Help Dave reclaim his life from blind-sides.

Hello - thank you for taking the time to stop by...

I want it to be known I'm not looking for a handout - I'm in need of a hand up , hoping for a chance to reclaim my life , due to unexpected circumstances that occurred by my giving help offering shelter , and the person I offered it to broke the lease agreement, leaving me with an eviction notice...

When COVID hit, my mother (in her 70's) was scared and needed help, so I gave up my apartment that I spent years on helping to renovate (long story, not related to this, but I was instrumental in converting a rooming house into a 2-unit apartment from interior demolition to finish, while living on-site - I was invested) so I could help her navigate the fears of the pandemic. I arranged for a townhouse, and moved her in and took care of her needs for the past 3 years. During that time, my father passed away so I was dealing with the needs of BOTH my parents in a time of crisis....In the midst of helping my mother with having a home to live in, I had found out she registered on a wait list for assisted living (before I had gotten her a place to stay ) and consequently, a spot opened up for her.

Even though I was truly happy for her, a condition of my lease was that both of us were registered to satisfy the income requirements - when she removed her name, without advising me because she "thought I'd be angry" and only told me two weeks after the fact (and after the lease was terminated as a result) I find myself with less than 30 days scrambling to save what little I have left and find a new roof over my head in this insane rental market. I'm not angry she wants to leave - I was happy she is in a safe place meeting her needs, but unfortunately, the landlord did not see it this way when they insisted on both parties being on the lease...

Earlier this year - the event that finally prompted me to start this fundraiser - I had to put my best friend to rest. I rescued Troy (my dog ) when she was almost 2 years old from an abusive environment. Had her for almost 4 years before she was stolen out of my sister's yard and was missing for five years. I rescued her a second time when a shelter worker who took the initial missing report recognized her and contacted me. She was a shell of who she was, but she was still my best friend. I dealt with her newly found hate for any animal or human, built her a space she felt safe in (through ALL of the above), and of course she found a way to chase a squirrel to the point she wound up back at the shelter. There was a vet on site at the time, and with her notoriety (reunited after 5 years, only to be back again by happen-stance) he did a check because Troy exhibited some difficulties. It turned out the abuse she took in the 5 years she was missing degraded her back hips and lower spine - I had to make the difficult decision to put her to sleep on compassionate grounds. She couldn't suffer like that any longer, and no surgery would have helped.

That in itself threw all of my financials into chaos. I'd had to take out loans and payday loans to compensate for the growing expenses incurred... I drive for a living - my vehicle was repossessed recently because of all of this. I lost my JOB because of the stress from this!

As mentioned from the outset - I'm not looking for a hand-out. This fund-raiser is far less than my losses. It was difficult enough to even consider doing this. I'm just hoping for a hand up. A chance to reclaim my life and begin fresh and filled with optimism for my future....try to help others, not ask for it. But now that I've had to, I commit to paying it forward if/when I can get past this. I also commit to making sure every dollar beyond my target goal will go to Ottawa Humane Society, to further their work with pups like Troy and beyond.

I just need a fighting chance to get my life back. I didn't ask for this, or deserve it, but need to solve it nonetheless.

This, all after an earlier blind-side that depleted an already limited set of resources. I thought I could dig out of that, but I can’t - not without your help.

Thank you.