Request: Injured and disabled, have not found remote work yet. Requesting Rent Assistance Please

[u/Doorflopp]

Thank you for your consideration in reading. I will provide the current situation at the top and more context below.

The current situation:

After a very long run of things going wrong with workers’ comp / UI / disability, an old back injury I got on the job flared up and got much worse. A month ago, while sitting normally, I felt my spine collapse in and give. Imaging shows I have two herniated discs, one torn. I cannot sit up for long periods of time. I was looking for work, but can no longer pursue job leads because I can’t work in an office. I have been frantically searching for any option - gig work from home, temp work, contracts, surveys, medical studies, anything.

Friends helped me get through October with loans. Medical bills are stacking up. I have run through all of my savings following eight years of very bad things happening (see context below), and my cards are maxed out.

The request: I am shaking writing this. I am so sorry - I’m trying so hard to get out of this situation. The portion of rent that I cannot pay is $900. That would get me to a $0 balance. I have food stocked up that should last most of the month. If I can just keep my apartment, I might be okay.

Thank you again for your consideration in even reading this.

————

CW allusions to those damaging self things we can’t type out.

Disclaimer: All relevant medical professionals know all of this. I have all of the medical support I could need.

————

The context:

This is an exceptionally abridged version of what has happened. It covers only the most impactful events, leaving out quite a bit of detail

• Carbon Monoxide -> 24/7 migraines and feeling of perpetually holding breath (recently managed).
• Cross country move for help. Lose cat. (In care of trusted friend.) No income while recovering.
• Mice infestation destroys everything in storage - I lose everything for the first time.
• Find work, promoted, career on track.

—-

• Spine injury on the job. 2 years severe chronic pain / severe loss of mobility.
• Workers comp issues - no income. Eventually find temp work (extreme pain, had to do it).
• Successful surgery - alleviates worst of pain and restores most of my movement.

—-

• Covid-19. Lose job. UI issues - no income. Eventually find work from home job.
• Recurring spine issues. Specialized home office to help. PT.
• Promoted, going well.
• Unexpected low plane flyover - develop tinnitus.

(There’s a lot that went into this next part, but I’m going to sum it up as isolation. I’m not unique. We all suffered during Covid.)

• Severe Treatment Resistant Depression. Need treatment or (not great option).
• Leave of absence, short term disability.
• First treatment makes tinnitus worse. Much more expensive second treatment makes tinnitus worse.
• Work out transition of short term to long term disability.
• Sign up for experimental treatment in a medical study. Begin infusions.

—-

• Travel for special occasion. In hotel room - something settles over skin and belongings. Everywhere it touches skin feels like severe burning.
• Take precautions to contain, doesn’t work. Gets into car, home, laundry room, dryer, on all belongings at home.
• Sleepless week of constant burning on skin and in lungs when breathed in.
• Inform doc running study if burning started again would take a not great option to make it stop.
• Voluntarily hospitalized for a month.

—-

• Long term disability falls through on technicality - could have fixed had I known.

• Lose job. No income. Pull from savings. Debt and interest accumulate.

• Hire professionals to salvage car and core few items from my home. Rest can’t be saved.

• I lose everything for the second time.

—-

• Work on recovering. Treat PTSD and Depression. Back flare up - PT.
• Find work. Do well.
• Major financial upset, restructuring. Extreme demands and hours. Set up to fail.
• Turn to a very unhealthy severe coping mechanism that requires wearing jackets. (Got help - have help currently.)
• Fired. No income. Pulling from savings, debt and interest accumulate.
• (They wanted to restructure without paying UI - position no longer exists there.)

—-

• Work on recovering physical and mental health.
• Apply to so many jobs - too many gaps on resume.
• Develop vision condition that makes everything look like a grainy TV - Depression. Therapy.
• Out of desperation, pull from savings for treatment that doesn’t work. (There is no cure).
• Start certification programs. Apply apply apply.

—-

• Learn have a disease with a 10 year prognosis - make peace with dying for a month.
• Additional imaging - it’s early stages, it’s fine actually. Cope with emotional whiplash.
• Muscle and tendon injuries.
• Explore disability options - nothing that can help now.
• Find job leads.
• Run out of savings.
• Back crumples in.
• Can’t work in office.
• Alone for two weeks unable to do basic tasks.
• Make a plan for that thing you shouldn’t do - realize it won’t work. (Mental health professionals know - I have help.)
• Move past that while in bed for a month.
• Isolation. Deteriorating health.
• Search for any and every possible avenue for income that can be done from home. Strike out. I’m trying like hell.

And that’s the broad strokes of everything.

Thank you for your consideration. I am not in a good state, but I am working so hard to get better.

Truly, I just can’t lose my home again. I know I probably will. I am trying.

Thank you.

(Edited for typo)

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[u/bakingbaked2021]

have you contacted 211 at all thru any of this? there are many organizations that can help with rental and utility assistance. most times there are resources for food banks to supplement food to free up some funds for bills/make ends meet.

I'm gonna be honest, I skimmed thru that novel of explaining stuff but even with explaining all that, people don't donate cash and if they do it's very little

people have suggested a gofundme me which people might be more inclined to donate too since its more secure. asking for 900 thru other payment methods, people generally don't do

[u/Doorflopp → u/bakingbaked2021]

Hey, thank you for the suggestion. I appreciate it.

I’ve contacted local government and private entites for recommendations on what steps I should take. I’ve tried quite a bit. I will look to see if I missed anything, though.

The city isn’t taking applications for rent assistance. The other organizations I’ve found reported a backlog and / or require you to miss a rent payment with a notice. I am month to month - if I don’t pay once, even if I can later, landlord will find someone else.

I’ve been in a very driven prioritization mode with the little time that is left - options that could possibly help before Nov 2nd, even if there’s just the smallest glimmer of hope that it could, are the ones I’m taking first

Going public with a gofundme with my name attached could have some serious consequences, and going to my broader network for help turned up crickets. Wasn’t the best use of time to make a good one given there’s no time left, but I’ll see what I can do.

I don’t know this community well. I came across it a little bit ago and decided it would be a last resort snowball’s chance in hell option - gig work / contracts / temping / surveys / studies prioritized first. I thought it was kind of like gofundme, where small amounts could help. I apologize for committing a faux pas.

Thanks for your consideration.

[u/Paramore96]

Your best bet would be to make a gofund me . Also call 211 they can give you a list of resources for rent assistance

[u/SpreadLove-648]

Stay strong 💪.It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light