Help needed to prevent two older women from being homeless
I want to be completely transparent regarding verification because I understand why people are cautious online, especially with fundraising posts. These are two women I personally know, Lorrie Herman (68) and Lisa Stine (56), who recently lost their home and are currently staying in a hotel trying desperately not to become homeless.
Lorrie has severe COPD and has difficulty getting around. She uses a walker and sometimes a wheelchair because of her health problems. She receives around $856 a month in SSI, and with the hotel costing around $800 a month, it is almost impossible for them to keep up financially. Lisa recently had knee surgery and missed months of work, and now they are struggling just to survive day to day.
They are originally from Somerset, Kentucky, but the only hotel they could afford is in Monticello, Kentucky, about 30 minutes away from Lisa’s job. There is no Uber, public transportation, or bus system here, and because of transportation issues she has not even been able to consistently get back and forth to work.
They are also desperately trying not to lose their cat Willow during all of this because Willow is one of the only comforts they have left right now.
The reason the women themselves are not posting on Reddit is because they are older ladies who do not really use technology much and honestly did not even know what Reddit was until I explained it and got their permission to post for them. They do not have high-tech phones and are not familiar with how any of this works.
I also want to explain the verification situation. They currently live a significant distance away from me and unfortunately I’m unable to physically go there for a verification photo together because I work 40 hours a week, attend school full-time, and also do cat rescue full-time outside of work. However, I did include:
my verification photo with my Reddit username/date
photos of the women
screenshots of our text conversations
proof of the hotel situation
In the screenshots, the green messages are from me and the white bubbles are from Lisa and Lorrie. When you see the name Willow, that is their cat they are desperately trying not to lose during all of this. When the name Jessica is mentioned, that is Jessica with Help the Homeless in Somerset, Kentucky.
I completely understand people being cautious and I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read this. Even advice, resources, shares, or kind words mean a lot right now. If anyone is willing to help these women avoid homelessness, thank you from the bottom of my heart.