Housing/Debt Repayment Fund
Donation protected
I'm Martina Robinson. I am 40 and have cerebral palsy. Any time I want to leave my bed I need a wheelchair. I've never let that stop me. I am socially active and have even held public office. I relocated from Pennsylvania to Belchertown, MA in 2001.
I moved to North Shore of MA to take my dream job as a peer advocate the Independent Living Center of the North Shore and Cape Ann. I worked there from October 2014 to January 2015. During that time I got many respiratory infections and my severe plastic allergy made me bedridden for about 2 weeks. Finally, I was let go do to these issues, after which I vowed to reclaim first my health, then my job.
Losing my job also meant losing my apartment, which I had an office in. After attending housing court several times, I was evicted. I could have gone back to my office for help, but I was too embarrassed and still licking my wounds.
I moved into the first of a series of hotels. I even invited my friend Mark (pictured with me in the campaign photo with me) to come here and live because Massachusetts has better service for people with Disabilities (PWD). He and his lovely service cat, M.C. Cuddles move into the suite I was was sharing with my PCA and our cats. He was feeing an unsafe situation. Apart from our housing issues, he seems to be adjusting well.
I had some money from the housing authority and friends to pay the hotel. But I began to have problems with the money from the powers that be became revoked, because they had not evaluated what resources Mark was bringing to the household. In the end, Mark, who is also on disability income, even paid for a few weeks. .
I made another judgement error at this time. Due to my fear of what my mother would say I failed to reach out for help. I know that had I reached out for assistance I would have been assisted, because my friends and community are just that awesome. My mother says Mark is dangerous; he's absolutely not. He's a total sweetheart and fellow advocate who also has cerebral palsy.
I know that a am a grown woman and I should not have been concerned with my mother's opinion because I have decided what I am going to do anyway (due to the fact that I have decided that my actions are better for social change or the actual people involved). I can't both decide that my mother's DEAD WRONG about an issue while not doing everything I can to secure what I feel is the right outcome because I am worried about her feelings. It took a few significant occurrences for me to realize this basic fact, but NOW IT'S GOING TO AFFECT HOW I LIVE MY LIFE FROM THIS POINT FORWARD.
i've learned a lot during this endeavor and expect to do some really awesome writing about it in the future, You know how they that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger. This experience has made me m uch stronger, I bthank the people who supported me during it with money, hotel points, or just being there, I wish I'd leaned on you sooner, If I had I might have been in a place by March and had house for Mark to move into rather than a series of hotels.
But I can't go back in time to make different decisions. I also can't go back to Pennsylvania (although that would make certain people- not me- happy). Thanks to all the people who stood by me. I can't undue the past. I can only improve. Our entire household Mark, our assistant, and our three cats, have applied to live in an apartment in Somerville. We should hear about that soon.
I love to each and every one of you. If you can't contribute, please signal boost. The amount I am requesting will cover about 25% of the funds I need,
Budget;
Continue hotel stay- $2000
Repay other's kindness- $5000
Unexspected What Not: $800
I moved to North Shore of MA to take my dream job as a peer advocate the Independent Living Center of the North Shore and Cape Ann. I worked there from October 2014 to January 2015. During that time I got many respiratory infections and my severe plastic allergy made me bedridden for about 2 weeks. Finally, I was let go do to these issues, after which I vowed to reclaim first my health, then my job.
Losing my job also meant losing my apartment, which I had an office in. After attending housing court several times, I was evicted. I could have gone back to my office for help, but I was too embarrassed and still licking my wounds.
I moved into the first of a series of hotels. I even invited my friend Mark (pictured with me in the campaign photo with me) to come here and live because Massachusetts has better service for people with Disabilities (PWD). He and his lovely service cat, M.C. Cuddles move into the suite I was was sharing with my PCA and our cats. He was feeing an unsafe situation. Apart from our housing issues, he seems to be adjusting well.
I had some money from the housing authority and friends to pay the hotel. But I began to have problems with the money from the powers that be became revoked, because they had not evaluated what resources Mark was bringing to the household. In the end, Mark, who is also on disability income, even paid for a few weeks. .
I made another judgement error at this time. Due to my fear of what my mother would say I failed to reach out for help. I know that had I reached out for assistance I would have been assisted, because my friends and community are just that awesome. My mother says Mark is dangerous; he's absolutely not. He's a total sweetheart and fellow advocate who also has cerebral palsy.
I know that a am a grown woman and I should not have been concerned with my mother's opinion because I have decided what I am going to do anyway (due to the fact that I have decided that my actions are better for social change or the actual people involved). I can't both decide that my mother's DEAD WRONG about an issue while not doing everything I can to secure what I feel is the right outcome because I am worried about her feelings. It took a few significant occurrences for me to realize this basic fact, but NOW IT'S GOING TO AFFECT HOW I LIVE MY LIFE FROM THIS POINT FORWARD.
i've learned a lot during this endeavor and expect to do some really awesome writing about it in the future, You know how they that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger. This experience has made me m uch stronger, I bthank the people who supported me during it with money, hotel points, or just being there, I wish I'd leaned on you sooner, If I had I might have been in a place by March and had house for Mark to move into rather than a series of hotels.
But I can't go back in time to make different decisions. I also can't go back to Pennsylvania (although that would make certain people- not me- happy). Thanks to all the people who stood by me. I can't undue the past. I can only improve. Our entire household Mark, our assistant, and our three cats, have applied to live in an apartment in Somerville. We should hear about that soon.
I love to each and every one of you. If you can't contribute, please signal boost. The amount I am requesting will cover about 25% of the funds I need,
Budget;
Continue hotel stay- $2000
Repay other's kindness- $5000
Unexspected What Not: $800
Organizer
Martina Robinson
Organizer
Danvers, MA
