My friend, ~Mauser7, and her sister are in a really horrible situation right now! They are going to be evicted from their apartment in less than two weeks if they don't come up with the money soon. Their situation is very real and I really don't want them to become homeless. Please read what they've written below:

"In around fifteen days, I and my sister will be served an eviction notice from our apartment complex for lack of payment. Over the past two years, they have raised our rent over $120 a month, and in just over two months, will likely raise again as it has every year to total almost $200 more a month than when we first moved into this apartment three years ago – to a total of almost $900 a month. We have had to involve the city after almost eight months of contacting our landlords just to get repairs done that should have been taken care of when items were installed or between tenants, but were never addressed. They have bullied and subtly threatened to get us to sign leases again – and the penalty for not signing a lease, is that higher rate PLUS $100 a month extra, making it near impossible to move out.

On top of this, due to the lease agreement, if we are evicted, we are still 100% responsible for the remaining two months on the lease that we would have to pay for, or go into debt for. A mark like that on your credit makes it very difficult to find another apartment.

My name is Rowen Kade. I'm 28 years old and I live in Seattle with my elder, disabled sister, Sandra Lady. And we're in trouble. It's hard to ask for help. I'm used to clawing my way through anything on my own and toughing out every bump in the road by pinching a few pennies and tightening my belt a bit. In most cases, this means going without medication that keeps my asthma and acute allergic rhinitis under control. Going without this however means that slowly, my lungs start to fill with mucus and it mimics the difficulty breathing associated with pneumonia. On top of this, I injured my back almost a decade ago and have had doctor after doctor tell me that it's all in my head even when I collapse when they put pressure on my lower back even now. I've finally been referred to another hospital and doctor, but can't afford to go and find out what I actually did. This leaves me in a good deal of pain when I stand and walk – especially if I stand for more than a couple hours at a time.

Sandra suffers from severe social anxiety, depression, PTSD and other issues that prevent her from getting a job right now. While she is working with a therapist, she is on a fixed income. After paying her portion of the bills each month, she barely has enough to keep a very small amount of money for backup in case any small emergency (extra toilet paper or a bill slightly larger than we expected) comes in. On top of that, she has her own bills to pay for medication, transportation etc.

I am desperately looking for a job, and I've had a few seasonal jobs since I graduated, but they don't last nor pay enough to create any savings with. I'm getting small amounts from writing commissions that I take online, but it's nowhere near enough to pay our bills. Homelessness is a terrifying reality.

The money we are requesting will be going to many purposes.
1. First and foremost - keeping a roof over our head now until I can secure steady funding through my writing and/or a job
2. Help us move into a new apartment when this lease is done – including deposit, application fees and a moving truck to get us from point A to point B
3. Medical/medication bills to keep us healthy and me able to maintain a job
4. Replacement of clothes, shoes and appliances that are near the end of their lives (I wear heavy construction boots because my walking shoes literally fell apart on me, and I currently own two threadbare pairs of pants – and no interview clothes, which has cost me the opportunity for several jobs)"

They've only received a $5 donation so far. That's not nearly enough to prevent them from being homeless. I'm going to donate soon, once my husband figures out how much we can spare. And on top of that, TODAY is her birthday! Seriously, she should be having a happy birthday, not a severely dismal one. Please imagine if you were in this situation and find it in your heart to donate something. You can donate here: [link] If you can't donate, then at least share the link and retweet or reblog it. Sandy's a dear friend of mine!