Need rent and utility help 4/28/2011 please

[bettyb1950]

My daughter lives in Cleveland County, North Carolina. She moved back here in August of last year. She has had heart surgery to fix a hole in her heart that didn't close at birth. It wasn't found till after 3 strokes where she almost lost her speech but thankfully it didn't cost her that. It did leave her with short term
memory probs. She was released from that doctor (cardiologist) Tuesday. But she is still battling bad issues with her thyroid. It causes her to sleep 15 hours
a day. She is trying to raise 2 boys ages 6 and 10. She wakes up about the time they get home from school. By the time she does homework with them, sees
to dinner, then baths and bedtime for them, she is drained and can't seem to find the ump to work her online job that she was using to help pay her bills. She is
2 months behind on her rent and 2 months behind on her power bill. She receives Food Stamps and has Medicaid covering her and the children. She is facing eviction and we seem to have exhausted any means to help her. The Baptist Assoc. tells us they have no more funds. DSS doesn't seem to have anything else to
offer. I have emailed 2 large churches in the Shelby NC area and no replies as of yet. I am going to call the Salvation Army and UCAN this morning. She owes $800 in rent and is behind 2 months on her water and power. If you know of any door we haven't knocked on please let me know as time is running out.

[bettyb1950]

I have been busy this morning trying to find funds for my daughter to avoid eviction. The local UCAN ministry here in Cleveland County NC is out of funds. I called the Salvation Army I can pick up a form at their office this week and make an appointment Monday during a 3 hour span. They will only help if you
qualify with $100, but with the $125 a friend gave her that would be 225. Not close to 800 but a start. Also am trying to set up a fund raiser because of her
health issues but so far hitting a brick wall due to so many other things planned in our little community of Lawndale for the weekend of the 8th of May we might
not do any good. Please pray and if you know of anything to do or anywhere to seek funds let us know. Thank you and God bless.

Betty in NC

[Admin]

Sounds like you have been busy. Good for you. Looks like you are taking many of the right steps.
I think the best places to call in Shelby and Cleveland County NC is the Gaston Community Action, Inc. Phone (704) 861-2283. They are the local community action agency. A listing of programs are here.
http://needhelppayingbills.com/html/cle ... ce_pr.html

I think you want to ask them specifically about the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing. This was created from government stimulus funds, and offers emergency eviction prevention services as well as both short and long term rent assistance.

I have been busy this morning trying to find funds for my daughter to avoid eviction. The local UCAN ministry here in Cleveland County NC is out of funds. I called the Salvation Army I can pick up a form at their office this week and make an appointment Monday during a 3 hour span. They will only help if you
qualify with $100, but with the $125 a friend gave her that would be 225. Not close to 800 but a start. Also am trying to set up a fund raiser because of her
health issues but so far hitting a brick wall due to so many other things planned in our little community of Lawndale for the weekend of the 8th of May we might
not do any good. Please pray and if you know of anything to do or anywhere to seek funds let us know. Thank you and God bless.

Betty in NC

[bettyb1950]

Will Gaston Community help in Cleveland County?

[bettyb1950]

Well this morning my husband and I went to the Salvation Army and picked up the rental help papers. Jennifer's landlord was so ugly to her yesterday when she talked with him and told him I was trying to help her raise the money. She had been up since 3:30 AM with a violent headache. I told her to get ibuprofen in her which I provided and her blood pressure med in her given the fact she has already had 3 strokes. That is why my husband picked up the assistance papers her landlord has to fill out. I dropped them by there and he filled them out right in front of me, except he wouldn't provide his social and I kinda understand that but he also wouldn't provided his tax id number and I don't know how, if we manage to get an appointment set up, they will react to this. We have to start calling Monday @9:30AM and hope with get through by 12:30 PM and get an apt. And she said that phone rings off the hook but not to leave a message or she wouldn't get an apt. at all. She said there was an office in Shelby for that Gaston Community Action but that everytime she sent someone over there, the place was closed
and that people that went there had to have jobs. I told her Jennifer works online through textbroker. She wasn't ugly I guess she was just stating facts. As soon
as my daughter's headache eases today, we are going to call that number you gave me for GCA and hopefully get somewhere there. The paper the landlord signed today however did state if he got one month's rent she avoided eviction for 30's days. I don't know if he saw it or not he skimmed it over so fast but that is in her favor. I am also going to see if there is any money in the benevolent fund at church(only $100 per family) but every little bit helps. I may also talk to the
chairman of the deacons and see if there is a possibility the church might take up a love offering....but I think I mentioned earlier that our church itself is having budget problems. I am just trying to look up and be positive for her sake.

[bettyb1950]

Well I have to say I have hit rock bottom today. I don't know where else to turn. The Salvation Army which was offering $100 on rent which is better than nothing
has changed their venue for making appts. after I was just there Friday. You no longer call repeatedly till you get an answer and talk to a person to make an appt.
They want you to appear in person with the filled out paper I got for my daughter Friday. Then you get in line for first come first serve basis starting at 9:30 this morning. We live 13 miles away and she has a dr. appt at 11 this morning. I bet assistance for the week will be cut off by the time she gets there but maybe she can make an appt for next week. I also called Gaston Community Action and they are no longer doing emergency funds for rent, they are making appts and it could take up to 2 months to even be headed toward assistance. The lady told her it could take months. So back to square one, which she still has the $125 her
girlfriend from SC drove up to Shelby and gave her. I have left a message for the chairman of the deacons at our church to call me back.....but as I already told you our church is having its own budget problems. I called the Greater Cleveland County Baptist Assoc. and they have no funds for rent at this time. To add to her thyroid probs she has come down with allergy related upper respiratory infections which is bogging her down even more with the thryroid probs. The 2 large
area churches I had written have not even dignified us with a response. She is using my car to get to her appts, as hers is dead and needs inspected and the tag
changed to NC so she can't even get a loan on that. With gas prices that is strapping my husband and myself as I told you we paid her Jan. and Feb. rent to help
her out and now any savings we had are gone. I would let her move in with me but my son with health issues is living here with me and my husband along with
3 young grandchildren. He has been living with us for going on 4 years. He recently got terminated from his job because of being out on medical leave but found
he can draw unemployment if the doc releases him May 1 so that may be a blessing in our household. My daughter's situation is driving my blood pressure up as
I can't bear the thoughts of her and 2 small boys on the street. But for the grace of God so far we are all hanging in there. But I simply don't know what else to do.