Help The Garcias Get a Home for the Holidays!

Hello, dear friends and supporters,

We find ourselves in a truly challenging and unexpected situation, and we're reaching out to our incredible community for help. Our family is facing the harsh reality of potential homelessness as we have been given an notice to vacate our current residence by November 30th. We have been exemplary tenants, and had no expectation or advance warning that this was coming.

This sudden and daunting situation has taken a significant toll on our family, most especially our daughter, Ro, who had a panic attack the night we informed her of this unforeseen notice. Ro suffers from POTS, EDS, MCAS, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and as a result, needs a stable home. She also attends school virtually due to her disabilities/chronic illnesses. Stable housing is key to her health.

Our Property Manager informed us that the property owner is forcing us out of our home for two reasons: one, he has a relative in need of housing, and two, he's discovered a class-action lawsuit against the home builder, leaving him unwilling to deal with any structural issues in the house. He plans to sell it next year, seemingly unconcerned about the consequences for us, his tenants.

We can manage the monthly rent for a new place, but what we can't afford are the staggering moving costs, which are further compounded by the unexpected repair costs for our only vehicle -- which we need to get to doctor's appointments, run errands, and now look for a new place to live. I am also concerned that if we don't find a new place by the 30th, my husband will lose his job. He's responsible for a company vehicle and equipment. It's hard to keep those things safe if you don't have a safe or permanent place to live, you know?

My husband is a USAF Veteran, but because he served 12 years, never saw combat, and didn't retire from the service, there are no agencies available to help us.

Yes, I have called every help/assistance agency, foundation, and group in Arizona. Even several churches. They are either out of funds, do not help with these kinds of situations, or we simply don't qualify for help due to my husband's income, our family structure, or our age.

We reside in that grey gap area of not enough income to make ends fully meet or weather big emergencies, but too much income to qualify for any help.

Essentially, we're not "poor enough."

We're overwhelmed and, quite frankly, terrified. The thought of facing homelessness with our daughter is unimaginable.

This is what keeps me up at night, and gives me frightful dreams when I do manage to get some sleep.

Our primary goal is to provide our family with stable, affordable, and safe housing. We believe that everyone deserves this, but our current circumstances have left us in a state of turmoil and despair.

So, we're asking for a miracle, and we're hoping that our friends, family, and even kind strangers can help us in this time of dire need. Any contribution you can spare, no matter how small, will make a significant difference in our ability to secure a new home and address our pressing vehicle issue.

Small donations add up to big ones. Every little bit matters. Even sharing our GoFundMe helps immensely!

We are eternally grateful for your support, your kindness, and your generosity. We believe that together, we can overcome this unexpected crisis and ensure a brighter, more stable future for our family.

Thank you for being a part of our journey, and thank you for helping us when we need it most.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Shan (Sionann)

(Rough) Itemized list of what the funds requested will be used for, as we cannot completely predict the move-in costs of any rental we ultimately qualify for or choose, and different landlords and property management companies add extra fees, while others do not:

Application Fees: $50-$60 per person (we have 3 people)

Credit Check Fees: $50-$60 pet person

Security Deposit: $1850-$2775 (landlords can legally charge up to 1.5 times the rent for a deposit)

Administration Fee: $300 (I've seen this listed as a one-time fee on many homes we've looked at as possible rentals for us. The fee is non-refundable. Not all landlords charge this fee, though several do.)

Cleaning Deposit: $250-$400 (This is generally non-refundable, but not every landlord asks for this.)

U-haul truck rental: $200 (Rough estimate due to mileage & gas, not just the rental fee.)

Professional Carpet Cleaning Fee: $275-$300 (We must have the carpets in our current rental professionally cleaned and provide a receipt for that service. It's in our lease.)

Car Repairs: $1500 (We need the power steering pump, and fuel pump replaced, a new head gasket, and something is wrong with the ignition/starter. We were trying to save up for this when we got the notice we had to move. It's our only vehicle.)

*****

$300 just to apply for ONE new home (application & credit check fees)

$2775 Security Deposit

$400 Non-refundable Cleaning Deposit

$300 One-time Administration Fee

$1850 First Month's Rent

$200 for U-haul

$300 For Carpet Cleaning

$1500 For Car Repairs

____________

$7625 Total Moving Costs (Rough estimate)

It's expensive to move into a rental, y'all.

(Proof of possible moving costs in screenshots attached to/in 3rd update. GFM doesn't allow me to add more than one photo to the initial post.)