Surviving
Hello! I'm C. I heavily hate the idea of asking people for money but I have been hit with a 14 day eviction notice on April 12th due to being behind on rent. I am basically going to be homeless. I had a temporary roommate, my landlord did not know about her, who had suddenly left without notice while I was at work. She did not pay the rest of her portion of rent along with electricity and internet. I had helped her out, through a mututal friend of ours, by letting her use my spare bedroom because she was at the verge of being homeless and did not have work at the time. She is self-employed, in her 50s, white and needed to have reliable internet and a desk to search for clients and work full time. I mentioned her race because I'm a Black woman and she clearly had biases against people of color. She uses a desktop to be able to do her work which is why she needed a place to stay. Long story short, she pushed my boundaries that I had placed and she agreed to, treated me as if I was some kind of housekeeper by asking me to do her laundry, would never wear her hearing aids at home so she could barely hear me, and considered me some kind of labor she could hire. This caused a lot of stress and anxiety. I already suffer from a panic disorder and depression and this situation wasn't helping. She stayed with me for about two months, July and August of 2023. She constantly treated me like a child and made changes to my apartment without consulting me first. In the end, I called her out on her behavior and for pushing my boundaries. She was unhappy, left without notice and tried to "hide". She left a hideous and rude letter for me that talked about my weight, health and that I had psychological problems. It has caused quite a lot of stress and emotional strain. She was not on the lease and we did not have a formal written agreement which is my fault as I should have known better. She basically gave our mutual friend enough information for me to find where she currently is and I'm in the process of taking her to court for small claims. However, until that is actually taken care of, I'm even further behind on rent due to her negligence and I need some help. I have already looked into organizations with rent assistance and have gotten some of their help. While I understand that the eviction process is much longer than 14 days, I'd rather not go through the court system as it would cost me much more even if I had a free or rate reduced lawyer. I cannot take money from family as they're barely making ends meet as well. I have been working hard to catch up on rent and any fees that have been accrued. My rent is $2000 for a 2 bedroom which people will say is out of my budget but I have been looking for a new roommate since the other one left and it's not easy. I do not have the funds to move either. I am just a preschool teacher working two jobs just trying to live and barely suriving!! Anything is appreciated! Thank you so much!
****The amount I really need is $4500 but I'm accounting for GoFundMe fees as they take a portion. Thank you again for taking the time to read through my story.