becoming homeless

Upon arrival to Miami, our first steps have been to establish relationships with the outcasts of society, establishing residency and winning the hearts of our community. We have found a never ending supply of poor people. Jesus was not kidding when he said "the poor will always be with you". It's easy to see how people become hardened to the plight of the homeless. Everywhere you go, there they are, everywhere. It leaves us wondering how so many can end up on the streets and why they can't get out of the situation they're in.


After considering our own situation, it began to make more sense. When we arrived in September, we attempted to find a house. Every house we found that was for rent required a very strict screening process- first you pay $50 for a background check, then if you pass, your application is considered. With the application, you must have proof of income for the past 6 months, first months rent, last months rent, a security deposit in the amount of one months rent and a non-refundable pet deposit of $200-$300. So, with monthly rent averaging $1400, it would take as much as $4550.00 just to move in, not to mention the required utility deposits of around $400.


So, disheartened, we set out to look for an extended stay motel. God led us to a great little motel, one block from the beach that was very competitively priced and seemed much safer for the kids to be at. The cost- $400 a week for a 600 sq. ft. 1 bedroom efficiency apartment.


Things were progressing along, a little slower than we wanted, then in December as we started to gain some real momentum, we had to leave for Missouri for our oldest son's wedding. The 2 week break brought all momentum and income to a screeching halt. Not to mention the additional expense of not only traveling, but, paying for Christmas and helping with a wedding. When we came back to our nice little motel by the beach, to our dismay, it was the beginning of the tourist season and they downsized our room and increased our rent. Now, we have a 400 sq. ft. apartment with a kitchen smaller than any RV kitchen I've ever seen and unusable for cooking for more than two people. The cost- $520 a week.


So, after trying to make it work for the past 2 weeks, we have decided it's not worth it. We are paying $2250 a month for a 400 square foot apartment that 7 of us and two pets are miserable in.
We have considered all options, a tent or a campground or living in the vans, down by the swamp or living on the streets or finding a cheaper, more dangerous, more sleazy motel or moving back to Missouri or buying a pop up camper.......It's now easier to see how people become homeless.


The only option that makes any sense to us is to try to get into a house again and, well, we found one and it's perfect! It's located right where we want to be, in North Miami, and it's only $1100 a month.  HALF of what we are paying now! However, we still need to come up with the deposits. So, we are kicking off a campaign to get into this house and stop wasting money by living in a motel.


WE NEED YOUR HELP! Please help us end our own homelessness and get into a house! A place that is stable for our kids, half the price of our current conditions, three times larger than where we are now and has a great fenced backyard for our pets. It also has a kitchen big enough to cook for an army of homeless people! The longer we stay in this motel, the further behind we will be, so we have determined that we must leave SOON and not waste any more money on this place....


All we need is 100 people to give $35 or 50 people to give $70 or 20 people to give $175. Rest assured that Wendy and I are working our tails off to get into this house as well.


So please, checkout the "chip-in" gadget on the right and help us fight our own homelessness!