Help us end our homelessness. Home is where the Heart is.

David and I are currently residing in the Red Roof Inn in Fort Wayne, Indiana. We came to Indiana from Florida to help a gentleman restore his property in Waterloo, Indiana. That opportunity was not exactly as represented and did not work out. This has left us in a highly precarious and somewhat dangerous situation.

We have found an opening for an apartment in Ft. Wayne. The gentleman renting the apartment is willing to work with us on a move-in prior to our obtaining local employment as we are relying on bicycles for transportation and the apartment is on the other side of town from our hotel. There are lots of places to work within bicycling distance of the apartment. This feels like a miracle.

We are now spending $29 of our last $35 on the application fee. We have no money to renew our room beyond tomorrow at 11am and it is cold outside.

We are grateful to have found First Grace Church in Waterloo and it's pastor, Sam. Our church family is willing to contribute partial funding towards the deposit to get us into the apartment, thereby preventing our bleeding roughly $70 a day in a hotel which we do not have any longer.

Our rent would be $675 a month, which is a bargain in Fort Wayne. All utilities are included with the exception of electricity which is $125 per month. The gentleman renting the apartment needs first month's rent, last month's rent and a $200 non-refundable charge for our cat, Seda.

We are asking for help in raising $1415 to help us start fresh and avoid homelessness. Your help would cover the remainder of our deposit, Seda's deposit, our first month's rent, electricity and three more nights in this hotel as the application processes and we can move in.

We are in a very tight spot, doing very good to not look scared and would be grateful for any assistance you would be willing to provide to help us.

***UPDATE***

*** We've updated our goal to reflect the combined 20% overhead charged by this fundraising platform and PayPal. As we asked you for exactly the amount we needed to get into our apartment, the fees would prevent our successful move-in. We also want to take this opportunity to thank those who have donated. Your help means more than you might know! It's beautiful and humbling to us to feel the love behind your donations. Our journey has taught us your kindness is rarer in the world than we knew! ***

****^Update 10/24

While we have not yet reached our goal, therefore our ability to move in, we have positive new developments. Shelly Marie and I both got jobs yesterday near our new apartment and we have found a slightly less expensive hotel near our jobs which will reduce our daily bleed. We are working closely with our prospective property manager and our church to facilitate move in as soon as we can bridge our funding gap. Shelly Marie's job pays by the day which should keep us alive and indoors. My first paycheck will be in two weeks which should provide the final funds necessary for move in. Our situation is still precarious and we are grateful for the miracles which have occurred and will occur to help us reach stability and our new start. As donations continue, we are extending our campaign to accept donations from friends and family just learning of our request for help. Thank you again for your love and support and helping to keep us safe until our feet are squarely beneath us.***

-Shelly Marie, David, and Seda