I have never asked for help from anyone in my life. I am an Army veteran (five years active duty and six years in the National Guard). After my time in the military I became a Social Studies teacher. The pandemic changed the teaching environment and doubled my workload. I decided to change careers as I felt like the workload was having a detrimental effect on my own kids, and I am now working for a state agency. However, in the past three years my children’s father (who is a chemical engineer and makes twice what I do) has taken me to court three times, costing me $17,565 in attorney fees. When I divorced my children’s father we did the paperwork without lawyers. In order to get him to agree to keep lawyers out of it, I gave major concessions that have really impacted my finances. He pays less than the recommended amount of child support for the income he had at the time, and he pays nothing toward daycare, activities, or health insurance. I have been trying to have child support reviewed for the past two years, but the kids’ father pays a lawyer to constantly file paperwork to put off having it reviewed. Partially due to all the financial and emotional stress from this, my current husband and I are now divorcing. Housing is extremely limited in the area where we live, and the only place that was available to me and my children was a one bedroom apartment. My children’s father is now taking me to court to attempt to take custody of my children because my apartment is “too small.” Because of their father’s custody motion, I just had to pay $3,250 to retain ANOTHER attorney. Their father is also asking the court to appoint a guardian ad litem and requesting that I pay half of the cost for this. On top of this, I am trying to pay down medical debt from having to have my tonsils removed last year and ongoing medical costs due to my son’s kidney problems. I am desperate to get my kids into a house, but my debt is holding me back. I am working full time and also have a part time job tutoring in between driving my kids to all their activities. I’m a single mother of two and I’m running myself ragged trying to dig us out of the hole my ex has shoved us into, but I’m barely making ends meet. I am trying to raise $10,000 to pay down debt so I can get my children into at least a two bedroom home. I appreciate your help more than I can express in words.