Tryna Make It

Hello! Oh man, I get anxiety asking my parents for money let alone people I don’t know. Primarily because I know my parents also need their funds where they are and would still give their last $20 just to know that I ate or got to where I needed safely. This time the financial need and stress has gone beyond anything I can manage. I need some assistance in making sure I can continue to keep the stress somewhat at bay. Thank you for any thing that you can give or share! Love.

Situation/Needs:

Been working hard to obtain my degree in Social Work since 2011.

I took a year off after graduating high school to help provide care for my grandmother who was bed ridden at the time. Since then I have fought and struggled to make it through my undergrad experiencing overwhelming amounts of grief with numerous losses and struggles with finances that have come along with being a first generation college student. These struggles led to taking time off throughout the past decade. I continued to manage a number of stressful situations where my grief and trauma went unchecked and those closest to me were struggling as well. I have worked hard to get to where I am now and fight to keep that strength within myself despite everything life has continued to throw in my path.

It has taken months for me to ask for financial assistance but my circumstances have gone beyond manageable.

-I am in need of a laptop to complete my degree

I had to return my previous laptop as it belonged to my prior employment. The environment became an increasingly toxic place to be for women of color as I witnessed not only the distress it caused me but also that of others before me and during my time there. Coworkers would post harmful rhetoric regarding the pandemic and I would tear it down and speak up. They would make comments in response to my attendance of protests but they knew I am proud of who I am and what I stand for. The disparaging remarks were consistently made and I had to leave for my own well-being . The environment of comfort in ignorance within a nonprofit organization was sickening and I had to go. I was overworked and under paid, implementing programs that would not only benefit our employees with an increase in supervisor communication and pay but also strengthen the relationships with customers and allow for the opportunities to create additional revenue for the organization overall. The problem was they had forgotten their mission was to serve the people and not their pockets.

- I have to pay my schooling for this final year.

I am past due in my remaining balance for this year of 2,300 and the interest rate grows each month regardless of the communication I have had with the university since the beginning of the school year about financial struggles face during COVID.

I have sold a vehicle to stay on top of bills and unfortunately the only vehicle I have and have needed for work has continued to break down paying large amounts for repairs.

-Starter went out on my car.

In need of funds to get up and running. Began driving delivery services and had everything budgeted out to stay afloat.

This is not the first time I have shelled out large sums of money to get my vehicle fixed. The problem has been in finding someone that gets it done right and actually completes a full diagnostic these days. I still owe on it so I cannot just sell it or scrap it.

-Behind on rent.

Self explanatory but I have been in communication with my landlord to pay as I can.

-Debt

Account balance is negative due to automatic payments that I cancelled but were not processed until rejected. I have set it up so I don’t run into it again next month but will be marked rather as a missed payment until I can get caught up. My bank unfortunately was only able to reimburse some of the insufficient fund fees.

If it wasn’t for my loaner laptop I received from the university breaking down this morning I would honestly probably have attempted to manage as best as I have been which has been barely if not at all.

-Food/Medical/Transport

I have applied for benefits in the meantime and am waiting for the processing to go through and back on the bus taking necessary precautions with COVID.

The amount being asked for is not the full amount needed to get out of this rut in its entirety but will hopefully buy me enough time until I get back on my feet with work.