Hello everyone. My name is Chatavia Salih, and I am a mother of 5 beautiful children located in Pittsburgh, PA. I just want to start by saying I appreciate you for taking the time to read my story and consider helping me at my lowest point. A little background on how I got here...
I left home at the age of 17, right after graduating high school. My home life was toxic, my support system was scarce, and I had this mindset like "If I don't do it for myself, nobody will." I worked from 10th grade and beyond. I just wanted independence and to feel like I wasn't just struggling but maintaining and thriving. Despite my efforts, I never really established the consistency and stability I yearned for throughout my life. I just couldn't get my footing. After welcoming my first child at the age of 20, losing my grandmother who raised me and gave me her best years to try and help me succeed in life, and a traumatic experience with my first ever apartment that left me evicted and confused, I still don't really know how I made it through all of those trials and scary times. God kept me, even when I felt lost and alone, and I am so grateful that I still have my life and my right mind. After welcoming our second daughter and leaving the unsafe apartment I was so excited to get originally, I found my current apartment in 2019, and it was a huge blessing to my family! The fear of homelessness faded, and I was finally able to start building from a healthy place. Shortly after moving into our apartment, COVID-19 struck, and we went from working, building and making memories with our babies, to jobless, stuck at home, and afraid of what the future held. Immediately, we decided that I would become a stay-at-home mom until further notice, and their dad would work as best he could. During lockdown, we had $0 income aside from food stamps and Medicaid and struggled pretty badly until the stimulus checks and unemployment compensation was finally paid out after some months. If I could turn back time, I would have used that money so much wiser, but the truth is I did not have the financial wisdom or discipline to truly lock in a secure future for our family. This still haunts me, but I am actively trying to forgive myself for the ignorance of my youth. At this point, I am engaged, and expecting my third child, and although we had some money, survival mode made us stock up on things we ended up never needing and making unwise money choices that gave short term stability but long-term debt. Once my son was born, I stayed home with him until he was 2. My older children were in school, and I decided to find work since Covid died down, and my fiancé decided the same. We struggled through our relationship, poverty, and uncertainty but our children were fed, housed and taken care of. That kept us going. While this was all going on, we were having trouble paying the rent on time and made our best efforts to pay off what we could when we could, but with inconsistent income, and choosing food over bills, the late fees were adding up, and rent was fluctuating. I realized that my landlord at the time was not filing paperwork correctly and so I was acquiring fees and rental amounts that didn't add up along the way which made the situation no better. I tried to create payment plans and find assistance over time, but my landlord pushed things under the rug up until the day they were fired. Not to mention, I have been on a waiting list for a townhome because the size of my family has far surpassed a 2 bedroom, but I never seemed to advance on that list and was told I was number 3, then number 1 on the list but previous management was let go before they could finalize anything. The promise of being transferred to a bigger place was then removed by new management until the renovation of how the property was being run previously is finished. Fast forward to present day, since then, I have had two more children and work full time from home. I was finally getting things caught up and trying my best to stay afloat as we navigate life as a family of 7. New management takes over, and after reviewing my account determined the mistakes, adjusted my balance, and still finds that I owe $7,050. We have been to court, we have discussed options, but unfortunately, I am facing eviction by October 30th if I can't pay at least half of the balance and come up with a promise to pay in writing for the rest from any assistance programs that may be able to help. With not much time, I am diligently looking for assistance from local resources and calling every place that I can but in order to keep my family housed I know that I need to lean into support that may be out there. I have to put my pride aside to help my family. The amount of $7,300 comes from the rental balance I currently owe plus the costs of court and filing fees that I am also being charged. I just want my children to have a chance at stability. I am not perfect, neither is my fiancé, but we have taken full accountability for our mistakes and are now just asking for a second chance at a safe, comfortable life for our family. Dreams of returning to school, starting businesses, and providing the life our children deserve lingers over our heads daily, but we feel stuck and we need prayer, support and grace at this time. I truly appreciate the time you have spent reading my story, and any amount you decide to give, including just a share makes all the difference.
Blessings,
Chatavia 
