"What Can We Do?"
Many people have been asking what they
can do to help, and I have to confess, until now, I've been at a
total loss as to what to say. All I could think about was that I
didn't really have a definition of what I needed, except the
extremely difficult “free place to live for an indeterminate time
period until I get disability”. That definition was as unhelpful as
anything.
Seems that I was forgetting my personal
history. You see, there is something definite that would help. First,
let me give you a small update.
I have places where I can park the van,
which is awesome. This will prevent me from having to park in a box
store parking lot at night, or alternatively parking somewhere on a
back road, neither of which is very safe. I've got three places so
far where I can park the van on private property (and one place to
actually stay indoors, but is very far away). Thank you everyone –
you know who you are!
Then somebody sent me an email that
jogged my memory, and I can't believe I hadn't thought of this
sooner:
Why not live in a camper?
For approximately four years, I had
traveled up and down the east coast, vending at outdoor festivals and
shows, staying IN MY CAMPING TRAILER. It was cheap, and it was safe.
Most important of all, being disabled, I can even set one up.
People have been asking how much it
would cost to set me up in an apartment for a few months, and between
deposit, rent and utilities, it would cost thousands; and is an
unrealistic, temporary solution. I have NO idea when my court date
is. My disability attorney says it is on the docket but has not been
scheduled yet. This is the Federal Government, remember, so I could
easily be looking at another year *shudder*. An apartment
would be no solution, since I have no income. The money would run
out, and I'd be in the same position as I'm in today.
A camper can change this.
Living in a camper would also allow me
to rotate where I'm staying, so that I wouldn't be a burden on any
one person for too long. It would allow me to leave what possessions
I have left in a safe place when I need to use the van (rather than
hauling everything around wherever I go). It would allow me to
actually sleep in a bed, rather than on a bunch of blankets on the
floor of the van. It would allow me to keep some of my personal
possessions, so I wouldn't have to start over completely when the
time comes. It would essentially give me a free place to live, as
long as I needed, until court.
My van is already set up to tow a
camper. I still have all of my camping equipment: propane lanterns,
stove, etc.
I'm terrible at asking for things for
myself. Absolutely terrible. Fundraising for Mark was so different,
and easy. I always find it easier to do things for other people,
rather than asking for myself.
But I have to change that. I need help.
A used camper costs anywhere from $6-or-$700 to about $3500,
depending on what's available, and will need inspection, registration
and insurance.
Can you help? I hate asking, but this
is something definite, something that will actually HELP. If you can,
there is a Donate button at the bottom of this post.
Here's some of the things I've seen on
Craigslist. I don't know what is still available, since it's
pointless to ask unless I can actually purchase one:
Thanks for listening, and thanks for
your support.
----------------------------------------------------------
Thanks to donators, the van repairs are
now covered! Many, many thanks!
Have a wonderful New Year!
----------------------------------------------------------
