I lost my job last year on July 7th thanks to the rise in things like Up Work and other “virtual assistant” type services that employ people working in other countries that lack the same labor laws and regulations as the U.S. I’ve spent the entirety of my career working in administrative positions and at one point I was able to comfortably take care of myself, my daughter and our two dogs. Unfortunately with the rise of these virtual assistants, jobs that once employed people like me and paid a livable wage ($20-$30/hr) are now outsourced to people who work for $5/hr and don’t require benefits or paid time off, etc. I’ve been searching for stable work ever since, I interview weekly, if not multiple times a week. I’ve put in thousands of job applications at this point and have fallen so far into debt it’s painful. I no longer have a car, if it weren’t for family giving us a room to stay in we would be homeless. In Florida where I live there are very few government programs to help, we have no housing is aid like other states, we don’t even qualify for SNAP benefits for some reason.

I honestly don’t know what to do at this point, as school is about to restart. I have no money to get my teenage daughter school clothes, while I’m continuing to try to find work the only thing I can think of maybe if I can somehow manage to get a car I can do Uber Eats, or instacart, something to bring in some kind of income until I find a job. It’s just been an uphill battle, I have the working experience, I have references, I can pass background checks and drug screenings, I don’t understand why I can’t even get a call back from Walmart or Burger King. It’s maddening.

I know I am not the only person who is dealing with these kinds of problems so I feel bad even thinking of this as a viable option for help but I don’t know what else to do in the meantime so I’m making this fundraiser because at least I can say I have tried every single thing to figure this out.

thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this, share it along or help if you’re in a position to be able to do so.