We are a married couple (41/46) who have been living in our car since January. We lived in our apartment for 7 years before we encountered some serious setbacks that resulted in our eviction, which was a stipulated agreement mandating our voluntary departure by a given date. We complied with the stipulations and moved out by the stated date, and then were hit with a $2800 bill for alledged move-out costs by our landlord, a powerhouse property management company with a copious amount of rentals statewide, for repairs needed to rent out our old apartment again.
We were in no condition financially to be able to pay the $2800, as we had just been forced to leave our place after falling behind on rent at the time already, and the balance was subsequently sent to collections.
Apparently, stipulated evictions remain "open" on your credit for an entire calendar year from the date signed in court, and the $2800 balance owed to our previous landlord was placed squarely on both my wife's as well as my own credit...each showing a past due balance to our former landlord.
The "open" eviction paired with the money owed to our previous landlord has rendered us 100% un-rentable at this point.
We have a valid Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher for a 2-bdrm that we cant put to use anywhere, along with any potential move-in costs being 100% covered...if we can ever find a place that will rent to us. The voucher would allow us to get a single family house for up to about $1325-$1350/mo., or an apartment, duplex, or townhome (where some utilities are covered) for up to about $1425-$1450/mo.
We need another chance to have a home. We are good people who went through a rough patch in our lives, and being homeless in a Honda Accord on its last leg with a full-size dog, in an area that is increasingly anti and actually actively passing more legislation making it illegal to live in your car...has been extremely difficult. Maintaining employment, hygiene, sanity, and dignity in such adverse circumstances feels almost impossible the majority of the time...and in fact, believe it or not, it can get pretty expensive to maintain as such being homeless/living out of a small car, not to mention the toll it inevitably begins to take on your marraige, your body, and your psyche.
We are struggling to find hope at this point, knowing that landing in a home of our own any time soon will have to be through an individual with a heart that is willing to look at us as people deserving of another chance instead of sub-humans unworthy of stability and a safe place to call home.
Mistakes dont define people. We are the type of people who learn from every hand life deals us, and we take pride in growing from every situation we find ourselves placed in, good or bad. We don't blame anyone else for any such events in our past, including the circumstances we are currently in. We are worth another shot at renting a home though, and are far better than our credit-reports/recent rental history.
We need help from someone out there in this community. I have been in Eugene for 12 years now, and although the VW busses and the spirit of The Dead that brought me here has steadily declined and 2020 forever changed everything for the worse, I know it's still alive and well in certain pockets/areas around town nonetheless. We believe in the Golden Rule, and put out the energy we hope to receive. We believe there are still inherently good humans among us, although they may be harder to find than ever at the moment. We constantly attempt to abstain from judging others, knowing how it feels to be the ones being judged...Karen is a real person...we are not Karen.
Sometimes the only way you find an answer or a solution to a problem or a question is by throwing an ample amount of "dirt" at the proverbial wall until something sticks...therefore this is us doing exactly that...this is the 4th quarter hail-mary or the buzzer-beater shot from half-court...a wing and a prayer to the amazing individuals in the community who can impact the lives of others for the best...and do so selflessly because they're truly awesome people.
We need help.
You won't regret it, and we will never live it down.