HELP Linda&her kids with stability while facing homelessness

My name is Linda Smith. I am 36 years old, a single mother of two young girls. Pride kept me from reaching out for help until it was too late and now I need as much help as possible to get out of this financial slump I am in. My goal is to raising of money to help me get a storage unit to store our stuff in since we are losing our home on December 16th 2024 and if there's anything left over put toward a legal vehicle.

IDPH has decided to revoke the kids and my medical and Link card. So while I am struggling financially, I am also struggling to put food on the table for my children.

I am also in desperate need of a down payment on a legal vehicle. It is embarrassing to beg for help, but it is the point I am at.

I was put in some really unhealthy, unstable, violent, downright horrible situations 4-6 years ago. Three years ago, I decided enough was enough, and due to some legal situations and DCFS coming to my home threatening to remove my children, that was rock bottom for me, or so I thought it was. It opened my eyes FAST and made me, for one, find God and, two, go to rehab and clean myself up. I have been clean now for 2 years, and that number will continue to climb because I will most definitely NEVER go back to that toxic lifestyle.

At this time, I am asking for any donation you have to offer, or even resources to help the girls and I transition to homelessness during the winter months, just days before Christmas.

It has taken me a lot of courage to make this GoFund Me! I feel like a very weak individual by doing this, but at the same time we all fall on hard times and unfortunately, I have to suck my pride up and ask for help now!

On July 17th, 2024, I became injured with what turned out to be a significantly more devastating injury than what was originally thought. I started receiving workman’s comp checks just a couple of weeks ago, but those are very small;($80 a week) you only get a percentage of what you were making while working. While in the midst of the workmen's compensation incident, I was falsely fired from the job where I was injured after they claimed I was not reporting for work (despite my active daily logs).

In addition to losing my job, I have been fighting to file my bankruptcy so I could save my home, but now that I am not working again, Wells Fargo has decided to push the foreclosure forward, and my house will be auctioned off at the county courthouse on December 16, 2024.

My kids and I will be homeless just days before Christmas.

As a single mother of two children, no job currently because of my work injury, and awaiting knee surgery approval, I can’t afford to bring the mortgage current. There is no possible way for me to make that happen. I need help!

The next big obstacle currently is the vehicle I am driving. It is not legal. Every day that I get up and go to leave, I take the risk of being pulled over and going to jail. I try to stay home as much as possible because I do not want to risk it and get into more criminal trouble.

I had a legal vehicle and was trying to sell it when a guy by the name of, we will just call him "Marvin," reached out to me and told me he had this SUV and it had a clean and clear title. In short, it was a scam that cost me the everyday necessity of driving. Getting into the vehicle I have been stuck with to do any number of things I need to do to begin bettering my situation is made impossible by the anxiety, stress, and fear that I feel. Then I make myself I'll thinking of how much worse this financial burden would be if I get pulled over.

I reached out to the Illinois DMV and was told to contact the Missouri DMV since the car was apparently registered in Missouri. The Missouri DMV came back with a response stating the vehicle is not stolen, it does have a title, and it has 4 liens on it. I gathered all the information and called the lienholders; they will not speak to me because I am not the original owner. So, what am I supposed to do now? I need a different vehicle, but the problem is that I cannot afford a down payment right now because of not having income, and again, my credit is now bad because of the default with my prior credit cards and mortgage.

This is the hardest time I have ever fallen on. I sit here and think of all the times I helped others, and now it is time that I need help, and I cannot find anyone to help. I know for sure God has a plan, and God will make sure the kids and I do not go without, but it is getting through all the dark days to finally be able to see that light at the end of the tunnel again.

So that is why I am turning to you all and begging for any help you may be able to provide. My kids and I have come so far in the last couple of years, but to look at it financially, it sure doesn't seem so. I can say I am in active recovery and going strong. Some days are much harder than others, but I continue to pray to God every day and thank him for the blessings that have been provided to my kids and me. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read OUR story.

Lastly, I was recently on the podcast “You’re Beautiful” with host Brian Trust, a local podcast/talk show regarding my addiction and recovery, and my relationship with God. If you are interested in watching it the link is below, You're Beautiful Podcast

If you do not have time to watch the podcast, you can view the article that was written about me by Riverbender, Alton, IL, Riverbender Article

God Bless!

Linda Smith