Greetings! My name is Christina Sims. I am a 39 year old mother of 4 young adult daughters, but we have a family of 8! My family includes my daughters, my 2 year old grandson, the father of my daughters son, and my significant other. I got is into our first 4 bedroom rental house in 2019 which was a huge step of progress coming from living in a 2 bedroom apartment for 3 years previous! We needed more space and I wanted my daughters to experience a more stable life! My finances were good, could’ve been better, but I was ok and able to keep up with my bills for the most part! I lost my job after being there for 4 years going on 5, basically bc I was being pushed out! I ended up on unemployment, and then my spouse, who also worked at the same place, lost his job shortly after! We have both since regained employment, however, we had to take a paycut! I’m currently working overnight 3 days a week, also doing independent contractor work! My goal is to be self paid and financially stable so that I have more time with my family and not be bound to somebody else’s schedule and crappy management! In the meantime, my rent increased $75 this past year so it’s $1675 a month! And when it’s late, they add $160! My electric bill is $2-300 a month, gas bill $200, water bill $2-300, plus they won’t qualify me to get help with food so that’s out of pocket as well! I know I’m in over my head but I desperately want to have a stable home for my children who had to struggle with me most of their lives due to the lack of help from my now deceased ex husband! I’m $400 short right now on my rent and still haven’t been able to get the money in to my landlord, and my utilities are about to be scheduled for disconnection! I don’t like to ask for help because I usually just hustle none stop until I come up with it! I’ve already gotten 5 loans that are now in default and can’t qualify for more.. I’m not asking for a hand out, as I understand everybody has problems of their own and are dealing with different things! I don’t mind working for or earning what I get! Yet, everybody falls short sometimes, so I’m just asking for a hand up! I’m a very giving, loyal, and dedicated person! I’m a humanitarian who tries to help everyone around me! A hand up will help put me back in the position to not only help myself, but continue to pour into those around me! No matter how much it is, I’d be grateful to receive it because every little bit helps! Gratitude for your love, kindness, and empathy! May you be continuously blessed!