I never thought I would be writing something like this. Over the past few months, my life has completely fallen apart in ways I never expected. I lost my apartment and have been living in my car ever since. What most people don’t realize is that my car is no longer just transportation. It’s my shelter, my safety, and the only place I have left to sleep at night. Now, I face the fear of also losing my car as well. every day I wake up, wondering what’s going to happen to me when that day comes. If I lose my car, I lose the only roof that I have over my head. I lose the opportunity to safely get from place to place. I lose the ability to continue to look for work. Most importantly, I lose the ability to take my mother to her cancer appointments, and to be there for her when she needs me the most. I feel like I’m drowning. After high school, I went directly into a career and worked hard to build a future for myself. Since losing my home, I’ve been constantly looking for employment. I’ve applied to jobs that match my experience. I’ve also applied to jobs that are below my experience and I haven’t had any luck. I am trying everything I can think of like offering affordable cleaning services and affordable rides to people in my community, but despite my best efforts i’ve reached a point in time where I simply cannot do this on my own anymore. I have no financial safety net. I don’t have the family members who can financially help me. I don’t have friends who are in a place where they can financially help me either. I’ve applied for assistance, housing programs, and any and all other assistance that I could think of, but everything takes time and time is something that I just do not have anymore. The truth is my mental health has suffered tremendously during this time. Living in a car, unsure of where my future is headed, worrying about my next meal, worrying about my mother’s health, and worrying about what’s going to happen to me when I do lose my car if I’m going to be safe.. it’s all wearing me down a lot more than I let on. I’m exhausted. I am scared. i’m trying my best to keep going. I’m doing everything in my power, but it all just feels so impossible at this moment in time. Right now the most important and urgent thing is keeping my vehicle. Even if it means that I have to sacrifice my next meal or sacrifice sleep or going without any of my other necessities, I need to keep my car. I’m asking for enough support to cover 2 to 3 months of car payments while I continue to look for employment and while I continue to work through my housing assistance and other assistance I’ve applied for. Those few months would give me the chance to breathe, stabilize my situation, and prevent me from falling even deeper into homelessness. I’ve tried applying for loans, but I do not qualify. I’ve explored many different options and I’ve turned up empty-handed every single time. A donation to this fundraiser is more than money. It is time. It is my safety. It is the chance to keep a roof over my head as a young 20 year-old about to be 21 year-old female. Even if that roof is just my car. It’s the ability to keep helping my mom get to her cancer appointments. It’s the opportunity to keep looking for employment. It’s the opportunity to keep looking for housing. It’s the opportunity to focus on rebuilding my life, instead of focusing on where I’m going to be sleeping and if I’m going to be safe.

If you cannot donate, that’s okay. If you would please just consider sharing my story it gives the opportunity to possibly reach somebody who may be able to help make a difference in my life. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for reading my story. Thank you for caring. Thank you for giving me a reason to believe that things can still get better for me. Any support, no matter the amount, will truly change my life right now.