Surviving Homelessness During COVID-19

I normally don’t share my struggles, or things I’ve been through. With Covid-19 and how everyone was going through the same thing made me give in. Before COVID-19 I was a gig worker/small business owner. I really enjoy the work I do. During covid I faced so many struggles and battles with depression I just wanted to give up. I couldn’t tho the more I look at my son I felt like a failure. Not because I wasn’t a good mom but because my finances slowed down to the point I didn’t even know where I next meal was coming from. I would cry every night praying something would come thru. Months wants by sales declined and I has to choos between my car or having a place to live. That was a hard choice because I needed my car my business and personal life. One month after letting my car go back my sales increase. Exciting news right :). Yeah I thought so too but I was getting scammed. People would order online wait to get there things and call the bank to dispute charges. So not only am I losing money now I’ve lost merchandise that could have feed my family and I have extra bank charges because of the disputes. Now I’m in the negative with no clue how Ima pay my rent now. I can longer afford my business due to the scammers I don’t have money for food or rent in my mind I’m like “oh no now I’m a super failure” in reality I wasn’t because I never gave up. So I went online found a few odd work from home jobs. Wasn’t paying much money just enough for me to have money to get food. I worked a few hours made about 100 calls only about 20 people answered that was a cool $50 bucks. I would walk 3 miles each way to get groceries since I didn’t have a car. Now I’m feeling better about myself and continue to work odd jobs for money. It’s like 10 am I hear a loud knock at my door “BOOM BOOM BOOM”👀 I jump up 🗣CONSTABLE OPEN UP” 😵in my mind I’m like I ain’t opening the door. So I wait I’m thinking maybe he’ll leave. Nope he bangs again this time even harder “BOOM BOOM BOOM 🗣CONSTABLE OPEN UP” In my mind like well he ain’t the police so I really ain’t got to 🥴 He leaves 😁 little did I know he’ll be back tomorrow. A week goes by nothing at this point I’m scrambling trying to figure out how I can make a arrangement for my rent. I get another sale for over $1k I was turnt you hear me 😂. I was like this is it. Nope scammer got me again for my merchandise I was so pissed I looked up the address to see where they stay at. Y’all how come it was nothing there no house or nothing 😵. So from that moment forward I looked up all my sales to make sure it at least had some type of structure a house or sum ya kno if I it look fishy I just cancel the order. That’s how feed you I was at this point. Now im super depressed we been quarantined for months at this point I got so bored I stared working out going for walks all to ease my mind from everything going on around me. Two weeks pass im out for a early morning run I come back guess who at my door. Yup the constable I just walk pass like Iont even live there lol this time he left a paper on my door. I wait for him to walk off I grab the paper it says 🧐“EVICTION NOTICE COURT DATE SEP 2020” 😵 my heart felt like it stopped beating a few beats I was stuck in that spot holding back tears as my son look at me. I just didn’t know what to do. I knew I couldn’t catch up in time and how can I move with no money 😔 I felt so low at this point. I couldn’t ask anyone for help. Maybe my pride couldn’t ask but a switch went off in my body like look you gotta do sum. I continue to work my odd job until I have about $500. Now I know that’s not a lot but keep listening then where I turn into a hustling beast. With that money I made I needed a car. You can’t get no car for no $500. So I rented one. I rent the car I start gig working 12 hours a day I would do nothing but drive. Now at this point I already went to court and we have a week until they force us out. I stayed up until that morning I left before the constable came and saved money not going to a hotel. I left behind most of my furniture and all of our food we did have. We loaded up in the car and left. This was super hard because not only is my son doing at home school but now his teacher is asking about his background and why he always in the car. I was really said to hear my 8 yr old lie and say its because I’m working but in reality we would have to check out of our room at 11. The remainder of the day I worked to get another hotel room for that night. We stayed in different hotels for a month and a half before I made enough money to get us a new place. The day finally came I went online applied and got approved for our new apartment. I didn’t tell my son I wanted to surprise him especially since i got him his own room.This was the first time in my life I’ve cried tires of joy. I’ve never seen my kid smile so big. I didn’t have any furniture but I had a home we was so excited I didn’t have any pans.I think I used foil to cook our dinner that night lol . Shid we did not care after all we went thru. I got a few air mattresses and called it a night. Now I can go to work and my son has a comfortable place to do his schooling. I was so afraid for him because I know he was under a lot of stress but he passed his school work. Christmas break comes I still didn’t have a lot of funds to work with since I was bouncing back but I got my son sister and nephew a small gift got the holidays nobody complained everyone was great full. That made me feel even more better. I continue to work then one day my sister calls like” Hey you have a check here” I think I was driving like a bat out of hell tryna get there 😂. It was my stimmy 😝 I was like dang should I spend should I invest it 🧐 what should I do? I spent $600 I ain’t gone lie lol the rest I invested into dogecoin. Now what I do that for Iont know nun bout stocks. What you doing girl here you again wit dis bs lol. My risk taking ahh dis it any way and made more than double what I put in 😵 I was shook ya hear me lol. I woke up to my account being up I jumped up out da bed so quick I almost broke my neck lol. My son comes running” Mom you okay” I showed him my phone he gone say “yesssir we up again now I can get a Ps5” 😂😂it be ya own kids😭 it ain’t even been der dat long and you thinking bout how to spend it 😂😂. That’s when I told him I can either buy you a Ps5 or reinvest and you’ll have enough to buy millions of Ps5 if you want to. He said put it back 😂😂😭 If he ain’t learn nothing else he learned poor spending habits can make you poor regardless of the amount of money you make. We all have our peak harvest seasons and droughts. It’s okay just remember to put back. COVID-19 brought many struggles with many more lessons and I’m thankful for not giving up. I had to hit the rest button a few times. This was one of my hardest battles as a single mom. One I love most because me and my son have a unbelievable life now some days I wake up like “ Dis is nice all of this is you🧐” it feels so unrealistic.