Dry Tags

My husband left us high and dry said he was tired of supporting a family.I am a single mom with three kids we have been homeless for 3 weeks staying at a motel. But I could not afford it any longer all my money goes to food for my children and showering at a truck stops and the bus to take my children to school. Because of our situation I am no longer able to work 4o weeks so my checks are about 188 a week.It is getting harder and harder. If I could raise enough money to move into a apartment I would be able to work longer hours because I know my children would be somewhere safe while I am working.Tried government assistance but because I do have a job I only qualify for 200 in food stamps. Please help us.

i need rent money asap. i lost my job, child support is draining me dry, my bills are killing me. just need a little help. also have two children livin with me.

I am a 32 year old single mom who is desperate need of some financial assistance. I am actually two months behind on rent due to me loosing unemployment temporarily. I can not afford to be put out on the streets with my daughter who is disabled. She is 11 and has cerebral palsy. We have already had a rough start to to the year and this was just an added stress. Please can someone help me an little helps. We currently owe 3,000.00 in total including the court fees. Any little bit would help. I tried to get a loan and assistance from charities... It seems everyone is tapped dry... Please help...

Thank you,


A worried mom,

Michelle

I moved in with my girlfriend 2 months ago. I left Boston to come be with her in NYC. My work had run dry until April. She had just been evicted from her apartment by a slumlord landlord who stole her belongings. We were living from paycheck to paycheck. Supporting each other as best we could. We didn't have enough money to get an apartment of our own, so we got a one month sublet, which ended up being a nightmare-living in a closet with our 2 cats, and dealing with the scum of the earth roommates who made us feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, and awful. During that first Monty, we spent our savings just living. We both work in the creative fields, myself a musician, an she an actress. Work was spotty at best. We borrowed money from friends and family, feeling terrible about ourselves every time. Mid-month, I decided to file for unemployment. (something i had never thought I'd ever do)
The money we were expecting from that would have paid her union dues, giving her a pay bump by about 400%. This would have enabled us to not only survive, but get on our feet and pay back our friends/family. About a week and a half after filing, my boss calls me and tells me I can't file, or he'll go out of business due to the fact he's never paid insurance on his employees. He convinced me he'd cover my unemployment pay (totaling $4,343) if I agreed to recind my claim, thus saving him tens of thousands of dollars in back-taxes. I agreed. As soon as I'd done that- he tells me his lawyer advised him not to do that, and that he never agreed to that in the first place.
I have now been playing phone tag with my unemployment agent for weeks trying to restart the claim, and have the state go after him for the money he owes them.
Meanwhile, at the end of January, we had to move again. We couldn't find a place in time, and ended up staying in a motel in Stamford for a night while we made appointments to see a few places. We awoke to the front desk and housekeeping ladies banging on our door, telling us we have to leave or they'll call the cops. We are still fighting Hotwire.com for charging us for that.
Luckily, we found a place that night. The expenses of having to move though, totaled over $500. (rental car, motel, storage)
The apartment we are in now is shared with 4 other people. It's a two bedroom. There are 3 people sleeping in the living room. There are cockroaches. We once again have to move out, by March 7th. We have applied for foodstamps. (they have yet to be approved)
This time around, we have no money to move with. Our resources have been tapped. We are out of options. Work is still spotty, and we have borrowed from everyone we know.
We have a week to come up with rent, cell phone bills, and moving expenses. Nevermind money for food to ear everyday. (as I type this, we are preparing to go out and sell some things for food money)
I have never been this scared in my life. I doubt that writing this is going to make a difference, but I have to try everything.

If anyone reading this wants a specific number that would get us out of this- its $5,000. Here's the breakdown:
$1,000 rent. (not counting a deposit)
$1760 my girlfriends union dues (which means she makes enough to get us on our feet)
$175 storage fee
$250 cell phone bills (it's a month late, an we're on the same plan)
$130 car rental to get our stuff out of the apartment
$40 rental car gas (they charge $9 a gallon if you don't fill the tank when you return the vehicle)
$1,000 for food for the two of us and cats' supplies. (food,litter)
And the rest would be to pay back some of the people who've already been there for us helping us along the way.

Please. Please help. We are a young couple in love. Scared. Trapped. Out of options.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you will find it in your heart to consider helping us.

Hello my name is Caitlin and this is new for me. I have three children total they are 4,2 and my youngest is 2 months old and just came home from tbe NICU a couple of days ago. My husband left me and the kids high and dry 7 weeks ago today. I am now trying to figure out how i am going to be able to pay my bills, buy food, and clothe my children. I am unable to work since my son needs 24/7 care for his problems of being born 3 months early. Thank you for taking the time to read this, I hope my gaurdian angel will answer my prayers.

I am a 32 year old woman and i live with my 14 year old daughter and my 40 year old fiance of 12 years! We have always had money problems because whilst i have worked in retail, my fiance has had trouble finding a permanent full time job. I have been the breadwinner all of this time. We now have stable, permanent full time jobs and are working hard to pay off our debts that have been building up.

During the past 6 and a half years we had to downgrade our property and rent a small damp home in a rough part of town. The mould is getting increasingly worse and i have to de-mould the walls and windows every 3 weeks. The house smells damp and it is hard to retain the heat as there is no double glazing. The agency is aware of the problem but the landlord doesnt want to shell out any money to fix the cause of the mould/damp so has given us a dehumidifier!!
We are too embarrassed to invite friends or family over and likewise so is my daughter.

My fiance and i have been working to pay off all the debts that built up (£2,000 rent arrears £1,500 water rates, £500 council tax and a £1,500 electric bill). Thankfully we only owe £500 rent now and aim to pay this off by the end of may.

What we will struggle to do is save up a deposit for our next rented property. It will probably be about £1,000 for a months rent in advance and a deposit. We will get our deposit back from this house which is £380, and we will save as much as poss ourselves. We would all really like to move before summer as this house only has a tiny backyard and it doesn't even get any sunlight. The washing doesn't even dry out there!!
Any donations would be greatfully received and very much appreciated. The sooner we move, the better!

hi,i am a stressed out mum with 5 children,2 have Aspergers/Autism and i am trying my best to look after them and study so that i can better myself and hopefully be able to take them for a little holiday as we have never been anywhere.i do not want to go anywhere expensive,just a weekend away with them would be the best ever.my house also has terrible dry rot,i have spent all the money i had having it treated (house insurance would not cover it).we had to rip all the kitchen worktops and units out(ruined by rot)and knock all the plaster off the walls to treat it,if i could just have any small amounts i could buy kitchen units on sale and try and give the children a tidy clean place to cook and eat their food and do their homework in,i will be extreemly greatful for any amounts to help me so that the children will have a better life,my autistic son cant cope with mess and cries all the time and asks me why he is the only boy in his class that hasnt been on holiday.thank you for reading this plea and if you feellike you would like to help out i am eternally greatful.thank you from the bottom of my heart.

FASD stands for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. I am disabled in more than one way & I am homeless. I need help, Money mostly. there are very few jobs open for those like me. I am getting divorced due to domestic violence. Since I have no dredit card, or paypal thing, Please sent donations to Quinn Pender, General Delivery, Tillamook OR 97141. Please I am desperate & need help. I am living in a closet which is dry but cold & uncomfy. Help me please. I make 300 dollars a month my SS disability. I use a wheelchair sometimes but I can get around ok. I have a bike.

Hello. I am on the verge of graduating. I only have two more semesters left. The problem is, I am running out of money. I have money set aside for school, but I did not know about fee's I would have to pay while in the nursing program. They added up over my first three semesters. Now my money is running dry. I have a part time job, but that I use that money for rent and bills. If I do not get funds soon, I will have to drop out and work full time. Thanks for listening.

Hi im 26 n have two wonderful kids (1 n 7) resently we have fallen on really hard times n moved in with what seemed like a nice couple til we found out they were stealing the rent money n we got evicted i have no family anywhere near to help me n by the time we can get to a shelter they r closed u see i work full time monday thru fri n dont get off yil 7 pm its the middle of winter n trying to find a dry warm place to rest is getting harder n harder so if u can help with any sort of donation it would really help im trying to get an apartment n can only do that with ur donations thank you for ur time

My name is Meya Acuna and I am writing you in hopes that you can (or lead me to someone who can help) help bring a Christmas miracle to pass! I am really putting my faith out here because this is something that I've never done before, but am in desperate need. I am a 30 yr old stay-at-home mother to a 4 yr old and 22 month old and am 5 months pregnant. Having turned 30 I have had a revelation that I am in need of continuing my education to not only help my family financially but to be an inspiration to my children who will one day wonder why I did not live my dreams and get a degree in education.

Over 10 yrs ago I began on the right track attending TCU for a semester but with no funds saved up for college it was soon apparent that I would not be able to finish. Much to my despair, I left Ft. Worth and began living out of my hurt by getting into drugs, lascivious living and just keeping bad company. It wasn't until I met my husband, a PK (or preacher's kid), that I realized what I was missing and that I did have hope and didn't have to carry around the shame and anger at not being able to finish school. I stayed home and worked while he got to go out and travel the world in a Christian band, living his dream while I helped to support us and when he got off the road we decided to begin a family. Well no one told us how hard that would be especially financially and I soon left work to take care of my children because the cost of daycare was too much for us (almost 1200 for the two of them!). My husband lost his job earlier this year due to a bad truck accident that left him needing two surgeries and us on public assistance. But we moved to Seguin and he was able to start work at TPS thank God. It doesnt pay all our bills but we are so thankful! We also moved back here to begin work on a ministry with a focus on our youth. We are big volunteers at our church, always making ourselves available to what needs to be done for not only our families but our community. Most recently we've assisted with our youth at the Daddy/Daughter Dance sponsered by the SPD and the Blue Santa wrapping days. It has been hard on just one income and in the past 2 years we have moved 5 times with our children finally settling in Seguin. I am from Austin and had never lived in a real community of people before. I love it here! Everyone speaks to everyone and it is not so rushed. I'm in awe of how a community is supposed to be! Parades, Holiday Strolls, wow!

This past two weeks we have done things we have never had to do before like seek help from Community Council and Salvation Army for utility assistance and visit the EATS food pantry. I'm thankful they were there but I just never thought in a million years I'd be needing those types of services. This is also what pushed me to go back to school. I need to do something bigger than me to feel that I've accomplished a legacy for my children. I won't let them suffer worry and fear the way we have recently. But I need help.

I'm pleading with you to please help me pay $982.07 to Texas Christian University before January 1st for a Loan that I owe. If I pay this loan off by then I will be free to attend a university with Federal funds to attend classes and began pursuing my Associates Degree in Early Childhood and ultimately a Bachelors in Education. I plan on getting a teaching certification and giving back to the community that helped me by working in a low-income school here and sharing my story through hard work that people helping people can make a difference in someone's life. Again, I'm not asking you for money for me or my family or Christmas presents or any "thing". I am looking to pay directly to TCU in Ft. Worth. None of the funds would go to me. I trust that what we need as a family my God will supply, because He has kept us this long and it's only going to get better. Please be a part of this transition out of a dry place into abundance. I'm humbling myself today by doing this and I trust that if you can or know someone who can, you will help me. Thank you for your time and consideration and I look forward to sharing a good report!

I am a mom of four, I was laid off a month ago, we had enough saved up to get us through this far but it's running out, my partner has breast cancer and that has been bleeding us dry also. We don't care about gifts for Christmas, I just need to make sure my sick partner and our four kids have a roof over there heads. I don't know how it's come to this I know this time of year its hard for everyone but anything would help. Rent is 1140. Regardless of if you can help or not Merry Christmas, Good Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah,Happy Holidays.

Without sufficient friends or family to rely on, a single person with special-needs pets needs your help in any amount. No steady work in spite of many interviews and diligent searching, multiple health issues, and lack of adequate support network have left this person in a desperate situation. Ten dollars will buy a bag of groceries. One hundred dollars will pay an electricity bill. Eight hundred dollars will help keep this person and the pets in their home. Eighty dollars will help keep communications open so this person can continue to look for work. Eighty-three dollars will buy prescription dry and canned pet food. Twenty dollars will pay for human prescriptions. Two hundred dollars will buy a warm winter coat that fits and which is suitable for job interviews. Five dollars will buy a thrift store garment in the person's current size (presentable clothes that fit are an issue). One hundred twenty dollars will buy a suit for a job interview. Sixty dollars will buy shoes that do not hurt and which are suitable for work. Thirty dollars will help pay for the laundromat for a couple of weeks. Fifteen dollars will buy an herbal supplement to help treat a life-threatening condition.

The financial situation for this person has become very dire due to lack of work. The person is applying for many types of jobs at any rate of pay. This is a skilled and educated individual who is eager to do any work of which the person is capabale. Any amount can help relieve the health-robbing pressure and burden on this person. Two hundred fifty dollars would allow the person to get a needed cleaning for the first time in over two years and to check on tooth pain and a possible jaw problem. Ten dollars will cover the required donation required to visit a low-income medical clinic. Twenty-five dollars will cover most urgent prescriptions for a month.

Two dollars will buy a little bit of fruit. Four hundred dollars will provide a vision exam and new glasses or a couple of pair of replacement lenses as this person is having difficulty seeing with the old glasses.

Please forgive the third person description. It is very hard to write this and just about impossible to use the word "I" in telling this story.

Even a tiny amount will help go for something necessary. No amount is too large or too small to be appreciated or put to practical use to help a very grateful person climb out of a very bad situation and create a more stable and secure life. Thank you again for reading.

Cliche but true, I'm trying to finish my first novel but half-finished books don't bring much money. I left the military (honorable discharge) after my four years because the life just wasn't for me. I thought I would find a job easily but it's been over a year now that I remain unemployed. The 'break' has enabled me to get started on my dream of making a living writing but after 25 chapters (out of a planned 40) my funds are dry. I have one meal a day and I've gotten deathly sick of noodles and cheap pizza but it's all I can afford. Help!

I'm out of work due to medical issues and being denied for short term disability (2 times now). It can take another 45 days to hear back on my most recent appeal. I'm selling my daughters outgrown clothing.

All clothes are between 2t-5/5t and are Gap or Gymboree brand. Most all are outfits, some with numerous pieces per lines. All are washing in cold, on delicate, and HUNG to dry! I take very good care of my daughters clothing since it was a hobby of mine to sell/trade her gymbo and gap. Now it's for survival!

I have mostly spring/summer lines, but still some winter as well. Alot of the spring/summer lines have matching sandals as well. Prices go based on outfit.

Hello, I need help in paying my overdue rent and phone bill for this month. I run a business and could loose everything. I usually do well but I just happened to hit a dry spell over the last month. I am $400 short and need cash fast. I would appreciate all the help I can get. Every dollar or donation counts. Thanks for all your help in advance.

My name is Missy. I am a 49 year old struggling grandmother of 3 sweet, beautiful boys, ages 5, 7 and 8. I am trying desperately to save and protect my grandsons and ensure their futures. I would not ask help if it were only for me. I am asking for help for them, so that my 3 innocent little grandsons will be safe, secure and have a chance in life. As things stand right now, we will be homeless within the next 2 weeks.
My greatest fear is that when (not if) I do become homeless, which isn’t that far off, the state will take my grandsons because we have no place to live, split them up and put them in foster homes. That thought scares the hell out of me. I am all those sweet little boys have. And if they lose each other too, after losing everyone and everything else that they known and loved, I fear their lives will be ruined at the tender ages of 5, 7 and 8.
I suffer from PTSD, COPD and fibromyalgia and each day I struggle with mental distress and physical pain. We live near the New Orleans Metro Area in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. We were displaced for a year after Hurricane Katrina, came back, bought a mobile home in Lafitte, Louisiana and tried to rebuild our lives. In 2008, when Hurricanes Gustav and Ike hit us back to back, our home was flooded with more than 4 feet of water; unreachable, except by boat for over 2 weeks.
At that time, my mother, age 75, had been experiencing the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s as well as a series of strokes which affected the memory and impulse control centers of her brain due to a vascular disease which severely decreased the flow of blood to those areas of her brain. During these TIA’s and small strokes/seizures, she behaved erratically and during larger ones she could become paranoid and psychotic. She had to be hospitalized for several of the more severe episodes, as she was becoming a danger to herself and others. The effects of these episodes lingered for days, sometimes weeks. Afterwards, she had no memory of anything that happened during that time period.
After the storms, we moved in with my mother to help her and because we did, FEMA stopped helping us. And since we could not afford to rebuild again without FEMA’s help, we lost our home. The recent BP oil spill was just another deep blow to our already struggling local economy.
Mom required 24/7/365 assistance and supervision, which she could not afford. She was eventually diagnosed with vascular disease of the brain and Alzheimer’s. Due to the region of her brain that was affected her disease went unnoticed for several years, until she had a large enough stroke to prompt her to seek medical attention. This diagnosis explained her erratic behavior of the past several years, I have since been homebound, unable to leave mom untended for any length of time and unable to work outside the home due to my mother’s need for the past 3 years.
My mother passed away this past April at the age of 79. She had suffered from Alzheimer's and vascular dementia, suffering several major and minor strokes and seizures over the past 6+ years. On April 9th she suffered a massive stroke, lingering for 9 days before passing on the 18th. God rest her soul, I miss her. I loved my mom very much and did everything I could to help her.
To add to the difficulties already faced by our loss, my youngest daughter, who had been living in Ohio with what turned out to be a conman/ junkie twice her age that saw a vulnerable young woman with 3 children and took advantage of that fact, had been physically, verbally and emotionally abusive to all of them for the past 1½ years. 2 weeks before Mom passed, she got in major legal trouble in Ohio and sent my 3 young grandsons to me to raise.
Now, things have turned for the worst... On August 17th we discovered that my eldest daughter took my mother to an attorney and had her write a will leaving everything my mother had to her and excluding me! This abominable act was done 1 month after Hurricane Katrina when ALL of us were distraught and displaced from the storm! My mom was not in her right mind at that time, even though a full diagnosis had not yet been made on her true condition.... Also, in Louisiana, the bar for mental competency is set so low that so long as you are not actively drooling and babbling in front of the judge/attorney/witnesses you are considered competent!! It doesn’t matter if you won’t remember doing it five minutes later either. My mother, in her right mind, would NEVER have disinherited me.
Now, my greedy, self-serving, ungrateful eldest child decided that she will evict us so she can try to sell my mother's home, in which I and my grandsons, her nephews still live, so she can pay off mom's debt, which she exaggerates, and her student loans. She is fully aware of our circumstances, she just doesn’t care. The only transportation I have for my grandsons is the truck my mom gave me before her death, but did not have the money to transfer title on. It is now part of mom’s estate and she took that too.
I called the Clerk in division where probate/ succession on my mom were filed... Clerk said that I need an attorney to file contest to the will, herein lies the problem... there is not 1 single legal aid agency in the ENTIRE New Orleans Metro area that can handle a contested will!! There are also no private attorneys that will handle it either, unless there's big money in it for them, which in this case there is not.
Clerk also said she has no idea why I was never notified. Judge signed off regardless. There seems to be no justice for the poor in this country... since we can't afford to pay the exorbitant fees of a private attorney, which seems to be a necessity to get anything done in the courts. I have tried appealing to my daughter’s sense of decency, but she doesn’t seem to have one. Her actions are despicable and deplorable. I am ashamed to be her mother. It breaks my heart and sickens me to know that I brought such a hateful, selfish, greedy, heartless person into this world. I did not raise her to be that way.
I've called every single legal aid agency in my area; including the Bar Assoc. Lawyer referral service... no one will help because there just isn't any money in it for them... sad state this country is in when the poor cannot get justice anywhere.
We were told by the eviction court judge on Sept 12th, that we have 24 hours to vacate our home... stating that our situation is a matter for probate court. Thankfully, we found a place, however, we still need about $800.00 more to pay the $420.00 we still owe our new landlord to avoid eviction from this new place by the 5th of October plus $365.00 to the light company which will be past due (cut off)on the 7th and includes a new deposit and transfer fee.

I've also called churches and other charitable organizations for help... there are so many families in need in the New Orleans metro area that any help is minimal. ALL homeless shelters are full up with waiting lists so long they are no longer taking applications for assistance.
I have applied for Section 8 housing, but there is a HUGE waiting list. The HUD Section 8 waiting list in Louisiana is backlogged 5+ years and has more than 20,000 applicants still waiting for vouchers, many of whom are currently homeless. They are not accepting any new applicants.
I have contacted EVERY charitable and public/community service agency that I can think of for help... none has been forthcoming as of yet..... Is there ANYONE out there with a heart who can and will help us? I have nowhere else to turn.
I’ve spent days seeking legal help... bottom line... none available... so since if my defense is denied and I can't fight the eviction then we are out on the streets with nowhere to go.
My nerves are shot; the house hunt is not going well.
I am hurt by my daughter’s actions and so sickened over all of this mess that I can barely think straight. I cry myself to sleep every night and awake with tears in my eyes and a rock in the pit of my stomach. Yet I dry them and try to be strong and act as if everything is normal for my grandsons who need me now more than ever. I still haven’t had time to grieve my mother’s death.
We are now faced with trying to find alternate housing that we can afford on the $840.00 a month income that I receive in Kinship Care for my grandsons. Fat chance in this over-priced rental market. Even a 1 bedroom apartment in Crack Alley goes for more than my income in this post-Katrina/Gustav/Ike market.
And it's starting to look like me and my grandsons will be homeless very soon... by the end of the 1st week in October.
Their mother is in prison and their deadbeat, psycho father hasn't been seen in almost 2 years, ever since he beat the hell out of his girlfriend, killed their little dog in front of my boys, stole and trashed her car and ended up in a mental hospital wanting to kill himself... my babies have had enough grief and loss in their lives... they need love, help and compassion.... and a decent place to live... soon!
We’re trying to stay in this area because my boyfriend of 11 years, and my only help, has an elderly, widowed mother who needs his help too. And we are all she has. She cannot take us in because her trailer is very small and there is no room for 5 more people in it.
Work is also scarce and hard to find in the New Orleans metro area due to the huge influx of big out of state companies with their out of state workers getting all of the bigger jobs and contracts and the even larger influx of foreign laborers so severely underbidding the smaller construction jobs, cutting local workers and sub-contractors, like my boyfriend, right out of the job market. Every day he goes out hunting for work taking any job offered.
I have prayed on this so hard and so often since this mess all began. I have put my burden in Jesus' Hands. For He is the only one that can save us. I can only hope that he sends us Angels to deliver us soon, for without help from someone, somewhere here on earth we are lost. I feel so lost and utterly alone... this truly is my darkest hour.
If there is ANYONE out there who can offer assistance, legal, residential, financial, whatever help you can give... please contact me ASAP. I have exhausted all available resources.
Right now, I can barely afford toilet paper to wipe our butts with.
We are thankful and grateful for the help we have received from 5 of my 267 facebook friends, our local churches and the 2nd Harvest Food Bank, as well as some assistance on our utility bill from our local community action organization. That meager help has helped us survive thus far, but our resources are nearly spent. Please have mercy on us and donate whatever you can to help me save my family. If enough people with a heart and some compassion give up just 1 cup of Latte from Starbucks and donate to help save us, we will be able to make it… small donations add up and every little bit helps.
Thank you for listening to my problems and for your consideration of my plight.
May God Bless you tenfold for any help you send us.
Proverbs 3: 3-7
Let not mercy and truth forsakes you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart,
And so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

My landlord is coming here tomoro morning to collect my remaining rent, 420$! Im on a month to month lease! Please!!!!
I had a tire blow out on me, i had to get this fixed as i did just start school again! Well tire place said my rear two tires are dry rotted, and made me sign a form that i was told my car is unsafe!! The steel is showing in one of thdm, So i also need two tires! Please im going to be homeless again!!! My daughter just cant stand this stress! Please!!! Im going crazy with the fear of crashing on the way to her school, and now of being homeless! Please!!

The area we live in has taken a major blow to the economy. Our house we were so proud to buy has plummeted and due to us being so underwater in its value it is just sucking us dry until we lose it in the near future. Every time i feel that i am getting somewhat ahead i take 10 steps back. It is one thing after another and it never ends i cant take it anymore. I never thought i would lose everything i own but it is coming down to it. I am on the verge of losing my house and if that happens i will lose my job and my car. I have a wife and a daughter and another on the way and i have no clue how i am going to get baby items for my new child. Please help with any amount big or small. Please help me end my stess and worry. I am not looking for any specific amount anything counts even if it is just a penny.

I am a 49 year old struggling grandmother of 3 sweet, beautiful boys, ages 5, 7 and 8. I am desperately trying to save and protect my grandsons and ensure their futures. I would not ask help if it were only for me. I am asking for help for them, so that my 3 innocent little grandsons will be safe, secure and have a chance in life. As things stand right now, we will be homeless within the next 2 weeks.
My greatest fear is that when (not if) I do become homeless, which isn’t that far off, the state will take my grandsons because we have no place to live, split them up and put them in foster homes. That thought scares the hell out of me. I am all those sweet little boys have. And if they lose each other too, after losing everyone and everything else that they known and loved, I fear their lives will be ruined at the tender ages of 5, 7 and 8.
I suffer from COPD and fibromyalgia and each day I struggle with physical pain. We live near the New Orleans Metro Area in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. We were displaced for a year after Hurricane Katrina, came back, bought a mobile home in Lafitte, Louisiana and tried to rebuild our lives. In 2008, when Hurricanes Gustav and Ike hit us back to back, our home was flooded with more than 4 feet of water; unreachable, except by boat for over 2 weeks.
At that time, my mother, age 75, had been experiencing the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s as well as a series of strokes which affected the memory and impulse control centers of her brain due to a vascular disease which severely decreased the flow of blood to those areas of her brain. During these TIA’s and small strokes/seizures, she behaved erratically and during larger ones she could become paranoid and psychotic. She had to be hospitalized for several of the more severe episodes, as she was becoming a danger to herself and others. The effects of these “episodes” lingered for days, sometimes weeks. Afterwards, she had no memory of anything that happened during that time period.
After the storms, we moved in with my mother to help her and because we did, FEMA stopped helping us. And since we could not afford to rebuild again without FEMA’s help, we lost our home. The recent BP oil spill was just another deep blow to our already struggling local economy.
She required 24/7/365 assistance and supervision, which she could not afford. She was eventually diagnosed with vascular disease of the brain and Alzheimer’s. Due to the region of her brain that was affected her disease went unnoticed for several years, until she had a large enough stroke to prompt her to seek medical attention. This diagnosis explained her erratic behavior of the past several years, I have since been homebound, unable to leave mom untended for any length of time and unable to work outside the home due to my mother’s need for the past 3 years.
My mother passed away this past April at the age of 79. She had suffered from Alzheimer's and vascular dementia, suffering several major and minor strokes and seizures over the past 6+ years. On April 9th she suffered a massive stroke, lingering for 9 days before passing on the 18th. God rest her soul, I miss her. I loved my mom very much and did everything I could to help her.
To add to the difficulties already faced by our loss, my youngest daughter, who had been living in Ohio with what turned out to be a conman/ junkie twice her age that saw a vulnerable young woman with 3 children and took advantage of that fact, had been physically, verbally and emotionally abusive to all of them for the past 1 ½ years. 2 weeks before Mom passed, she got in major legal trouble in Ohio and sent my 3 young grandsons to me to raise.
Now, things have turned for the worst... On August 17th we discovered that my eldest daughter took my mother to an attorney and had her write a will leaving everything my mother had to her and excluding me! This abominable act was done 1 month after Hurricane Katrina when ALL of us were distraught and displaced from the storm! My mom was not in her right mind at that time, even though a full diagnosis had not yet been made on her true condition.... Also, in Louisiana, the bar for mental competency is set so low that so long as you are not actively drooling and babbling in front of the judge/attorney/witnesses you are considered competent!! It doesn’t matter if you won’t remember doing it five minutes later either.
Now, my greedy, self-serving, ungrateful eldest child has decided that she will evict us so she can try to sell my mother's home, in which I and my grandsons, her nephews still live, so she can pay off mom's debt, which she exaggerates, and her student loans. She is fully aware of our circumstances… she just doesn’t care. The only transportation I have for my grandsons is the truck my mom gave me before her death, but did not have the money to transfer title on. It is now part of mom’s estate and she wants that too.
I called the Clerk in division where probate/ succession on my mom were filed... Clerk said that I need an attorney to file contest to the will… herein lies the problem... there is not 1 single legal aid agency in the ENTIRE New Orleans Metro area that can handle a contested will!! There are also no private attorneys that will handle it either, unless there's big money in it for them, which in this case there is not.
Clerk also said she has no idea why I was never notified… Judge signed off regardless. There seems to be no justice for the poor in this country... since we can't afford to pay the exorbitant fees of a private attorney, which seems to be a necessity to get anything done in the courts.
I received a 10 day "Notice to Vacate" posted on the door August 24, 2011. My daughter wants immediate possession of the property she manipulated/unduly influenced my mentally ill mother into willing to her barely 1 month after Hurricane Katrina. I don't know where we will go. I will have enough money on September 3rd to pay either 1 month's rent or the deposit, but can't raise both in time I have left. I also have the added expenses of my regular utility bills and new expenses for the transfer of utility services and/or deposits, and transportation. So I need to raise about $2000.00 within the coming 2 week period.
I have tried appealing to my daughter’s sense of decency, but she doesn’t seem to have one. Her actions are despicable and deplorable. I am ashamed to be her mother. It breaks my heart and sickens me to know that I brought such a hateful, selfish, greedy, heartless person into this world. I did not raise her to be that way.
I've called every single legal aid agency in my area; including the Bar Assoc. Lawyer referral service... no one will help because there just isn't any money in it for them... sad state this country is in when the poor cannot get justice anywhere.
I've also called churches and other charitable organizations for help... there are so many families in need in the New Orleans metro area that any help is minimal. ALL homeless shelters are full up with waiting lists so long they are no longer taking applications for assistance.
I have applied for Section 8 housing, but there is a HUGE waiting list. The HUD Section 8 waiting list in Louisiana is backlogged 5+ years and has more than 20,000 applicants still waiting for vouchers, many of whom are currently homeless. They are not accepting any new applicants.
I have contacted EVERY charitable and public/community service agency that I can think of for help... none has been forthcoming as of yet..... Is there ANYONE out there with a heart who can and will help us? I have nowhere else to turn.
I’ve spent days seeking legal help... bottom line... none available... so since if my defense is denied and I can't fight the eviction then we are out on the streets with nowhere to go.
My nerves are shot; the house hunt is not going well.
I am hurt by my daughter’s actions and so sickened over all of this mess that I can barely think straight. I cry myself to sleep every night and awake with tears in my eyes and a rock in the pit of my stomach. Yet I dry them and try to be strong and act as if everything is normal for my grandsons who need me now more than ever. I still haven’t had time to grieve my mother’s death.
We are now faced with trying to find alternate housing that we can afford on the $840.00 a month income that I receive in Kinship Care for my grandsons. Fat chance in this over-priced rental market. Even a 1 bedroom apartment in “Crack Alley” goes for more than my income in this post-Katrina/Gustav/Ike market.
And it's starting to look like me and my grandsons will be homeless very soon... by the end of the 1st week in September.
Their mother is in prison and their deadbeat, psycho father hasn't been seen in almost 2 years, ever since he beat the hell out of his girlfriend, killed their little dog in front of my boys, stole and trashed her car and ended up in a mental hospital wanting to kill himself... my babies have had enough grief and loss in their lives... they need love, help and compassion.... and a decent place to live... soon!
We’re trying to stay in this area because my boyfriend of 11 years, and my only help, has an elderly, widowed mother who needs his help too. And we are all she has. She cannot take us in because her trailer is very small and there is no room for 5 more people in it.
Work is also scarce and hard to find in the New Orleans metro area due to the huge influx of big out of state companies with their out of state workers getting all of the bigger jobs and contracts and the even larger influx of foreign laborers so severely underbidding the smaller construction jobs, cutting local workers and sub-contractors, like my boyfriend, right out of the job market. Every day he goes out hunting for work taking any job offered.
I have prayed on this so hard and so often since this mess all began. I have put my burden in Jesus' Hands. For He is the only one that can save us. I can only hope that he sends us an Angel to deliver us soon, for without help from someone, somewhere here on earth we are lost. I feel so lost and utterly alone... this truly is my darkest hour.
If there is ANYONE out there who can offer assistance, legal, residential, financial, whatever help you can give... please contact me ASAP. I have exhausted all available resources.
I need at least 2 bedrooms in a safe neighborhood... my total income is $840.00 per month... Right now, I can barely afford toilet paper to wipe our butts with.
We are thankful and grateful for the help we have received from our local churches and the 2nd Harvest Food Bank, as well as some assistance on our utility bill from our local community action organization. That meager help has helped us survive thus far, but our resources are nearly spent. Please have mercy on us and donate whatever you can to help me save my family… every little bit helps.
Thank you for listening to my problems and for your consideration of my plight.
May God Bless you tenfold for any help you send us.
Proverbs 3: 3-7
Let not mercy and truth forsakes you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart,
And so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

I inherited my late fathers car when he passed away. It is currently falling apart to the point I can't afford to fix it. I am forced to sell it as much as this hurts.First the hurt of loosing my dad, and now this!! I am one of the few that have a job and I am going to college full time as well. Not having a car is destroying everything I have worked so hard for. I tried to get a loan for $3500 to get a decent car that will not break down on me all the time but I have no credit so I am getting the cold shoulder from lenders and dealerships alike. I have spent many hours on the internet searching for ways to get the money but came up dry. I have a family and a house to pay for as well. Please won't someone out there have a good heart? My situation is dire. I only need $3500.

My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer about 2 years ago, and with all of the doctor's visits and time missed from work, she was laid off. The company said it wasn't related to the medical situation my mother was going through, but you could tell it was. She worked for a very successful bank and was one of the top workers. Anyway, she's been living off of her unemployment and it's run dry. I did have a job for almost a year, but since we became homeless I lost it due to missing days. We slept a different place every couple of days, and I just couldn't keep the job. I am 20, my mother is 41 and I have two younger siblings. We are on the verge of being evicted and have not even eaten today. Luckily, we are going to a soup kitchen tonight, but I don't know what we will do after that. Any help would be appreciated, even if it's small. Thank you!

Hello there, I am typing this in the hope that I gain your help in raising the necessary funds that I am going to use to buy my family a brand new home that is warm,dry and healthy. Now I know that some of you are reading this and simply thinking "oh good luck with that one.." but I do firmly believe if you state what it is that you need and keep the faith that it will happen...then it will happen.

I am a firm believer in "doing" rather than sitting around and "waiting" so that's basically it in a nutshell really, my family and I (I have a husband and 4 children, he works and Im a stay at home mum) are sick of living in a damp and cold place when we know our kids deserve way better but we just dont have the funds to do this. Now Im not asking for donations to go out and purchase some top notch house or anything but it will be something warm, dry, insulated (this one we are in isnt) and a place that we can actually call "home". I may not raise all the funds needed in one go but I am so determined to make this work and I believe everything happens for a reason so if you are one of the many kind hearted people in this world reading through these and wondering which one to donate too....I have faith that you will help me in my journey to owning a home that is actually healthier and warmer for my family...and knowing that your donations will be receieved with much appreciation and gratitude. God bless you all that read this.

I have been laid off for six months. I was living on tax money and with handouts from relatives but both have run dry. I need 500 by Wednesday or I'm going to be out on the street.
Please, I'm a very young college student and I have nothing to my name. No one will give me a loan-- not the bank, not the student loans, not my parents, not my friends. I have no options left.

I am 32 years old. I moved to the city I live in about 6 years ago, and have constantly been struggling. I actually am one of the most generous people I know, which is part of the reason I am in the mess I am in. After an abusive relationship ended, I was left in a house by myself. I ended up getting some roommates, who in the long run, ran me dry. When the people who lived with me wouldn't pay their portion of the rent or bills, I had to pay it. One of my roomates didn't have a job for 8 months, and I was the only person working in my house, and trying to pay his portion of the bills, as well as my own. I supported many of my friends when they were in need of help, only to find that many of them, sponged off of me for as long as they could, and left me in lots of debt. To make matters worse, I ended up having a huge water leak in my house, which ran my water bill up to close to $3000 dollars ( yes, three THOUSAND dollars) I have no family that I can ask for help, and all I really want, is to be able to pay my bills, and live...not worry about food, not worry about getting evicted because my rent behind. It has gotten to the point where I am so broke, all I really can eat is ramen. I am incredibly stressed out all the time...what little money I have has gone to pay all these bills that are behind, not because I wasnt supporting myself, but because time and time again I tried to help other people, and they let me down. I am frustrated, tired and need help so badly...and I dont know where to turn. The fact of the matter is, I need help or I will literally become homeless. I dont have any family to turn to, so I dont even know where I could go. I am gonna be honest, I feel so lame, trying to beg people to help me online who dont even know me...but I really just dont know what else to do. I am a good person, who has had so much bad luck - especially over the past year and a half....I just dont know what else to do about it. If anyone sees this, and wants to help me out, with anything, I would be forever greatful.