What I Didn't Say Yesterday
I debated long and hard about making this post. I even emailed karnythia and asked her if I was crazy to do this. Her advice was to make a public post and ask people to come up with ways to help and to ask my Livejournal friends to pass this post along. So I'm taking her advice.
Another tenant who rents an apartment downstairs where I live also went to court yesterday lost big time. The judge sided with the landlord and so she has to come up with $1200 in nine days or be evicted. If she is evicted she will have to surrender custody of her five year old child to her ex husband who is vindictive enough to make visitation next to impossible for her.
My friend works a full time forty hour a week job. She makes less than eight dollars an hour. Her ex husband pays the minimum allowed amount of child support, all of which goes to her child's daycare. She often goes without food in order to make sure that her child eats, sometimes for days at a time. She has been unable to find another job here, in Richmond, the Tidewater or NOVA area. She cannot leave the state with her daughter because of the previously mentioned custody issues with her daughter's father and his family.
She is now downstairs trying to figure out how to say goodbye to her child in nine days when she is evicted from her apartment. Because of her income she has no savings and her divorce decimated her credit. Her parents are unable and unwilling to help her. Things will be easier for her financially in August when her child goes to kindergarten. But she has to get there first.
This is all a very long winded way of saying that I want to try to help her. I want her to not be homeless or lose custody of her daughter because our landlord is an asshole. I have a Paypal account (impertrix@aol.com) and have the ability to get any funds raised to the courthouse to pay the judgment so that that she will be able to stay in her apartment and keep her child. I'll make another Paypal account if it means that people will trust me to get these funds to the court and pay her judgment so she won't be homeless. I am willing to take pictures of going to the courthouse and paying the judgment. I just don't want her to be homeless and lose her child. They need each other.
Any "extra" funds raised (I'm trying to be optimistic here) over the $1200 amount will either be returned to the sender or be put on a Walmart gift card and given to her to buy food as per the sender's wishes. I will not benefit from this in any way. I will also personally write a thank you card and send it to each and every person. That is my personal promise.
Why am I even attempting to do this when I could just sit back and do nothing?
This woman is a honest, trustworthy and decent person who by virtue of marrying the wrong person is dealing with never ending consequences. I am an extraordinarily cynical person when it comes to people helping others in need. I didn't even ask for money when I was almost homeless. But I can't stand back and watch this happen without at least trying to help. This is the only thing I know how to do to help.
She has until June 4th to make that payment and stay in her apartment and keep her child. She has no idea that I am doing this. I know that it is a short time to raise a large amount of money. I still want to at least try. I am willing to answer any questions anyone has.
Could you all please forward this post far and wide? I will keep you updated as to what happens I promise.
EDITED TO ADD: OMG, I just checked my PayPal account (I was frankly scared to check it before) and there is OVER $2,000 IN IT!!! I . . . have no words! Thank you everyone! I need to email everyone who donated (some people came from Twitter, etc) and let them know. I will be making a separate post about this, BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!! Please go to here to read the update with the new total and the whole story.
Another tenant who rents an apartment downstairs where I live also went to court yesterday lost big time. The judge sided with the landlord and so she has to come up with $1200 in nine days or be evicted. If she is evicted she will have to surrender custody of her five year old child to her ex husband who is vindictive enough to make visitation next to impossible for her.
My friend works a full time forty hour a week job. She makes less than eight dollars an hour. Her ex husband pays the minimum allowed amount of child support, all of which goes to her child's daycare. She often goes without food in order to make sure that her child eats, sometimes for days at a time. She has been unable to find another job here, in Richmond, the Tidewater or NOVA area. She cannot leave the state with her daughter because of the previously mentioned custody issues with her daughter's father and his family.
She is now downstairs trying to figure out how to say goodbye to her child in nine days when she is evicted from her apartment. Because of her income she has no savings and her divorce decimated her credit. Her parents are unable and unwilling to help her. Things will be easier for her financially in August when her child goes to kindergarten. But she has to get there first.
This is all a very long winded way of saying that I want to try to help her. I want her to not be homeless or lose custody of her daughter because our landlord is an asshole. I have a Paypal account (impertrix@aol.com) and have the ability to get any funds raised to the courthouse to pay the judgment so that that she will be able to stay in her apartment and keep her child. I'll make another Paypal account if it means that people will trust me to get these funds to the court and pay her judgment so she won't be homeless. I am willing to take pictures of going to the courthouse and paying the judgment. I just don't want her to be homeless and lose her child. They need each other.
Any "extra" funds raised (I'm trying to be optimistic here) over the $1200 amount will either be returned to the sender or be put on a Walmart gift card and given to her to buy food as per the sender's wishes. I will not benefit from this in any way. I will also personally write a thank you card and send it to each and every person. That is my personal promise.
Why am I even attempting to do this when I could just sit back and do nothing?
This woman is a honest, trustworthy and decent person who by virtue of marrying the wrong person is dealing with never ending consequences. I am an extraordinarily cynical person when it comes to people helping others in need. I didn't even ask for money when I was almost homeless. But I can't stand back and watch this happen without at least trying to help. This is the only thing I know how to do to help.
She has until June 4th to make that payment and stay in her apartment and keep her child. She has no idea that I am doing this. I know that it is a short time to raise a large amount of money. I still want to at least try. I am willing to answer any questions anyone has.
Could you all please forward this post far and wide? I will keep you updated as to what happens I promise.
EDITED TO ADD: OMG, I just checked my PayPal account (I was frankly scared to check it before) and there is OVER $2,000 IN IT!!! I . . . have no words! Thank you everyone! I need to email everyone who donated (some people came from Twitter, etc) and let them know. I will be making a separate post about this, BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!! Please go to here to read the update with the new total and the whole story.