I’m in. Polycarp’s always been one of my favorite posters, and seeing everyone step up to the plate when he’s in need reminds me why I love this place so much.
No, New Zealanders
I am of the opinion that if things get much worse, we Dopers should colonize.
Dude, can you think of a more knowledgable intellegince vase?
Q
I’ll stick with what we have, thank you. Nothing personal. 
This is going to be fun to bring up-to-date. First, let me say how totally boggled we both are at the amazing generosity of Dopers. There is absolutely no way in which we’ll be able to pay back what’s been offered, and we’re both eternally grateful.
We bought an old but well-cared-for car back in 2003, and it served us well up until late 2008, when it began needing an assortment of repairs – exhaust system, water pump… all the little things that add up. Finally, in March 2009, the issue was the fuel pump, which is in that model car located inside the gas tank, or so we’re told. We had no friends and no country mechanic prepared to drop the gas tank, replace the fuel pump, and reinstall it. So car became lawn ornament.
Fortunately, a retired couple from our church lives not a long distance away, and offered to run Barb around her needs – her work shifts, groceries, etc. (She’d already begun riding to church with them, to keep the Deacon’s One-Hoss Shay running a bit longer.) Let me make public acknowledgement of John and Susan here – they’ve been lifesavers all through this.
Even after taking care of bills, we wre able to set aside a little over $600 towards saving for a replacement car, and John was willing to chauffeur Barb more or less indefinitely while we saved up to replace the car.
This came to an abrupt end the evening of May 9, when a line of thunderstorms moved through the area (news report) and toppled a longleaf pine growing in front of our house (a rented mobile home) onto the bathroom area. Our landlady was away; people got word to her. It looked eminently fixable at first – we hadn’t lost anything; the roof damage was over the washer-dryer area not the tub and commode. However, it turned out the damage was more severe than we realized – the power lines were still connected but down, and had dislodged our meter and entrance box (which stood on a pole outside the house). And the impact had driven the mobile home down on the support pillars, rupturing water lines, heating ducts, and God and the insurance adjuster alone know what else.
By Monday it was clear that our home was not repairable within any reasonable figure – the insurance adjuster totalled it and sent our landlady a check for the full value.
As between the offer of three days’ lodging in a temporary shelter 15 miles away, we chose to remain in our home, with our possessions, cooking over sterno, drawing power from the landlady’s adjacent property by indoor-outdoor extension cord to give us some light, a fan, and so on (including running the computer!), and bringing non-drinking water from her outdoor spigots in 5-gallon pails, while we looked for a new place. Our landlady wrote us a 30-day Notice to Vacate due to uninhabibility, with written apology included that we were good tenants she hated to lose (but she had no vacancies to move us into) – and we gave her a response that we held her harmless from the natural disaster that had made the mobile home unrentable, to protect her from any legal issues about having us in her property without power or running water.
We quickly found out that affordable housing is a joke. There is, quite literally, nobody who is prepared to offer either interim or permanent housing to people made homeless by such incidents unless it’s a widespread disaster – “If you find somewhere you can afford, we’ll help with the security deposit” and similar statements were what we got. Section 8 housing, supposedly income-adjusted, has a three-and-a-half year waiting list around here. Barb likes her job, didn’t want to leave it.
Then the County Health Department got into the act – and condemned the property. We were given three hours to vacate, on a Friday afternoon. Our church put us up in a motel for the weekend.
We hit the panic button at that point. Fortunately, one of Barb’s co-workers (and a good friend of hers) was prepared to open her home to us. It’s small – two bedrooms and a large open kitchen-living room area – but it worked. Her teenage son gave us his room – voluntarily; he likes staying up and sleeping on the couch – and we’re pooling resources. Our phone, including DSL, was transferred here, and we will pitch in towards utilities and probably rent (she said not, but I overheard her talking about money issues with another friend, and she’s going to need it). So we’re covered for the moment – except that she has no car either. But this is working out very well. She lost her husband two months ago – Barb was there for her when it happened – and the boy and I have hit it off well; he uses me as a substitute father figure of sorts, or maybe a Big Brother type.
So our priorities are to get Barb back on the road (I’m not driving owing to occasional blackout spells, and let my license expire), and then find a place to live that we can afford. If things continue to work out as well as they’ve started, however, we may just look for a larger place to share with Janet (our hostess in need); she really likes having us around, and is already seeing a positive change in her son from my influence, or so she says. Our place is down a dirt road off the state highway – it looks like the sort of place where you should expect to find Andy and Opie walking down the road whistling, fishing poles over their shoulder. 
That’s where we’re at, for now.
Now – I absolutely cannot believe what you folks have done and are doing for us. I feel guilty about accepting help but we’re backs-to-the-wall. All I can say is that you all deserve every good thing there is, for your kindness and generosity.
Wow!!
:D:D:D:D:D:D
HAHAHAHAHAHA!
FYI, I saw those typos, but left’em in, for comic relief!
Silenus! Thanks for the laugh!!!
It was one of those “belly” laughs that begin to hurt after a while, but make you feel so good once they’re finished!!!
God, I love you people!!! 
And Poly and Skull: you two just keep grabbing onto ol’ Abe, George, and whatever presidents you get!
We’ll…errrrr… “git 'er done!” (for want of a better phrase!)
Quasi
Poly, I love you, man. I’d take a bullet for you. Godspeed and God bless.
Dude, friends help friends. It is all part of that friendship/community thing.
I am 100% sure that if the tables were turned, you would have your finger on the pay pal button before you had even finished reading the OP.
Anyway don’t sweat it, we are just doing this to make Hal work.
If when you are looking for a car, if I can offer any advice feel free to ask.
Well, let’s hope it never comes to that!
Time for some “Beach Music”, methinks?
Enjoy, please.
My once and present bride Dondra and I are right there with y’all, and we have the address. The Cavalry (such as it is) is on the way from Dallas, GA!
I believe “Church” was mentioned?
THAT caught my attention, because I have been “away” for many years.
Sometimes you just gotta say: “If You’re Up There, Give Me A Sign!”
Love
Bill, Dondra and Bert (the cat!)
Thanks Polycarp and Skulldigger for letting us help yous guys
You’ve already paid it forwards, mate. Think of this as the return on the investment.
Glad to help!
Donation sent. Good luck getting back on your feet, Polycarp and Skulldigger!
I already had a check written, to be mailed…now, in reading Polycarp’s description of all the misfortune that’s happened, it strikes me that he does not rail and rant at all, but describes it with a well-tempered mind, grateful for, and specifically acknowledging, the aid others have given.
That, dear Polycarp, is the payback: seeing your good example of how to deal with hard times with good heart. It’s a gift for me to be able to help y’all.
You know I don’t like these threads talking about “donating” to so and so because they are in a hard time. The reason I don’t like them is I hate seeing a fellow family member (and you all are family) in need. I know the sun can’t shine on all of us 24/7 but it warms my heart to see this community coming together to help one of our own.
I sent about what I could afford before as soon as I saw Hal’s post with the address which is before I saw the first total and Polycarp’s post.
This is just one reason I love everyone here.
Polycarp, you’ve been in our shoes. You know how much it blesses us to be needed and to be able to give and lift you up! Thank you for allowing that to take place. Look how you have lifted our spirits!
I love all of you guys. This is why I stay at the Dope.
Donation sent! Thanks for co-ordinating, Hal; you’re a lamb.
(Whaddya mean that joke’s worn a bit thin? Hmph!)
I just need to correct this – Lib was posting accurate information as of when he posted it, but it’s proved over time to be in error.
First, we apparently cannot get into any Section 8-underwritten housing anywhere thnks to that long waiting list – and whoever is at the top of the list is offered the next available unit, regardless of degree of need. What Barb (Skulldigger) found was one of those developments for which (and I’m filling in assumptions here) construction was apparently HUD-subsidized on condition that they rent on the basis of percentage-of-gross-income to eligible tenants – a different HUD program not directly related to Section 8. We’re still waiting to hear back from them – but it looks to be a quite nice apartment complex, not the usual low-income housing complex.
However, when the solid waste impacted the rotary air-circulation device, we jumped at the chance to move in with Janet – we needed something immediately, and she offered.
Coolness - donation made. I’m glad things are looking up, and here’s hoping it gets even better soon.
And thanks, Hal, for setting this up.
Good things, man, good things.
Anyway we can look up banned user Badchad? Because I’ll process my donation tonight, but I want to add another $5 on Badchad’s behalf… in Jesus’ Name, of course! L I think we oughtta let him know.
Gotta get going at the moment. Will send later tonight!