Hello,
I am requesting help to meet my monthly bills for one month only. This would include mortgage, healthcare premium, utilties,etc.
Normally, I can meet my money obligations with a little bit to spare. Unfortunately, the last couple months have found me taking care of the unscheduled emergencies of family and extended family. This is do to a resurgence of Covid variant which has put some family members in the hospital and others at home and unable to work. Having always been the one that family goes to for help, whether financially, mental well being or physical labor, once again I have stood up to do what is right by family.
I work full time as a contracted consultant in the technology world. My plan was that I was regularly billing my clients for my work and their payment turnaround was generally 30 days. As I am sub-contracting to other contractors up to the actual client, the firms I am contracted to above me in the path to the client have become delayed in their paying their invoices, resulting in my generally normal 30 day turnaround becoming 120 day or more.
In order to avoid coming to a generous community like this I have used my existing credit and even sold and/or pawned items of value to cover outstanding bills somewhat and continue to provide support when I can to family.
This crisis escalated in the last week when a step-child of mine, who has suffered life long chronic pain, decided that did not want to put themselves through the pain and daily struggles anymore. I received a last text from them, and in a hurried speed limit breaking, traffic law disobeying race to their home, was met by the local law enforcement agency a block away. Was informed by the law enforcement agency that due to new department guidelines they were not able to pull up in front of house and/or attempt to make direct contact with my step-child. Their poliocy was for a “social worker” to reach out by mobile phone for up to the next 24 hours to contact my step-child to determine their status.
Mind you, my teenage grandson was in the house during this time and was only when law enforcement was ready for him, did they instruct him to leave the house and walk down to them.
This standby and do nothing lasted more than an hour, at which time law enforcement stated they had done all they were allowed to do, would continue to have the social worker attempt contact for the next 24 hours. I was advised not to go to the house to avoid escalating the situation, but instead wait till next day to see is step-child was still “okay” as they put it…..in other words alive.
The second time I was told not to go to the house, I asked if I was breaking a law or would be arrested if I did. I was told no I wouldn’t be, but there policy was to inform me not to go to house.
After law enforcement left and many prayers since the beginning of this ordeal, I slowly approached and entered the house. I was eventually able to locate my step-child behind multiple closed doors, pistol in hand, nearly drained bottle of alcohol nearby, and thanks to the alcohol passed out.
I was able to secure the weapon, rouse them somewhat from their drunked stupor and being a long process of sobering them up….36+ hours later… Then has begun the long process of getting them help, from contacting their employer to get excused time for “illness”, to getting them to ER to be evaluated and managing to get them set up for appointments, treatments, prescribed drugs for mental and physcial issues. This has come at even more of a dollar cost to me as given that they had decided on this course of action a while ago, they had lipped the basic necessities of life, food, utility bills, mortgage, etc. fall behind.
As a result I am here, asking for your generous help to allow me to meet my somewhat delinquent obligations while await my client invoices being paid. I have been in contact with my creditors, utility companies and others to make payment arrangements and deferred payments where possible, but some like health care premium and others grant little slack.
I am asking for help in the range of $5,000 to $10,000 which would at a minimum allow me to pay the most important bills that are behind first, continue my health care insurance, and the $10,000 would allow me to catch up more and have a little to spare to cover what comes next.
My goal is to once I receive payment on my outstanding client invoices I will pay forward the graciousness of this community to others.
The picture of the racoon, is the momma of a family of raccoons that I have befriended in my back yard and come visit during the evenings and nights to await being feed. Momma is about 5 years old and starting to show her signs of age, but still trusts me to hand feed and sit with her while she eats.
Thanking you all in advance for your taking the time to read this and for considering me in your giving.