune system weakened dramatically. I started losing time from work. I never ONCE missed work without a verification from a doctor stating the it was a legitimate medical reason. Finally one month I was a little late with the rent. I knew I was a couple of days late and I owned up to that no problem. I was fully prepared to pay the late fee and keep going forward. When I tried to I kept being told different amounts. I had payments rejected telling me they weren't for the correct amount once the fees and fines and a rent change had happened. They wouldn't even accept OVER payments. Crazy right?
After a week or two of this I started to become suspicious. I had finally- after a year- been granted a month to month lease. EVERYONE at this complex wants one so that if they ever have the chance to leave they CAN with out having to wait six months or a year first. Something strange was going on...
I had also developed pneumonia at that point. I kept working. I kept taking care of the kids and paying what bills I was ALLOWED to pay and still all with little to no sleep. I was pushing myself harder than ever after the rent scare from missed wages while I was taking MANDITORY sick leave that my physician insisted I take. The long and short of it is that I ended up in the hospital. Terrified. Dangerously sick. And STILL needing to work to take care of my kids. Like most people I can't afford to take time off just because I don't feel well.
A few days after leaving the hospital I got an eviction notice. It gave every impression that it could be avoided by bringing the past amount up to date. With my last little bit of income I knew I could -just barely- do it. That's when the games began with the shifting amounts due. I even contacted THEIR attorneys directly and asked them to please give me one all inclusive statement with every kind of fee and fine and lawyer fees included so I would even know WHAT to pay.
What I got in response was hearing date set for a week later during which I would need to surrender my keys so my kids and I could be locked out of our home while the police and the maintenance guys put everything owned into the parking lot. There was NEVER actual option to pay in full. It was smoke and mirrors all along.
Two days after the eviction notice I got called into the office at the end of my shift at work. I was worried, I remember, because I had barely enough time to rush home from work to get my youngest off to school. ANY delay that time of day could be really bad. And boy was it ever...I got fired that morning. On the spot. Turn in my badge. Not because I had done anything wrong. In fact I have four separate certificates of achievement from the previous year from constantly going above and BEYOND the requirements of my job. However my job was regulated by Tribal law. I worked for the big fancy resort and casino near my home. As most of you know, here in Washington at least, you cannot be fired from a job due to illness. Especially well documented illness and doctor ordered time off. Unless you are employed by the Tribe. My department manager was in tears and he's a tough guy.
To recap...I got very brave and took my kids out of ten years of abuse. I instantly got an apartment and a job with very little support from friends and family. I worked incredibly hard both at home and at work. My kids and I needed time to heal from abuse on top of everything else. I was getting sick from my apartment complex. I was wearing out from working full time at night and never getting anywhere near enough sleep. The same week I got out of the hospital with pneumonia (I still HAD it. I was supposed to take lots of bedrest for awhile) I got an eviction notice to "pay or vacate". So I took what money I had left and TRIED to pay it. I was being played by dishonest property managers and lawyers working for them. Two days later I was FIRED from the job that I did very VERY well for having been sick and missing work.
Wanna know what I am doing tonight? I am trying to pack everything we own and praying we can get some kind of transportation to the storage units I was able to get with -literally- the last few of our dollars. In 36 hours the doors will be locked on which ever of our belongings are still inside. I still don't have a new place lined up. We have a four door sedan. And a big black lab and a bunny and a stray cat the moved in with us along the way. I'm running a fever again.
I DO have unemployment started but that takes 4-6 weeks to process and a 401k that will come to *maybe* $500 when it gets cashed out in 3-4 weeks. I have two job offers.
And the thing is....I DID EVERYTHING RIGHT!!!
I left the abuse like you're supposed to no matter how hard or scary that is. I got a job the first week I tried. Same with an apartment. I worked hard and well. Was a really good mom. Took care of cooking and cleaning and bills...
And this...this is how it ends? Really?
So.. a lot of people told me I should look at Go Fund Me. My first reaction was "No. I'm not asking people for money!" and then I began to think about what it could mean to have some security right now. I started thinking about how I really DIDNT do anything lazy or dishonest. I started thinking about the fact that the pneumonia is almost certainly back. I started thinking about how my kids don't HAVE anybody but me. What would happen to them if I went in the hospital again. What would happen if I CAN'T just start a new job again right now.
When this began -wow- just two weeks ago I found every single agency, church and locally and nationally funded group there is here to try to fix this before it came to this. Homeless... very sick... penniless...and I found out that they aren't actually there. Funding has been cut everywhere to charity and out reach programs in communities all over. I also found out just how many people desperately need resources who ARE JUST LIKE ME! The people who do the right thing, that work hard... provide for their families...are full time parents...get sick through no fault of their own...get FIRED while being an excellent employee...
And THAT is what changed my mind right there. If Go Fund Me can help to keep my family off the streets and grant me the time to get well again BEFORE I go back to work then maybe I could even take it further. Maybe I could gather enough support to have time to update all of these local resources and make them current and actually useful to people in the community. And if it could do THAT...maybe it could generate enough support that I could help to FUND other people like me eventually! I would happily trade nearly ANY job for the chance to help people exactly like me. People who did all the RIGHT things.
So maybe there are levels to this.
The first level is enough immediate relief to get me and my family safely into a home with food and utilities and time to get well again.
Next would be to get enough support to go out and help my community to organize its resources more realistically and network them and get the information to the people who need it.
And finally, with enough support, we could actually affect real CHANGE so this doesn't happen to other families. I would be willing to spend my time making that happen if I had the financial support to do it. SOMEBODY needs to step up and do it. Hard working and honest people who do everything the way they are supposed to are NOT supposed to end up sleeping in their cars with their families in November.
Not me...Not ANYONE.
Once I have my feet firmly on the ground again I would love the opportunity to see just how far we can take this...You may have noticed hard work doesn't scare me. The really stunning thing here is that if this reaches, say, one million people and each one of those people donated ONE dollar -just ONE...only ONE time- we actually *could* make a huge difference. For less than one cup of coffee. ONE time.
Please "like", share, and repost this anywhere you can think of. It IS possible for ordinary people, people who don't have lots of money or power on their own, to create change. Any funding we generate above and beyond the cost of getting me and my family safe will go directly towards helping other families as well.
Thank you for your time and support. We CAN do this.
*As a foot note I already have a pro bono attorney interested in helping all of the people still trapped at my old apartment complex to open a class action suit against the landlords.
A little over a year ago I took my children and left a ten year abusive relationship after trying everything you can to salvage such things. I didn't know how I was going to do it but I knew it was time to leave. It was terrifying. I didn't have a lot of friends and family for support. I had been isolated for that ten years which is pretty common with abusive situations. But...I went. In the first week I found an apartment and a full time job. After having been a stay at home mom for ten years I was pretty proud of myself for marching out an getting hired by the most prestigious company in our county.
The only problem was that I had to work the graveyard shift. 11:30 at night until 7:30 in the morning. I was promised that it would only be temporary. As the months went on trying to survive on an average of less than four hours a sleep a night - and several times none at all- started to take it's toll. Working hard all night only to get home in time to get kids off to school and take care of all of the things people do during business hours, then after school making dinner, helping with homework, AND all of the other household chores didn't leave any time for sleep.
Needless to say, my health started to fail. It was compounded by finding out that I had unwittingly moved into a sleazy apartment complex that while beautiful to look at was not only posing several health hazards to its tenants including heavy criminal activity, it was also partially low income housing and the corporation that built them teamed up with a law firm that is famous for preying on people who feel they don't have the same rights as everyone else because they are getting some kind of assistance. *I* was paying full price but most of my neighbors were too afraid to lose their housing to lodge formal complaints. Several of the tenants developed staph infections due to the stagnant water in all of the play areas that didn't drain properly and were constantly exposed to both animal urine and feces from people walking their pets in the grass and the ever-present flea infestations in the grass that got tracked into everyone's homes regardless of whether or not they even owned a pet. A bite from one of those fleas was all it would take.
I personally had to have THREE separate infections treated in a little over a year and was trapped (like most of us were) by a very complicated and suspicious lease agreement that among others things stated that we waived the right to ever sue the property or its managers and owners for ANYTHING.
As the months crept by my immune system weakened dramatically. I started losing time from work. I never ONCE missed work without a verification from a doctor stating the it was a legitimate medical reason. Finally one month I was a little late with the rent. I knew I was a couple of days late and I owned up to that no problem. I was fully prepared to pay the late fee and keep going forward. When I tried to I kept being told different amounts. I had payments rejected telling me they weren't for the correct amount once the fees and fines and a rent change had happened. They wouldn't even accept OVER payments. Crazy right?
After a week or two of this I started to become suspicious. I had finally- after a year- been granted a month to month lease. EVERYONE at this complex wants one so that if they ever have the chance to leave they CAN with out having to wait six months or a year first. Something strange was going on...
I had also developed pneumonia at that point. I kept working. I kept taking care of the kids and paying what bills I was ALLOWED to pay and still all with little to no sleep. I was pushing myself harder than ever after the rent scare from missed wages while I was taking MANDITORY sick leave that my physician insisted I take. The long and short of it is that I ended up in the hospital. Terrified. Dangerously sick. And STILL needing to work to take care of my kids. Like most people I can't afford to take time off just because I don't feel well.
A few days after leaving the hospital I got an eviction notice. It gave every impression that it could be avoided by bringing the past amount up to date. With my last little bit of income I knew I could -just barely- do it. That's when the games began with the shifting amounts due. I even contacted THEIR attorneys directly and asked them to please give me one all inclusive statement with every kind of fee and fine and lawyer fees included so I would even know WHAT to pay.
What I got in response was hearing date set for a week later during which I would need to surrender my keys so my kids and I could be locked out of our home while the police and the maintenance guys put everything owned into the parking lot. There was NEVER actual option to pay in full. It was smoke and mirrors all along.
Two days after the eviction notice I got called into the office at the end of my shift at work. I was worried, I remember, because I had barely enough time to rush home from work to get my youngest off to school. ANY delay that time of day could be really bad. And boy was it ever...I got fired that morning. On the spot. Turn in my badge. Not because I had done anything wrong. In fact I have four separate certificates of achievement from the previous year from constantly going above and BEYOND the requirements of my job. However my job was regulated by Tribal law. I worked for the big fancy resort and casino near my home. As most of you know, here in Washington at least, you cannot be fired from a job due to illness. Especially well documented illness and doctor ordered time off. Unless you are employed by the Tribe. My department manager was in tears and he's a tough guy.
To recap...I got very brave and took my kids out of ten years of abuse. I instantly got an apartment and a job with very little support from friends and family. I worked incredibly hard both at home and at work. My kids and I needed time to heal from abuse on top of everything else. I was getting sick from my apartment complex. I was wearing out from working full time at night and never getting anywhere near enough sleep. The same week I got out of the hospital with pneumonia (I still HAD it. I was supposed to take lots of bedrest for awhile) I got an eviction notice to "pay or vacate". So I took what money I had left and TRIED to pay it. I was being played by dishonest property managers and lawyers working for them. Two days later I was FIRED from the job that I did very VERY well for having been sick and missing work.
Wanna know what I am doing tonight? I am trying to pack everything we own and praying we can get some kind of transportation to the storage units I was able to get with -literally- the last few of our dollars. In 36 hours the doors will be locked on which ever of our belongings are still inside. I still don't have a new place lined up. We have a four door sedan. And a big black lab and a bunny and a stray cat the moved in with us along the way. I'm running a fever again.
I DO have unemployment started but that takes 4-6 weeks to process and a 401k that will come to *maybe* $500 when it gets cashed out in 3-4 weeks. I have two job offers.
And the thing is....I DID EVERYTHING RIGHT!!!
I left the abuse like you're supposed to no matter how hard or scary that is. I got a job the first week I tried. Same with an apartment. I worked hard and well. Was a really good mom. Took care of cooking and cleaning and bills...
And this...this is how it ends? Really?
So.. a lot of people told me I should look at Go Fund Me. My first reaction was "No. I'm not asking people for money!" and then I began to think about what it could mean to have some security right now. I started thinking about how I really DIDNT do anything lazy or dishonest. I started thinking about the fact that the pneumonia is almost certainly back. I started thinking about how my kids don't HAVE anybody but me. What would happen to them if I went in the hospital again. What would happen if I CAN'T just start a new job again right now.
When this began -wow- just two weeks ago I found every single agency, church and locally and nationally funded group there is here to try to fix this before it came to this. Homeless... very sick... penniless...and I found out that they aren't actually there. Funding has been cut everywhere to charity and out reach programs in communities all over. I also found out just how many people desperately need resources who ARE JUST LIKE ME! The people who do the right thing, that work hard... provide for their families...are full time parents...get sick through no fault of their own...get FIRED while being an excellent employee...
And THAT is what changed my mind right there. If Go Fund Me can help to keep my family off the streets and grant me the time to get well again BEFORE I go back to work then maybe I could even take it further. Maybe I could gather enough support to have time to update all of these local resources and make them current and actually useful to people in the community. And if it could do THAT...maybe it could generate enough support that I could help to FUND other people like me eventually! I would happily trade nearly ANY job for the chance to help people exactly like me. People who did all the RIGHT things.
So maybe there are levels to this.
The first level is enough immediate relief to get me and my family safely into a home with food and utilities and time to get well again.
Next would be to get enough support to go out and help my community to organize its resources more realistically and network them and get the information to the people who need it.
And finally, with enough support, we could actually affect real CHANGE so this doesn't happen to other families. I would be willing to spend my time making that happen if I had the financial support to do it. SOMEBODY needs to step up and do it. Hard working and honest people who do everything the way they are supposed to are NOT supposed to end up sleeping in their cars with their families in November.
Not me...Not ANYONE.
Once I have my feet firmly on the ground again I would love the opportunity to see just how far we can take this...You may have noticed hard work doesn't scare me. The really stunning thing here is that if this reaches, say, one million people and each one of those people donated ONE dollar -just ONE...only ONE time- we actually *could* make a huge difference. For less than one cup of coffee. ONE time.
Please "like", share, and repost this anywhere you can think of. It IS possible for ordinary people, people who don't have lots of money or power on their own, to create change. Any funding we generate above and beyond the cost of getting me and my family safe will go directly towards helping other families as well.
Thank you for your time and support. We CAN do this.
*As a foot note I already have a pro bono attorney interested in helping all of the people still trapped at my old apartment complex to open a class action suit against the landlords.
Organizer
Keira Leggett
Organizer
Marysville, WA
