In 2023, I entered a relationship with someone I had known for years and genuinely cared for. I drove all the way to Georgia to bring her back to Iowa, believing we were starting a new life together. At first, everything seemed perfect. But once I added her to my lease, everything changed.

She became controlling and abusive—physically, emotionally, and psychologically. Her constant, irrational accusations escalated into disturbing territory, including claims involving my dog and even my underage daughter. I felt trapped. The police were called many times, but I was told there was nothing they could do since her name was on the lease.

Things came to a terrifying head on our first Christmas together. My ex took nearly all of my prescription medication, and I found her unconscious. I had to call 911. Though the hospital attempted to place her under psychiatric care, there were no available beds. She was released the same day.

Eventually, the abuse became so bad that our landlord asked us to leave. We relocated to Sumner, Iowa, but the violence continued. One night, after another domestic violence arrest,

the police chief warned me that if I let her come back again, they wouldn’t help me anymore. I listened. I kept the no-contact order in place and finally broke free.

Even then, she continued to contact me with threats and emotional manipulation. I blocked her, changed my number, and fled with my daughter to West Union, Iowa—desperate for a fresh start. But instead of safety, we were handed keys to a nightmare.

The apartment we moved into was in horrific condition. There was human feces on the bathroom wall, mouse droppings everywhere, broken drawers, and carpets soaked in animal urine. We cleaned what we could, but then came the bedbugs. My daughter and I woke up covered in bites. I immediately contacted the property manager and showed proof, but she denied responsibility and blamed us.

Because I work in people’s homes, I had to stop working entirely to avoid spreading the infestation. I filed a small claims case, representing myself with all the evidence I had. But the management company had a lawyer, and I lost.

Shortly after, they filed for eviction. I lost again.

Now, my daughter, our dog, and I are homeless. We’ve been living out of my vehicle since before Christmas—her 18th birthday. Most of our belongings were left behind because of the infestation. She’s been staying with her mother temporarily, but now even that option is slipping away.

I suffer from pericarditis (fluid around my heart)

a deteriorating spine

Asthma and other medical conditions that make living out of a vehicle nearly unbearable. The cold, the pain, and the lack of stability are taking a toll on both my body and my spirit.

We recently found a place where we can start over—but we need help to get there. We need funding for gas, a U-Haul trailer to transport our things that we have left from storage, and basic moving expenses. We aren’t asking for luxuries—just a safe, warm place to call home again.

Please, if you can help us escape this cycle and give us the opportunity to rebuild our lives, it would mean the world to us. No one deserves to live like this—especially not my daughter. She deserves safety. She deserves stability. She deserves peace.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for reading, sharing, and supporting.