What would you do if....

[gabysmom617]

....you were a stay at home mom of a 21 month old (still nursing, barely picking at solid foods) and your husband worked full time to support you and babe. And you both had really (I mean really) bad credit for the past several years of marriage, so you finally scraped up enough money to file bankruptcy, and have just recently paid the fees to begin filing. And you have been living in extended stay hotels for the past few months because your credit is too awful to get a decent place to rent. And plans were moving along nicely, but then your husband threw his back out at work. And he thought it was going to be just a couple of days for him to recover, but it turns out he may have nerve damage, and has been bed ridden for the past 2-3 weeks. And then the idiots at his job are disputing whether or not he got hurt at work, and so workman's compensation has not kicked in yet. And if you don't pay for another couple of weeks for the hotel stay by next week, you were not going to have anywhere to stay?

....And the only reason why you were not kicked out of the hotel this week was because the people of your church banded together and came up with the $$ to pay for one more week so you wouldn't be out on the street.

If this was you, what would you do?

[Staceyy]

I'd contact modestneeds.org and then I would start looking for a job.

[quirkylayne]

I would go back to your church, all friends and family, and let them know of the situation. I would offer to take all and any jobs members might have to offer - cleaning out their garages, babysitting their kids, doing their laundry, etc. I would also see if the hotel could give you some sort of deal? And hit the local food pantry instead of grocery store.

Good luck.

[srain]

If I didn't have family/ friends who could take me in (which, thankfully, I do), I'd be getting a job immediately. I'd also be applying for any public benefits I could get and getting everything I could from food banks, charities, and the dumpster behind the grocery store.

[xmysticprincessx]

i'd get a job immediately. see if the hotel has any open positions, especially in something that tips. do they have a banquet room or do they do business luncheons? i used to be a banquet server at a country club in college. that paid *nice* money. youre exhausted at the end of your shift (usually 9 hours), but its just from running around constantly (which i'm sure you do all day anyways with a toddler).

while your dh is in bed, have him look around for an apartment. that would probably be cheaper than the hotel (depending on where you live). maybe you could show hotel "rent" receipts, canceled checks from cell phone bills, etc as a way to show you pay bills. and after you get a job, you can show paystubs or a letter from your boss saying how much you earn, etc. is anyone at church a landlord who could rent you a place? or does anyone rent who may know of an opening their landlord has? its not what you know, its who you know.

[MissLotus]

Truthfully, I would apply for public assistance to get on my feet, and I would get a job.

[2Sweeties1Angel]

I'd get a job because at least one adult in the family needs to be working. I'd also apply for as much public assistance as I could get my hands on.

[justmama]

Find a pump at a consignment shop or express by hand(free!!!!!) and get a job so someone is earning some much-needed money. Are you in the U.S? Look into TANF(Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) and food stamps and wic and medicaid. I've been on all and simultaneously for a while. We just came off food stamps and are on medicaid and wic right now. The TANF and food stamps start immediately the same day. In my state they are on a little debit card that you use whenever you need to and most big stores accept it. WIC USUALLY starts the same day and will give you at least the basics. The income guidelines are crazy high so you will almost definitely qualify. You CAN live on what they give you if you have to. Milk, cheese, eggs, juice, cereal, peanut butter. Medicaid takes a while but won't provide for your immediate financial concerns anyway. It's just a given that you'll need medical coverage, especially since your hubby is out of work AND hurt.
If you can't get a job away from your nursing child, look for a nanny position to bring her with you to. You don't have a stable living situation so look for a position where you travel to the family's house. But honestly, you need to take action and FAST.

Oooooh, almost forgot. Where i live there is an emergency market next to our food stamps office. Once a month you can go there and just take $50 worth of food off the shelves if you need to. They just take your name down and ask no questions, no need to prove anything. It's just called the East Bay Marketplace. Call your local human services office and ask them if they have anything comparable and see what you are eligible for. Tell them your situation and ask them what you can do to keep your family afloat. It's their job to help you get onto your feet. Think about what you and hubby pay in taxes. Public assistance is not a handout, it's a loan. You'll pay it back in taxes once you or hubby or both is working.

Meg

[kijip]

I would look for a HUD rental or other public housing. I would contact a family shelter in the area and see if they could get me into transitional housing. Since you are living in a hotel, in some areas there are special programs for families that are homeless. I would apply for public assistance as well.

I would look for a job that you could do with your child. Perhaps babysitting for a family with a child the same ge as yours or something.

[barky586]

You definitely need a lawyer for the workers' compensation bit. He will take his fee out of what you get. Workers' compensation would pay your husband weekly (2/3 in SC). My husband was in a career ending accident and he has been drawing payment for not too far from a year now.

[gabysmom617]

Thank all of you for your links, help, and suggestions.

We were provided groceries today. With great reluctance, my husband and I talked it over and decided it would be best if I looked for a job. : : I was so dedicated and committed to staying home with my little monkey, how it hurts me to have to consider leaving him and getting a job. But he must have a roof over his head, that's important.

I was making sure that we looked at this thing from every angle possible.

My husband has already called a lawyer about the whole situation, they said they couldn't do anything until the doctor got the results from his mri. His appointment for that was today, the MRI will determine if his back problems were long term or if they recently occurred.

Well, I am overflooded with emotion today. Thank you all again for the tips.