Artist Attacked and Bullied Out of Rent

This is going to be a really crazy story... Worth the read. Maybe you can relate?

This past May, I was getting really tight on money and put an ad out for a new roommate. I had a small room available in my apartment and I met a few people before coming across a 22 year old from Virginia. She was short, thick bodied and smiled alot. She admitted to moving up from VA to be with her then ex-boyfriend; turns out it was a person I graduated high school with ten years ago.

 

Her story was sad. She had no family up here and the boy she came to be with was kicking her out after much fighting; including mental and physical abuse. Being the natural caregiver that I am, I dropped the other applicants and went with her so she could be down the street from the new CNA position she applied to. She seemed like a legit, hard working, sweet girl.

 

Things went well for a few weeks when she moved in, in June. After that, a different personality came out. Now, either you've been to college or have had friends with roommate horror stories... I'm sure. But being in college and being in the real world are different stories. The rent has to be paid out here or your leave. At school, it's covered by a loan...

 

I was and currently am working as a long-term temp very close to my house. This keeps the commute costs down but the sacrifice was that I had no benefits. There are not many options around this beach town, especially in winter. Many comanies hire seasonally and rentals are "Academic" from Sept-May.

Over the last few months, after deciding to take a step back from the roommate, she took it rather hard. I didn't want to be friends with her as I watched her outbursts grow and her bad choices continue. When I made this decision, it made things much worse.

 

Living in our two family house, she befriended the neighbors next door. People with whom I'd been friendly with for the last two years, but tried to keep a little distance, as they were an unstable unit. Sharing property makes it hard to stay away from people, so I tried to make the best of it. I had, on occassion, helped them by babysitting for free, letting them use my car when theirs broke down and even took them to my family's Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday's last year when their family didn't want them.

 

After she befriended them, the vandalism started. Things left outside, including the flood lights to my driveway were shot out by BB guns; my things were showing up broken. My car was defaced with rotten chicken grease in the hottest part of August.... My car still smells like B.O. and it's almost November.

 

I was used to listening to the young couple fight but their arguments were getting worse and they had a 5 year old in the house. I called the cops for their son. I called the cops for the harassment. No one could help me because nothing could ever be "proved" since I was never there to see these things happen.

 

My roommate had started sleeping there but wouldn't move out of my side, so I couldn't get a new person in. In fact, she was leaving the house unlocked and when I started sleeping at my mothers house, she would come in, turn all the lights on, steal and/or break things while wracking up the electric bill she never intended on paying.

As time went on, her and the neighbors would wait for me to get home. I would wait until late so they wouldn't bother me, but that plan didn't work either. They would jump at me when I drove in the driveway (now a dark one). They would stare me down when I came home in daylight and do the same to anyone I brought home with me. My friends stopped coming over.
They stole my food, drink and left broken glass in my sink so I would slice open my hand.... among other evil things. It was daily. They were trying to break me mentally. But why??

Everything came to a head in September when, one day, my neighbor followed me back to work from my lunch break and ran me off the road. She opened my car door, choked me in my drivers seat, pulled me from my vehicle and beat on me in front of my office building. It was her son's 6th birthday and she ended up in jail that night. That same week she had tried to get me arrested and fired from my job - failing at both.

I'm 5'1" and I weigh 90 lbs. She was a 200lb girl. It was not a fair fight, not that I fought back - I did not.

 

Because of these bullies, the people that I tried to get into my home for October were scared away. The roommate never paid for her last months stay or her utilities. Now, I'm still searching for someone. I was just scraping by as it was and now I'm just drowning in debt. Even though they all moved together, they are only a few streets over. They know I am alone in the house now and I see them drive down our dead end frequently. There's only 3 houses down here. It's more intimidation tactics. Which confuse me, seeing as this neighbor is going to court and awaiting her punishment for assulting me. You'd think they'd back off?

 

I go to the food bank for food. I apply to job after job that either doesn't write or call back, or says I'm over qualified because of my desk job during the day. The temp job that pays a little more hourly because I have no benefits.

I am an asthmatic who requires an advair disk, inhaler and singular every 30 days. Without insurance those come to $295 + $60 + $131 a month. That doesn't count my $60 of other meds and my $90 birth control. All 30 day supplies. It also doesn't cover doctor visits.

 

With my two dogs, it's close to impossible to find a cheaper place to go - especially right now. And with a car that's holding together by the grace of God, my options for work are limited as well.

 

I'm asking for good hearted people to read this story and put themselves in my shoes. I just want to get through the winter, with heating bills and Autum allergies kicking up. I don't care if I'm given a dollar or ten. It all matters to me. I was trying to be a good person and help someone in need and got scammed. I learned the hard way... harder than just getting skipped out on rent. The days and weeks and months of harassment that went on, loosing a potentially good roommate that could've been in my home already, along with my sense of security and faith in humanity was all crushed.

I'm a hard worker and an honest person. I know there are many out there who need financial help right now and I may just be one of them, but I'm sharing my story in hopes that someone can relate and understand and help me if they are able.

 

I am also most likely loosing my job in December. I need my faith restored. I need a Christmas miracle. I need my karma to kick back in. I need your help.

 

As an artist, I am willing to do digital drawings for anyone who donates $25 or more. You will receive a file by email that you can print at home or at Staples professionally as many times as you want. That will be my gift to you.

 

Thank you