Lost my job and in dire need of help

Raised:

 USD $150

Campaign created by Brian Glaser

Campaign funds will be received by Brian Glaser

Lost my job and in dire need of help

Hello,  My name is Brian. I am 62 years old.   I have had a very difficult time over the last nine years.  My dad (Marvin) was my business partner and we ran different businesses over the years from restaurants to arcades, antique shops, fish and aquarium shops. I was owner and operator of an online ebay business called Royal Koi. We sold and shipped live Koi fish all over the country. I did that from 2002 to 2014 and it was quite successful.  When I lost my dad (who was the accountant for the company) I became depressed and soon after Royal Koi was no more.  My dad was an entrepreneur and like to take risks in business. He also dabbled in the stock market, multi-level marketing etc.. My mother (who passed away in 1997) hated his business gambling.  He took several mortgages on the house to pay for business expenses or sometimes to pay debt. I lived in the same home with my dad for 44 years.  In 1998 my dad sold Legends of Crofton Restaurant in Crofton Maryland.  Three crooked individuals purchased the place with an agreement to make a partial payment right away and take over the day to day business operations and make monthly payments. Well, after several months they stopped making payments.  We eventually sued them in court.  Their attorney was Marvin Mandel. ( he was a former Governor of Maryland and a pretty slick attorney) My dad at that time was struggling financially and represented himself pro-Se in court. It was a Kangeroo court and on a technicality the crooks got away without paying my dad over 600K that was owed to him.  My dad was a CPA and these guys still got away without paying for most of what they owed us.  This was the beginning of the end.  For years after we owned several smaller businesses trying to make a living. Eventually, my dad decided he had to do a Reverse Mortgage on the house.  The house should have been easily paid for years ago, but again my dad was a business risk taker and it cost him and especially me now.  He passed away in 2014 at the age of 81. This caused me great pain and sorrow. I was very close to my dad.  Now panic set in..there was no way I could pay the 300K that was owed to the lender (Champion Mortgage) and I knew Foreclosure was coming.  The Lender had been charging him with very high inappropriate interest rates ( my dad was a CPA, but at this point he had dementia)  The money that I made from my Koi business had been used mostly to pay back the bank so I would be able to stay in my home. It did pay some of the dept down, but with the high interest rates it was definitely not enough. I was left with some assets and I tried to find a job, but I had never worked for anyone, it was always family business for me.  I wind up doing flea markets and that kept me going so I could pay for food, utilities, etc. I did not make enough money to try to refinance and because my dad was the owner and borrower of the property, no one at the bank would deal with me.  Ultimately I got evicted from my home in Fort Washington Maryland on a hot summer day in late June 2017.  The sheriff came with a crew and put whatever I still had in the house out on the street,.  I had some cash and a little money in the bank.  I lived in my car most days. The Pastor of a Church that I attended let me stay in the Church.  I did that and sometimes I would book a hotel so I could get cleaned up and rest. I was able to shower at Planet fitness when I stayed in my car. A friend let me couch surf for a while.  Then I finally landed a job with a big retail store TJX...HomeGoods as a sales associate. I was living in a homeless shelter while working and it was very difficult. I stayed at the shelter for two months. In the mean time, I started saving money and eventually I had enough to live in an Extended Stay hotel/apartment.  It is where I live right now. Unfortunately for me after nearly five years with HomeGoods I was fired in March of 2023 (wrongfully terminated) ( I currently have an EEOC complaint against them for age discrimination) They repeatedly lied about the reason for my termination and tried to block my unemployment benefits. On top of that, when I apply for a job and list them as my last place of employment, I don't get the job. My former employer was making changes in favor of youth and more diversity, and I have suffered because of it.  I am a Christian man, so I forgive them and I hold no grudges.  I have less than $200 now in my bank account and about $20 in cash.  In July of this year I developed a blood clot in my right leg and I was unable to walk or wear a shoe on my right foot for nearly two months.  My rent payment is now past due.  I am in danger of being evicted in the very near future.  I've tried local agencies for rental assistance but they tell me they are only able to help families with children, or that they have no funds at this time.  I don't know if I could survive being homeless again. I hope and pray that there are some compassionate people out there who can help me. Any amount would be greatly appreciated.  God bless you.

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