Welcome to my fundraising page!
I am grateful for any amount you can give to help me raise funds so people stay housed and warm this winter.
Since this message is going out to friends and family, I'm going to subject you to a brief rant....
The number of individuals and families in Connecticut, who are homeless or at risk of losing their housing is appalling.
The granddaughter of one of WAIM's volunteers who passed away a few years ago stopped by yesterday for a gas card so she and her partner can warm up the CAR they are living in before bedding down for the evening! They have a section 8 voucher (one of the oldest and most reliable rental subsidies) and a security deposit and they still can't find a landlord who will rent to them.
Since the end of COVID, it seems like everybody's rent is going up. I have low-income clients whose rents have been raised from $900 to $1100 or $1200, These folks were struggling to begin with and can't afford the increases. I'm working now with a 60 year old woman who lives with her 83 year old mom so that she can care for her. They survive on the mom's social security, a small stipend the daughter gets from Medicare for the care of her mother, and earnings from the daughter's part-time job. Long story short, daughter got sick, missed work, fell behind on rent and was served an eviction notice. Now there are court fees added to the already outstanding balance.
Add to this the increased cost of living we are all experiencing. How are folks expected to get by?
We know WAIM is a temporary fix, and often that's all it takes for folks to get over a hump caused by some unexpected event. I am so grateful that we have the opportunity to help in that way.
But what keeps me up at night is the chronic poverty, the chronic instability, the chronic stress and the impact it is having not only on the adults, but especially on their children.
We,as a society, could and SHOULD do better. In addition to supporting WAIM's Walk for Warmth, please vote for and support candidates who are committed to building society and not tearing us apart; who are committed to helping those who may need a hand up instead of kicking them when they are down.
If you weren't a kind, caring individual, you most likely would not be my friend reading this right now, Thank you for always supporting WAIM, and for doing what you do to make the world a better place.
XXOO