A Plea For Help: Finding Us A New Home · 9:47pm Apr 2nd, 2019
Last year, I came here and begged for your help to replace my wife’s car. And you did the impossible. You made it happen. You single-handedly bought a new car for my family. And I can’t thank you enough for it.
Today, I’m forced to again ask for your help, but in a slightly different way. Frankly, I feel like a jerk for doing this. I feel greedy and selfish, but I’m desperate to the point of suffering panic attacks nearly every day.
I need your help in finding a new home for my family and me.
This coming November, our lease is up and we can’t renew it. For the last several years, we’ve been blessed to be renting a condo at a discounted price.
With that discount (and the condo) going away, we’ve taken a hard look at our monthly income and compared them to the buying or renting new potential homes. We can’t make it work without help.
Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not expecting you to help us outright buy us a home (though I definitely wouldn’t refuse it). I’m asking for help building a buffer or giving a little extra.
What We’re Facing
Honestly, this feels a lot like abusing my friendships here on FimFiction and beyond. However, considering the status of Painted’s job and my job, we’re having a hard time finding ways to get enough money to pull this off. I don’t have many other options, especially as I’m still in recovery from what happened last year in The Quiet War and Painted is spending most of her days either working or wrangling two children.
In fact, our children are among our biggest concerns. Primary will be going into the 3rd grade and Sunny will be going into Kindergarten. We need them to be able to go to good schools. We need to be especially careful with Primary, as she was just diagnosed with autism and ADHD. She also has a specialized academic plan to help her catch up at school. All of this means we need to be careful choosing our new home. And of course, it needs to be in a safe area.
The Reality of Housing Locations
As I’m sure most of you know, finding a home is one of the most stressful and complicated things people have to do. When you add the concerns of your family and keeping a job to provide for them, it’s even more stressful. The last thing we want to do is uproot our girls any more than absolutely necessary. Southern California is a difficult place to live, but for a lot of reasons, it’s where we need to be.
It takes a lot of steps to get a roof over one’s head. We need a helping hand for the next one, because it’s a doozy.
Patreon Changes
With all of this, I feel like I need to give something back, especially to folks willing to be Patreons.
As such, I’m reworking my Patreon and will now be granting some rewards. These include:
- Access to early drafts of currently published stories
- Access to select incomplete stories I’ve walked away from (and yes, you can hound me to go back and finish them, though I’m not promising I will!)
- A free version of one of my original published short stories for those who donate more than $10 a month (All current Patreons will receive this, no matter what tier they are)
- Previews of all Wavelengths Story Covers
- Early access to Wavelengths Deleted Scenes
- Early access to scenes and moments from the MLP: Unity D&D Campaign
- Direct access to a Patreon-only channel on my Discord Server, Novel’s Nook, where you can ask me anything you want about my stories or worlds
- A special role (and color! I like colors) on Novel’s Nook
These are all still a work in progress and may change around a little. Some will be tier-locked for a short time, but nothing will be locked forever. (Everyone will eventually see all content). I also ask for your patience as I put these things into motion. I’m hoping to have all things set up by the end of April at the very latest.
The Reality of the Situation
If you can’t do anything, please understand that it’s fine. I’m posting this with only a desperate hope, not any expectations. Many of you are in similar situations, underpaid and struggling to make ends meet. I get it and it’s okay. So many already gave to us last year in tremendous amounts to help us with the car.
The only reason I’m doing this again is because of your kindness. Because I found out just what people could do when you were willing to bare your heart and tell the truth.
I hate doing this, not because it makes me look weak. My blog posts about my war with mental health should show you I have no fear of appearing weak. No, I hate doing this because I feel greedy. I asked so much from you a year ago and you did things I never would have thought possible.
I stepped forward and asked for help. Miracles happen when a person is willing to do that.
I’m praying for another miracle here.
How to Help
If you're willing to help us—and no pressure, really—I've set up two options for donations.
1. One-time donations help build on the small saving account we have stored away for a downpayment, first/last month’s rent, security deposits and the like. This can be done through the following ways:
2. Monthly donations for the express purpose of helping us pay rent and other new bills. I’m handling this entirely through Patreon. This one especially will be a huge help to us.
Thank You
No matter who you are, no matter if you can help or not, thank you. Thank you for at least reading through this. I do appreciate you taking that time out. It’s a pretty big deal.
I hope you can help us make this leap, one way or another.
If you have other suggestions to make this work, I'm more than happy to hear them.
Thank you again,
-Novel-Idea
I can only do about $10 this time bud, it's been a lean few months for me.
Best of luck if you can't get out of Cali. D: That and a reblog is all I can do for ya.
All I can do right now is a little boost blog. I understand all too well what you're going through. Stay strong!
Did what I could right now. If I can wiggle some more free later I’ll hit you again.
I don't have any money to offer, I'm in a tight spot myself right now, but I can offer some advice (as someone with a young kid with an IEP.) As important as a good school district can be, a good school is the more important thing. Sometimes bad districts will have one good elementary school and a few bad ones, so the district looks worse than the school. And especially if you end up renting, high school is a bridge you can cross when it comes to it. If you've been working with Birth to Five or a similar early intervention organization, you might want to ask them for recommendations in the area you're looking at. They might know some hidden gems of schools where the area isn't as expensive but the teachers are really good.
Good luck!
I can't afford a lump, but I did subscribe to your patreon. Good luck, seriously,
Yeah I can't do much Novel (i'm still part-timing), but here's a tenner.
I'm in the middle of quite a lot of things and while I can't spare any money today, I might be able to spare something soon. Until then I will definitely share this post.
Can't give you any money but I can certainly spread the word.
Sadly, money's tight. I gave a signal boost. I wish you the best however.
Passed the word along, both here and beyond.
I'll do what I can to spread the word. Good luck to you & your family.
Edit: Also, lovely illustration of your family's Ponysonas.
I'll have to wait and see how my bills are this weekend. I will help with what I can.
I was blessed with a tax refund this year, so more than happy to spread the blessing. I'll be keeping you guys in my prayers as well, for what that's worth.
I can give a hand, though grumpy old coot that I am I'm forced to note that living anywhere other than So-Cal would make this a lot less expensive. But what're ya gonna do, eh?
Good luck. I don't have much in the way of money to give you, but I'll join those boosting this signal.
I wish I could offer more than platitude. Be safe and well, friend.
Hope you get some thing sorted, I know what it feels like to wonder where next months rent is coming from.
Here in the UK there is a really bad housing crisis and some very high rents , an average family home can cost $1000- $1500 a month plus all the bills.
I got to the point where over half my income was going to keep a roof over my head. My solution was to look at alternative living solutions and bought a panel van to convert, been living very comfortably in that for the last year, managed to get some money saved up as my out goings dropped by a third and just this weekend bought a 7.5t horsebox to convert into my new, larger home.
So, my only contribution is a little advice, bricks and mortar may not always be the be all and end all of housing, after all home is where the heart is
I will ALWAYS be here for you my friend. I will happily donate all I can; I won't rest till you and your family are living in a happy home once again. I will also be passing along the word to my friends, who I know will also help out in any way they can.
If there is ANYTHING else you need, please ask it. I'm always here.
I wish I had the means to donate even just a little, but sadly I don't for the foreseeable future. Only option left is to pray for you and your family, that you'll find a good home nearby. In the meantime, don't lose hope! You got lots of people who care for you right here.
Novel, I know how hard life can be... Im in a similarly hard finantial place, but my hope is after court on the 24th of this month I should have a little bit of funds freed up. That being said, your stories have brought me many smiles, and if I were able, you would have a home. I will donate if I am able, but till then I can only offer verbal support. Keep your chin up as best you guys can in these hard times, it will get better. I wish you all the luck in the world finding a program that will work for Primary. As a SoCal resident myself I know how expensive it is, especially in the big cities. Im glad Im in a small town between Bakersfield and Lancaster, its not as expensive and there are still many jobs to be had in a ton of fields.
I am unable to help you even though I really, really want to, but I will definitely keep you in my prayers. Hope that things will work out soon💜
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Thank you, Nova. Everything helps. Everything counts. I really appreciate it.
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Leaving California is definitely not in the cards for us. But a reblog is a fantastic gift, as I'm sure you know. Thank you, Present. Thank you a whole ton.
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Thanks D. It's really heartwarming to have friends who are willing to take a little time out to promote our call for help.
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Thank you, Rose. Anything helps in this, as it's going to be a long road. I appreciate it, and so does the rest of the family.
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Okay, wow, thank you Bookplayer, for that. We actually just finished our IEP last week (and it turned out really well, thank God). We've been working with another group called TASK and it never even occurred to me to contact them for school recommendations and/or advice. This idea right here might do a ton to save us money, stress, and most importantly, save Primary from having even more trouble at school. Thank you!
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Hey, that's a big deal, Dark. A really big deal. A bit extra every month is money we can save on groceries which means we have more for housing (or any one of a dozen other things). So thank you!
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Tens still count. You get ten of them, they start to do awesome stuff. Thanks, Vren, it really does matter!
5038138 No problem man, wish I could do more, tbh.
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Thank you for the signal boost, Saro. And don't worry, this fundraiser is going to be going on for at least a couple months (and beyond, because it'll help pay rent). Still, even if you can't, I appreciate the boost!
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Hopefully, things for me will even out early next month or so, I'll see if I can do more then. Best wishes to you, Painted, and the girls.
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Spreading the word is usually how these sorts of things are successful, so thank you, Bricklayer!
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Vertigo, those signal boosts are what determine if I'm going to succeed or fail at this. Thank you.
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Sending it beyond FimFiction? Oh wow. Thank you. That's... that's enormous. Thank you so much, MD.
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Thank you for the help getting the plea out there. Every new link helps, Temnizziv!
And thank you! It was a special commission by Overlord Neon I got the family for Christmas two years ago!
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Thank you very much, Scarheart. No matter what ends up happening, I still appreciate you taking the time to see if it'll work.
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Magical Trevor, a major thank you. Tax refunds can be a really big deal and that you're willing to share it with us, well, I don't have the words, other than saying thank you a few thousand times. As for the prayers, I'll definitely take those, too, because we do really need them.
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Ro, trust me, I know the price. I used to live in Reno and things were very different there. However, I am not the same person I was back then. Moving that far away just isn't feasible. Please believe me though that you are not the first and you certainly won't be the last. It's good to have a sanity check for something as big as this. Thank you for both your gift and that check.
(I'll also get to responding to your email as soon as I can!)
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Thank you, Reese. I'm shocked that so many people are willing to post this on their own sites. To you it may not seem like a big deal, but to us, it's everything.
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Inspired, I'll take all the good thoughts I can. Makes me feel a lot less alone in this new war. Thank you.
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Thanks for the thoughts, Somerset. However, with a wife and two little girls, thinking that far out of the box isn't really feasible. I've sadly already accepted that it'll be a while until I get the home I really want. For the moment, it's a matter of survival.
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Thank you, Xombie. I really appreciate that you'll be supporting us through both word of mouth and finances. That's huge to help on both fronts. Thank you again.
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Thank you Comma. Comments like this remind me and give me a lot of hope that maybe, just maybe, this will work out okay.
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No problem. I hope you succeed and I'm extremely sorry I couldn't help more. I contemplated, but given personal things... yeah. =\
I'll send you positive energy and prayers though. I dunno if that's your thing, but it's all I can do without selling my possessions or wrestling a bear.
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Halfdemonpyro, it sounds like you may have more struggles than I do right now, so please don't put yourself in a hard situation on my account. Still, thank you. I appreciate the note of solidarity and your kind words both regarding my stories and my daughter.
Ironically, I may know the town you're speaking of, but we don't need to guess that here. I can say one thing for sure: you have a better view of the stars (at least, you probably do).
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Misty, every prayer is a blessing, and I mean that for real. Thank you.
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It's okay to not be able to help with the direct situation here, PegasiSkpop. I do understand. But I still thank you for taking the time to leave a note and to be praying for us. We need all the prayers we can get.
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Don't be sorry! Everyone's in a different place. Some good, some bad. There are plenty of people in far worse situations than I, and plenty of people in far better. That's nothing to apologize for! Prayers and positive thoughts or even telling a few folks you know about what's going on, that's huge. Everything helps, be it a note of confidence that we'll make it or a casual mention.
Thank you!
Good luck to you and your family, Novel
. I chipped in what I could, but I really feel your pain regarding housing. We lived with my wife’s parents for a year and a half just to get our foot in the door.