A Place To Call Home
To Whom This May Concern: I am a single woman of 41 years, diligently seeking housing for my sister and myself. For the past year and a half we’ve been battling homelessness, domestic violence, Ovarian Cancer, dodging eviction, bills, student loan debt, credit card debt, the cost of living expenses, food and other health related necessities. We’re both on a fixed income (SSDI and SSI) due to the instability at the moment and needing the financial support. Neither of us are in the position to work a steady job. As difficult as it is at times, I do my best to keep a positive outlook; practicing gratitude while reaching out to/applying for different housing assistance programs, Catholic Church organizations, volunteering and working with a company (CREDCO) to restore the credit that I lost through blind trust.
With my sister’s health taking a slow dive, we’re, once again, battling cancer in the heart of the holiday season. I do my best to care for my own health, so that I can continue being my soulmate’s caregiver. Not to mention, our late Mama Bear’s birth month is November. A beautiful, ceremonious period is now overshadowed by the current bleak circumstances. I truly believe that we can overcome this challenge, if we had a residence of our own. With having a stable environment that’s conducive to our needs, as of currently and beyond, is a great opportunity to restore our health, happiness, safety and sanity.
Our lives forever changed, 6 years ago, when our Mama Bear was diagnosed with glioblastoma (stage 4 brain cancer). My sister and I decided to take a leave of absence from work, in order to become full-time caregivers to help nurture our muse back to health. We couldn’t stomach leaving her alone with our father, putting her health entirely in his hands. During this process, my sister developed uterine fibroids and underwent surgery, twice. Later, down the road, a radical hysterectomy. Fortunately, Mama Bear was well enough to help me care for my sister. Before she could fully heal, Mama Bear’s cancer took a turn for the worst. My sister and I shifted our attention to our muse, who was in hospice. It was the most grueling time to date. Throughout our Mama Bear’s illness we did our best to live life as if narcissistic abuse was no longer in the picture; despite it running rampant, growing stronger by the day. It was the launching of our spiritual awakening. Every effort to practice the daily teachings of The Secret, listening to healing sound frequencies, revamping our diet, protecting our energy, practicing gratitude, compassion, patience and mindfulness was met with resistance. Unbeknownst to us, our semi-retired narcissistic father was not only stealing money from my bank account. Simultaneously, he was in a secret relationship with his current wife (then girlfriend) behind Mama Bear’s back. Prior to and during our Mama’s darkest days. Hence the wicked smirk on his face, after hearing that there was nothing else doctors could do to save his wife of nearly 36 years.
My sister and I witnessed Mama take her last breaths, on September 4, 2017. Just when we thought matters couldn’t get any worse, our father left our home without notice. My sister, whose name was on the lease with his, was responsible for paying her and his is debt. Turns out he hadn’t paid rent in 4-5 months and never mentioned anything, until it was too late. Instead, he lied about the ordeal. Although, my sister applied for different rental assistance programs and was granted one, they were unable to pay the balance in full. Our landlord insisted on taking legal action. My sister was taken to court, then to trial. She was dismissed with prejudice. Soon after, we were notified to collect our personal belongings and leave the premises. After bouncing from multiple Airbnb’s, hotels and being turned away by the nearby hospital emergency and shelter (who shall remain nameless) because of not being able to abide by the 1 bag rule, we exhausted all avenues and chose to accept an offer to stay with a relative.
Til this day, we’re still living with our cousin. What was supposed to be a short term stay eventually turned into 10 long, painstakingly bittersweet months. I am truly grateful for her kind gesture, but it’s been difficult healing and working to get back on track with our lives. There are 5 adults, along with my sister and I, crammed into a 2 bedroom apartment. Furthermore, the space is no longer a safe space to inhabit for many reasons. The top one being domestic rivalry. To make matters worse, 1 person has recently contracted hepatitis A and my sister and I are the only ones who sanitize the space on a regular basis. My allergies are mild in comparison to my sister’s. Due to the poor air quality, she’s suffered 2 acute lung infections. This is becoming a burden to everyone; especially my sister, whose working hard to beat cancer that’s metastasized to other areas of her body. She’s opting for an alternative-chemo approach, this time around. I often worry about our survival. We’re all each other has, now that our Mama is no longer with us in the physical realm.
A home of our own is what we truly yearn for and desperately need, at this juncture. This is why I am sharing my experience with many others on this platform, in dire need of uplifting. My rant probably wasn’t the easiest thing to digest; nonetheless, I appreciate your time and patience. Almost, everyone I meet online or in person is going through some kind of hardship and, or knows someone going through hardship. I don’t have anyone else to go to, at this moment. I kindly ask for your generous donations, helping my sister and I secure a place of our own. Any amount of money is a blessing. In the meantime, we’re working with Housing Forward, an organization whose efforts are supposed to take care of the security deposit and 1st month’s rent. Thank you for listening and helping provide stability, moving forward. I’m looking forward to getting back on track, working from home and hopefully thriving.
Best Wishes,
Jen Pat*
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