Ideas for funding a move

July 31, 2019 11:34 PM

I am on disability, super low-income, with poor credit. And I badly need to move to a new city. How?

In 2015 I returned to southwest Virginia (my hometown area) to stabilize after trauma and also keep my mom company after my father passed that year. I ended up having to live with her for three (long) years but was finally able to put generous friends' gift to use last year and move into my own apartment in town.

I feel much more confident now, but I'm also really really able to see that there aren't really professional or personal opportunities for me here (in Blacksburg, VA), and the town is just getting worse as they admit more and more freshmen in a town whose resources are exhausted already.

I need to move, but I can't afford to.

I'm able to work part-time now-- I know I could handle that--but haven't had luck applying for jobs. (Sadly, a lot of the college job postings turn out to be done deals.) I also can only officially make so much money according to my SSDI and the rest would have to be under the table. I do freelance writing--mostly music journalism--but I'm already pushing that as hard as I can.

I scour freelance writing/editing opportunities, so please no need to suggest that or online tutoring.

I sell art when I can, but that's dismal online and locally.

An obvious answer would be to crowd-fund. I am open to it, but I feel really really guilty because friends have helped me with so many things over the years.

Another asset could be my involvement with my local Unitarian Universalist church. I'll definitely talk to my minister at some point and see if the church could help finance or work with the church where I'm going.

I have not ruled out borrowing from mom but I reeeeallly don't want to (see my earlier post about boundary issues).

I feel like I might be missing something, whether it's a funding option or a way to do a crowdfunding with more reach so I'm not just bugging my friends. I'm mostly concerned about raising the funds for the move itself and getting set up; I'm already looking into part-time work elsewhere and hope it'll be easier to find in a bigger city.

posted by mermaidcafe to Work & Money (7 answers total)

My suggestion is a bit tangential to your question in that it doesn't really help solve your immediate financial needs - but since you mentioned disability, have you been in contact with your state's Dept of Vocational Rehabilitation? They have resources to help you in your job search as well as other services. Here's the website for Virginia.
posted by acidnova at 11:47 PM on July 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

I also suggest Virginia's Vocational Rehabilitation agency - "Helping people with disabilities get ready for, find, and keep a job." In my state, there is funding available from VR for a variety of things, if it helps support employment, so in theory, it might include moving expenses, and they may conduct advocacy with employers for reasonable accommodations, et cetera.
posted by Little Dawn at 11:51 PM on July 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

Screwed up my link and missed the edit window.
https://www.vadars.org/drs/vr/
posted by acidnova at 11:53 PM on July 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

Could you look for your new job remotely or stay with a friend temporarily in the new city to find a job before renting a new apartment? It seems like it would be less stressful to line up work before actually making the move.
posted by pinochiette at 5:26 AM on August 1, 2019 [2 favorites]

I recommend moving super-cheaply. You'll still probably need to dig up two months of rent, but if you have a car or help from a friend that does, moving only needs to be the cost of gas. Downsize significantly, tie the mattress to the roof, load clothes and kitchen supplies into the trunk, and you're all set.

(Also, moving because you are "hoping" that work will be easier to find in a big city is really not a good idea. You're going to incur costs and stress for something that might not pan out. Please get something lined up before you get yourself into a worse situation.)
posted by metasarah at 6:11 AM on August 1, 2019 [4 favorites]

(Also, moving because you are "hoping" that work will be easier to find in a big city is really not a good idea. You're going to incur costs and stress for something that might not pan out. Please get something lined up before you get yourself into a worse situation.)

It's also often very hard to find an apartment without proof of income; if you're looking for low-income housing based on your SSDI (or do you have a voucher?), it can sometimes be a very long wait for those units, too.

That said, I know there are some charitable organizations around here that help people with one-time housing costs (like security deposits, etc.). If you have a definite destination in mind, it may be worth googling to see if there are any organizations local to the new place that provide something similar, though they may restrict them to people already local. 211 can be a good resource for finding the local agencies and nonprofits.
posted by lazuli at 6:24 AM on August 1, 2019 [1 favorite]

Depends on where you want to move and how much you can save up. AirBnB hosts often offer long term rooms or a bunks at a monthly discount for this very reason, if you're comfortable not living with much for a while. But depending on where you want to go that can still be 600-1000+ a month you'll need to have up front. Still, you won't have to worry about anything except food and that would allow you to work remotely. Couchsurfing.com is also a free possibility, but less secure and requires more dependency on the host's schedule and an exchange of social interaction for a place to crash (which I personally don't really care for).

I keep telling people to teach English online for income so I am sure I am broken record so you can memail me for info on the best companies. You can earn quite a bit of money (not a LOT but some people pull in a grand a month or more), if you spread yourself across a few companies, but it often requires at least a Bachelor's degree. There is also transcribing/captioning with Rev.com which might be perfect for you as a professional writer.
posted by Young Kullervo at 6:28 AM on August 1, 2019 [7 favorites]