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I'm writing from Georgia and looking for help. I have one five year old with autism. No daycare will take him. I have a sister and she refuses to babysit him. My mother refuses to babysit him. There are NO PROGRAMS for autistic children other than school, and during the summer the kids are just on their own. I was married but my ex-husband left because my son is stressful to him. He paid the lease until the end of September and after that, I have to move out because I don't have any income other than the 260.00 per month from SSI for my son. Rent is 600.00 without utilities. HUD and Section 8 are not taking any new applicants for the next few YEARS.

My son is not "bad" or undisciplined. He has hyperactive disorder and is very high energy and people don't have energy to be with him. Everyone keeps telling me to just give him up for adoption. I've been really depressed because I don't want to give him up for adoption and I will do anything to keep him.

I'm coming here to ask for help. I visited Chicago about 3 years ago and I've been researching that city a lot. The biggest thing I love about it is that they have a year round program for autistic children as well as after school programs. This would help me as I would be able to work to provide for him. The help I need is that if anyone has a vacant apartment in their home that they can allow me to live in for really cheap rent and/or not needing a job when I first move and/or without needing a deposit I would really appreciate it. You have no idea how much. I would prefer the home to be in Logan Square/Wicker Park/Avondale/Humboldt/Bucktown area because they seem to have a lot of programs for children with special needs in those neighborhoods, but any safe neighborhood would be great.

It would also be a great help if you have a job that you could offer me. I am trained as a customer service/clerical agent, but I work great with my hands and could be taught to do carpentry/maintenance/painting work, and I'm not a proud person so I would be happy to do maid service as well.

If you know of any programs that helps single mothers to relocate, that would very much be appreciated as well.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

-Personna

I am not here to look for aid, simply because I don't believe any exists. If you think someone will rescue you from your troubles-don't bother. I know better. My family & I have worked our tail-ends off, prayed, sought out support, offered what we had to others, applied for, fought for, done everything in our power to provide for our family and it hasn't amounted to a hill of beans. It's a pathetic, corrupt, self-centered, evil world we live in & most of us have to find a way just to survive. Sad, but true. My story-briefly-hey, its a good read; I was born into dysfunction-moved 25x by the age of 16-Became a teen Mom, the father bolted- later married a Doctor who turned out to be a rage/alcohol addicted liar- divorced w/ 3 kids- got NO Settlement. Remarried. Had a critically ill baby. Required major surgeries. Later diagnosed w/ DS-MR-AUTISM. Requires constant care. New marriage stressed by lack of support system, financial struggles include a year out of work. Teen year troubles,illnesses. (Fast Forward to present day).Though the oldest children obtain 4 yr degrees, all have some sort of chemical dependency. One is suicidal. One is already going through a divorce. Husbands salary cut in half forcing us into bankruptcy. We are losing our home anyday & have no idea where we'll go. We receive NO aid for our 13 y.o. son who's developmentally delayed & autistic even though he can't speak, doesn't understand danger, requires total care including being diapered. Plus he is now bigger than I am. I can't work -there is no care available for him. We live in lockdown for fear he will get out as he has in the past. Walked into a neighbors home last summer & was mauled by their pitbull.  Jumped into a lake & had to be pulled to safety. Family & friends have stopped inviting us over. Guess our 13 y.o. crapping his pants, stripping in their yard & obsessively playing w/ their electronics was too much for them. Hey, that's life. We all  have to figure it out on our own 'cause no miracle is going to make things any better.

HEllo im a new single mom of 2 kids. This is our first christmas alone. I have a daughtwe who will be 5 on december 30 and a son who will be 1 in 2 days :) He also has a rare genetis disorder called Galactosemia Diease. There father left us december 27th 2008 a few days shy of our daughter 4th b-day and when our little boy was 3 weeks old and was under going testing as a newborn. I finally got hired as a waitress (after looking for work for months) and started nov 1 2009. Im only training following another server around i work 2-3days a week making low money. So after feeding my kids im left with no money. As christmas and my kids birthday approaches im geting very scrared and depressed. My mom has picked up 2 babies and 1 racecar from my kids and that all she can do she doesnt have much money and still have my little sister to provide/take care of. so im greatful to her for trying cuz i know she loves my kids alot. So im asking for some help this holiday seanson. anything you think u can do for myslef and my family. for piece of mind you can mail giftcards to walmart and toys R us to ensure the help will be going towards my children .. thank you to anyone who reads this and can do what ever they can.

I didn't receive any messages from anyone when I created this page last year. I did create a similar profile on eBay and had a few messages from others who would like to help if they could, but so many people are struggling right now. It's sad because I really thought that just maybe it would work. I carefully researched costs, etc. But today as I read over the costs I estimated, it's really unrealistic I suppose. Today I asked my husband what he thought about bringing Savannah home without any modifications to our rented 2 bedroom duplex and to try to do without a handicap accessible van. I said that maybe a few churches would help us raise money for a van once she was home. He of course was the realistic one and pointed out the fact that we have absolutely no room in our duplex (my stepson already has to sleep on the couch), she is too heavy for me to lift, and what exactly would I do when our 5 year old son  when he needed to go anywhere and my husband was at work, and how would we support another family member when we're in such bad financial shape as it is. I don't know. I just don't know. It seems so unfair.

How are we doing otherwise? My husbands hours have been cut drastically. I'm STILL waiting for a decision on my disability application. We can barely provide for the four of us in this small duplex. With Savannah, our family of five would have to get at least a 3 bedroom home if she came home. Yeah, right. We are 2 months behind on our current rent, our gas just got shut off, and we had to visit the local food bank for the first time. My husband works in the auto industry and just finished two weeks mandatory unpaid time off. It has sent us in a tailspin. I just used our change jar to have a way to fill up the gas tank. I walked in with a baggie full of change and was so embarrased as the clerk counted out the change because a lady I used to work with was right behind me. I have applied for food stamps and it has been a nightmare. I applied on May 18th and have yet to receive any help. They accidentally sent us a denial on June 18th and rescinded it saying they thought we didn't send our paperwork in (they found it the next day), but no one has worked our case since. I call and they say our application has been marked as high priority and overdue but still needs "worked." The truth is we're on our last roll of toilet paper, my husband doesn't know how he's going to get gas money for work this week, we are running out of the canned soup the food bank gave us, and we have no sugar to even make koolaid. So, I of course chuckled when I read over my post from a year ago hoping for $250K when today I would love to have $2.50 for sugar, soup, or toilet paper. It's difficult to remain positive.

So, now more than ever - we do need help. But this time, any amount will help. If you want to help our family, you can email akemonsr@aol.com. We do have a PayPal account set up so you can just send donations that way or email if you have other suggestions. God bless all the struggling individuals and families!       

Hi all. I'm fifty years old. I've been divorced about 10 years. I'm a single parent of 2 daughters. The eldest is 21 and about to start college. The youngest is 11, and she has asperger's syndrome, which is on the autism spectrum. Like many, we struggle with poverty and related issues. I have scoliosis that is severe enough to cripple me. I can still walk, but it's with a limp and a lot of pain. There is so much I want and need to do for my family but I always come up short, because of my limitations.

I'll try to state my needs as concisely as possible. My whole family needs dental work. I'm actually missing some front teeth and it would really help me professionally to get those fixed. I really wish I could start some kind of business that would just provide a living wage and let me be a full-time mom. My youngest daughter needs at least one full-time parent, and her dad's not in the picture at all. She has a lot of social problems because of her disorder. Because of that, I have been homeschooling her since 4th grade, and she is now going into 7th. I wish I could afford some sort of private school for her. Public school really put her self esteem on the floor, and I place no faith there. She is extremely intelligent, and I don't feel I'm giving her the education she deserves by homeschooling. It's just the best solution we have for now. When she went to public school, she cried every morning when I dropped her off, and usually came home crying. It was horrible. You wouldn't believe what kids, and even some adults, so-called professionals, will say and do to a kid that is different.

 My oldest daughter is an angel. She has practically given up her childhood since her father left us with nothing, just to help me cope with losing our home, extreme poverty, and a little sister with special needs. She is going to college on government grants.

We count our blessings. We are better off than many. I would just like to be able to make a living without sacrificing my home and family. That and health needs I guess are our biggest needs. A wheelchair would really help me keep up physically. I also had lyme disease last year and that adds to my joint problems and foggy mind. I have hypertension and type 2 diabetes, and I cannot afford to go to the doctor to get my meds refilled. I take Metformin and Atenolol, which is cheap at WalMart, but I recently moved and need a new doctor to renew my prescriptions. That's the part I cannot afford.

I make crafts, spa products and candles. I also do computer graphic design and digital photo editing.  I'm only a fair typist, but I also have telemarketing experience. I also have an extensive background in community theatre and was once a freelance writer. Would love a creative job or business.

I would REALLY appreciate it if some patient person would tutor me on how to create a website. My biggest challenge is being able to concentrate and sit for very long without pain. I'm really interested in learning more about adsense. I have all sorts of ideas.

I am a Christian and would very much appreciate prayers, and will offer my prayers for others. I also welcome any and all advice.

I am a single mom of an special needs 3 year old child.  I stay home and so therapy wth my child 40 + hours a week, when I am not doing that I am usually studing or looking for resources for therapy.  We live on a fixed income and due to having to get a lawyer for my divorce to keep visits supervised with my ex I have gotten into such bad debt and it has been impossiable to make ends meet.  My stress leval has gone through the roof, but if I want my son to get good care I have to do it because I could't afford to have someone else do it that well.  I really would love to just concentrate on my son to try to get his autism under control so he has the best chance at leading a "normal" life (whatever that is??).  Now is the most crucial time in his live for learning.

Now my debt:  Credit cards $3200 ($130/ month), lawyer $5500 ($300/month) and I am behind on utilities $800, with all of this and rent, food, ect I just need some help.  I could do it fine without all these extra expences and my landlord said they will kick us out at the end of the month until the utilities are paid in full.

Any help would be greatly appreciated--Thanks

We are in need of a helping hand. Our current financial situation is not healthy or capable of supporting our family as demanded by unexpected events and the firm belief in providing the best care for our special child. Her name is Denae and she is 9 years old. She was born with Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy and Minor Retardation. On the up side of that she was also born with an admirable amount of love and hapiness and just lives her days never stopping to feel sorry for herself or add pesimistic thoughts slow her down. She is always happy and loving and is a peice of humble pie to me at times when I am wasting time on petty negatives. We have had to adjust as some unexpected medical related issues demanded us to. My wife left her job to care full time for Denae and I over 5-6 months went unpaid under FMLA to do related tasks such as overnites in the ER or traveling to a specialist we knew Denae should see. This is so difficult asking for help as we are and have always been stable in our finances. I tried respectfuly to fight my way to the top of this but am confident I have to ask for help to get back on path and move forward. I make enough to support our families needs and allow the need of my wife to remain home be a success. The downfall came due to shifting funds away from bills and creditors and placing them towards traveling to specialists and meals/hotels, etc. Then adding the hours I was granted off through FMLA but as I mentioned they were unpaid hours(This was our biggest contributor). We are hoping to earn 2500.00 - 3000.00 so we can have a clean slate and end the calls from bill collectors as well as blow away the cloud of stress and wonder we have above us constantly right now. Even if you don't have money to give warm thoughts and encouragment are needed also and will be much apreciated by us all. Thanks for taking time to look at our story and God bless you.

we are in the middle of some very trying times in a nutshell. I will gladly speak or meet any kind soul willing to help that would like all the inner details at hand and answer any why's that there may be. My daughter is disabled in many forms. She is 9 and was born with Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy and Minor Retardation and inevitably she will always have this challenge to adapt to in her life. Looking at her you would wonder how she is so loving and happy seemingly never missing a beat in life to dwell or question her differences. Most recently the epilepsy created some obstacles for us as a family to overcome and we did exceptionally well however we did bury ourselves a bit financially to succeed. My wife left her job to stay home and dedicate herself to caring day in and day out for our daughter Denae as school is not always an option if there is siezures taking place and likewise when you seek after school care due to the fact that most daycare's are not prepared to safely manage an epileptic person. We are looking to get out of the rears on some bills we had to set aside to prioritize our life essentials (rent.electric,water,food). Sounds horrible but it is almost the only option for most in a similar situation. It is a total of just shy of 2500.00 that would fix this completley and grant me the opportunity to provide and care for my family. Please if you have the means, give us a chance to make it and move forward as we need to. thank you so very much for even reading our story. God Bless.

My name is Heather.  I am a 31-year-old single mother of a 9-year-old special needs son.  I work full time as a Unit Secretary in a local hospital.  My son and I have lived on our own since he was 3 months old.  His father was abusive to me and we do not have contact with him whatsoever as he is now a level 3 sex offender.  We get by on the income that I make but it is from paycheck to paycheck.  We don't have a savings, nor do we get to go on vacations.  In some ways I think it's good for him to experience the struggles of life.  There are too many children who have everything handed to them and they don't see the value of it.  I am planning to go back to school soon and get my BA in Business (I have my AA right now) but I need to have surgery first.  According to the state I make more than enough money so I don't qualify for any assistance.  If it weren't for family we would barely have enough for food.  Despite all this I am an optimistic person and I try to help others as much as I can (there will always be someone worse off then me).  Hard times are frequent in our house but we still know how to laugh and enjoy our time together.

I'm a single mom working a part time job (3rd shift) and raising two children one with Cerebral Palsey and other medical problems. I'm asking for help because even though I'm working I can barely put food on the table for my kids much less pay all of my bills every month. I don't like asking for help because I feel that there are others out there that are in more need then myself but I have no choice now. I don't know how much longer I can keep our heads above water.If you can help my family and I out , we would be very grateful.

May God Bless You!

Kelly

HI,MY NAME IS STEPANIE,I AM A SINGLE MOTHER  TWO GIRLS,3 AND 4 YEARS OLD (3YR. OLD HAS DOWN SNDROME). I AM CURRENTLY LIVING IN ARIZONA DUE TO HURRICANE KATRINA. IT IS VERY HARD FOR ME BECAUSE I HAVE NO FAMILY HERE IN ARIZONA AND I CAN'T GET A JOB BECAUSE I CAN'T FIND A DAYCARE THAT WOULD TAKE MY SPECIAL NEEDS DAUGHTER. I AM WAY BEHIND ON BILLS AND I HAVE NO MONEY.IF YOU KNOW OF ANYONE WHO CAN HELP ME PLEASE I NEED IT.                                                                 THANK  YOU,STEPHANIE

I have been graciously given the gifts of helps and compassion and enjoy nothing more in life than helping others.  I am currently trying to start my own nonprofit to help the poor and low income mothers.  I am not financially strong at this point, but believe in my calling to help others and God does give me connections to resources and the wisdom to discern what to do for situations.  I will help where I can.  Please feel free to contact me at thewellnessretreat@yahoo.com

I am also a holistic nutritional consultant and provide free advice and personalized plans on naturally overcoming and curing sickness and disease.  Feel free to contact me with your health problems as well!  Take care and God bless

To a healthy and fruitful life-

Kelli Carnegie-The Wellness Retreat