Help Katie and Chris find a Home
Donation protected
Chris and Katie have been friends of mine for about three years now, and while they are some of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet, their life is anything but. Currently, the two of them are living in a rented house with Chris’s family where they are constantly fighting to scrape by.
Chris has been trying to find steady work in New Bedford, MA for as long as I have known him, but due to having no personal transport, and not having the funds to pay for the bus, he has been forced to take odd jobs such as sporadic baby sitting to get at least some money for food and personal items.
Katie suffers from BPD, among other mental illnesses, and extreme scoliosis to the point she was deemed disabled by the state. She does get some income from disability, but due to their living situation, they pay up to 90% of it in rent and utilities to Chris’s family.
Currently, they live in a single room that had been in use by Chris’s brother. When they moved into the room, they found that it was infested with bedbugs. They lived with them for over a year, doing their best to keep the infestation from spreading. Recently the family decided that they wanted them to get rid of all their possessions. Despite it being Chris’s families fault for the infestation, they had him and Katie pay to throw away their own furniture and most of their own possessions without helping in any way. If not for a local donation center they would be without a bed in the coming months.
They currently have no saving, no reliable form of income that isn’t spent on their rent, and are barely getting by through dumpster diving and what few donations friends can send. They need help and what little friends can provide is not enough to keep them afloat. Living with Chris’s family has become not only a monetary strain but a mental one for them as well. They are constantly guilted to buy supplies for the family despite their lack of sufficient funds in comparison to others in the house. Katie is berated for her mental illnesses whenever Chris is not around, and while he has done his best to stop this, he has been unable to stop it completely. Katie’s mother, her only surviving immediate family, helps where she can, but is unable to do much since she also suffers from BPD and is barely able to scrape by herself.
The main thing they need right now is enough money to open a bank account so they can get into a different home. They are on the waiting list for Section 8 housing but are still in the 400’s on the waiting list. They need enough to rent a studio apartment for the winter months when it will be even harder for Chris to find work, get them the basics they will need -food, utilities, personal items-, and have enough to make sure Chris can pay for the public transit system to boost his chance for steady work.
This Gofundme is currently being run by myself (Rebecca) for two reasons. The first is that Katie and Chris do not currently have internet, and secondly, they have no bank account to connect to the fundraiser. As soon as enough is raised for them to open a bank account -about 100-200 dollars- I will transfer the fundraiser to Katie and Chris.
Currently, the goal is 10,000 dollars. Rent in their area is anywhere from 600-800 dollars a month for a studio or 1 bedroom apartment with utilities. Being able to afford groceries and personal items will be another 300-400 dollars a month. The goal of 10,000 dollars is to make sure that they are able to afford to move to an apartment and rent it for the winter months while not have to worry about Utilities and groceries during that time. This will also allow them to start putting what income they do have into savings so they can get back on their feet and make it easier for Chris to find a steady job.
We're hoping that enough can be raised by November so they can move into a new place before the worst of the East Coast winter weather sets in.
If you are able to donate, thank you so very much from both me and these two wonderful people. If you are not, thank you for taking the time to read this gofundme, and if you can, please share it with others. The hardships these two have gone through could fill novels. It would be wonderful if they could start a story with a happy ending.
Chris has been trying to find steady work in New Bedford, MA for as long as I have known him, but due to having no personal transport, and not having the funds to pay for the bus, he has been forced to take odd jobs such as sporadic baby sitting to get at least some money for food and personal items.
Katie suffers from BPD, among other mental illnesses, and extreme scoliosis to the point she was deemed disabled by the state. She does get some income from disability, but due to their living situation, they pay up to 90% of it in rent and utilities to Chris’s family.
Currently, they live in a single room that had been in use by Chris’s brother. When they moved into the room, they found that it was infested with bedbugs. They lived with them for over a year, doing their best to keep the infestation from spreading. Recently the family decided that they wanted them to get rid of all their possessions. Despite it being Chris’s families fault for the infestation, they had him and Katie pay to throw away their own furniture and most of their own possessions without helping in any way. If not for a local donation center they would be without a bed in the coming months.
They currently have no saving, no reliable form of income that isn’t spent on their rent, and are barely getting by through dumpster diving and what few donations friends can send. They need help and what little friends can provide is not enough to keep them afloat. Living with Chris’s family has become not only a monetary strain but a mental one for them as well. They are constantly guilted to buy supplies for the family despite their lack of sufficient funds in comparison to others in the house. Katie is berated for her mental illnesses whenever Chris is not around, and while he has done his best to stop this, he has been unable to stop it completely. Katie’s mother, her only surviving immediate family, helps where she can, but is unable to do much since she also suffers from BPD and is barely able to scrape by herself.
The main thing they need right now is enough money to open a bank account so they can get into a different home. They are on the waiting list for Section 8 housing but are still in the 400’s on the waiting list. They need enough to rent a studio apartment for the winter months when it will be even harder for Chris to find work, get them the basics they will need -food, utilities, personal items-, and have enough to make sure Chris can pay for the public transit system to boost his chance for steady work.
This Gofundme is currently being run by myself (Rebecca) for two reasons. The first is that Katie and Chris do not currently have internet, and secondly, they have no bank account to connect to the fundraiser. As soon as enough is raised for them to open a bank account -about 100-200 dollars- I will transfer the fundraiser to Katie and Chris.
Currently, the goal is 10,000 dollars. Rent in their area is anywhere from 600-800 dollars a month for a studio or 1 bedroom apartment with utilities. Being able to afford groceries and personal items will be another 300-400 dollars a month. The goal of 10,000 dollars is to make sure that they are able to afford to move to an apartment and rent it for the winter months while not have to worry about Utilities and groceries during that time. This will also allow them to start putting what income they do have into savings so they can get back on their feet and make it easier for Chris to find a steady job.
We're hoping that enough can be raised by November so they can move into a new place before the worst of the East Coast winter weather sets in.
If you are able to donate, thank you so very much from both me and these two wonderful people. If you are not, thank you for taking the time to read this gofundme, and if you can, please share it with others. The hardships these two have gone through could fill novels. It would be wonderful if they could start a story with a happy ending.
Organizer and beneficiary
Rebecca Gibbs
Organizer
New Bedford, MA
Christopher St Onge II
Beneficiary