Help Save a Mother and Son’s Home and Future

Anyone who has ever faced hardship in life understands that bad things really do come in threes. In fact, it can often feel like once the negative starts to happen, it will take a miracle to make it stop.

Unfortunately, this situation is all too true for one amazing woman and her young son who are facing eviction after job loss due to a severe and extremely traumatic brain injury. Therefore, today, we are hoping you can be their miracle.

Riley has always been a strong woman who has worked hard to provide for herself and her son Colt who was born with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) on the severe end of the spectrum. Over the last few years, she has had to face extreme circumstance, yet she never gave up.

Riley had the tenacity to work hard and overcome adversity so that she could find the strength to start a life on her own and give her son the life he deserved in a safe and loving environment. She found them a beautiful little apartment and worked full-time to ensure Colt’s future would be one of joy and hope. Their lives were finally something to be proud of…then tragedy struck.

Riley was diagnosed with severe traumatic brain injury due to an accident that resulted in significant brain tissue damage and cognitive neurological defects secondary to sustained injury. This has resulted in Riley being forced out of work since 5/4/2022. Currently, she is actively in treatment with a TBI specialist at a neurology clinic. Her world seemed to crash in around her as she started to see her son’s once bright future begin to slip away.

But Riley isn’t one to ask for help. She knew there had to be other options for income despite her inability to work. So, while applying for social services assistance emergency benefits, she continued to have hope for their future, relying on their very limited savings and utilizing the maximum capacity of her credit card availability.

Thankfully, through the Department of Social Services (DSS), just recently Riley began receiving DSS SNAP benefits (which is a county government assistance agency that provides them with a monthly food stamp allowance for a couple of hundred dollars) however, it’s not enough to actually cover the cost of food but they’re making the most of what they have. Riley never complained and went without so that her son had enough to eat and a roof over his head.

As you can imagine…this situation was doomed from the start. Riley’s savings have dried up and her credit cards are at the limit. After 6 months of living as meagerly as possible, Riley has gotten too far behind on rental payments with arrears totaling $13,500 and is currently being put through the eviction proceedings by her landlord to remove them from their apartment.

August 3rd is the tentative last day (pending what transpires at the next court date — which is very quickly approaching) that they are allowed to stay in their home as the eviction court case trial is set for August 3rd, 2023. Both mother and son suffer from disabilities, leaving them with nowhere to turn should they be forced out and that is why we are here today to seek your support.

Riley and Colt have been through enough. With the slow pace of governmental support, they have not received the funds needed to survive and keep a home over their heads yet, and seeing such a determined and loving mother lose everything she has worked so hard for is heartbreaking. She needs our help, and you can help.

100% of your generous donations will go directly toward the following:

• Back payments of rent and other essential bills to stop the eviction and allow time for government funding to be approved.

• Food, toiletries, and clothing

• Credit card debt so that Riley can cancel the cards and no longer face high-interest payments.

• Potential relocation funds should they be evicted.

Riley is a selfless loving person who always helps everyone even when she’s going through a difficult situation. When we told her that there’s nothing wrong with asking for help, she just keeps repeating “No, it’s my responsibility to fix it” and goes on about how she doesn’t want to burden anyone else because everyone has their share of problems.

That is the kind of woman Riley is and we worry about them a lot. It’s been overwhelming to watch her health decline since the injury and yet she is still trying to return to work despite her doctors telling her she was in no shape to return and that she needs to heal first. She thinks she has a responsibility to fix this eviction situation by returning to work which will not be cleared by the neuro TBI team and the only thing she would gain from working is potentially delaying the eviction but ultimately…this can kill her.

Your donation, no matter how big or how small could ultimately save not only their home but Riley’s life as she will do anything to ensure her son is provided for including working despite doctors' orders that this is much too dangerous in her condition.

We thank you for your support and ask that you please share our campaign with your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers so that together we can show Riley she is not alone. There is help and there is hope!