12/15/2022
🚨🚨EMERGENCY: MARINE VETERAN IN IMMEDIATE NEED OF HOUSING HELP🚨🚨
Hello everyone, my name is Anna and I am a Marine Corps veteran, who has been in the wings (meaning I have a firsthand account of the situation) watching a sister trying everything in the world to keep her world together, and still having it fall apart. I come to my community because there is a verified need and help is desperately needed.
In a matter of months, a fellow woman veteran lost her car, job, and housing in a series of unfortunate events. It started with her car breaking down and the cost of fixing it adding up to more than the car was worth. The current state of the veteran’s finances made renting a car impossible for an indefinite amount of time impossible. For that reason, the veteran was eventually let go from her job. In terms of her housing, she was renting a mother-in-law flat, and that situation had become increasingly problematic (landlord not fixing the broken air conditioning or refrigerator and attempting to raise the rent by $500) over the past few months. Most recently the landlord’s father was caught accessing her home and watching her sleep(!!!) and that is how she ended up staying in my spare bedroom (her boys are in a safe situation, but it is not a familiar environment and mom is not living there with them).
The thing is that she has a SEVERE pet dander allergy and I have a lot of animals (3 dogs, 2 cats, LOTS of drool and dander). Even with medication and isolation, she has almost ended up in the hospital. Just breathing is a challenge for her and so another housing option is desperately and urgently needed.
An option like an Extended Stay or something similar would be best for her, and is the most logistically sound option as she awaits for help from the VA. It’s like a studio apartment and would give her the chance to share meals with her boys and spend quality time with them. As you can imagine, this transition has been hard for them as well. They are Momma’s boys, and she has always had them with her. They’re trying to be strong for their mom, but they’re still just kids and this is very stressful for them too.
In terms of the VA, she started the process to receive disability benefits and things that relate to that over nine months ago and is still in the initial review stage. Like so many other veterans she is stuck waiting (we all know about the backlog issue). She is in contact with the VA often and was told to expect to hear something in due time. She is currently working with a VSO, and since her situation has drastically changed since she filed, she is hopeful that that will help expedite things, but there is no guarantee, and the VA moves slowly.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the huge need that has created for a lot of individuals and their families, many of the organizations one would normally go to are either low on funds or their funds have been completely exhausted (and she has been trying, believe me). It also needs to be said that there really isn’t established funding in terms of helping women veterans in need, nor are there very many organizations out there dedicated to helping female veterans. That’s what makes this situation the most challenging.
The goal is to get as many eyes on this as possible, so please consider sharing and helping to spread the word. No amount is too small, so if you can only contribute $5 dollars, that’s good enough. That blessing will work together to help us accomplish the mission. I also want to say that while feedback is appreciated, please remember to keep it constructive. The events that happened to this female veteran could happen to any one of us. We all know from the data that the fall months are not kind to our community and that we typically see the numbers in su***de rise during this time, so it is important to remember that passing judgment on some in need isn’t kind or helpful. This is the time when we need to band together and create a forcefield around those in need. This is the time when we need to show that being our brother’s/sister’s keeper isn’t just a catchy cliché. All money raised will go towards current housing needs and anything else associated with this situation. Updates will be provided when they become available for those that are interested in her journey.
SEMPER FIDELIS, AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS ALL!
Update #1: She does have employment pending in the near future, provided her housing situation becomes stable. Transportation in that regard is still a work in progress, but she is working on that as well. She continues and has continued to apply to jobs as she searches for solutions. Thank you all!
https://gofund.me/d3e5cbfe
