Melissa

Melissa H; Emiley
Email: mhc5477@yahoo.com
Location: I was in Louisiana and am now in Florida. I'm not sure where I will be in a year. I'm hoping that the rent will go down in Louisiana so that I can return and be closer to my family instead of being here in Florida where I'm a stranger and know nobody.
Number in Household: Melissa - 29, Emiley - 12


Situation: Right after the hurricane, my daughter and I lived in a shelter for a month unable to return to Louisiana. The shelter closed and we moved into a hotel and lived there for 2 and a half months. I finally found the place that I am in now (in FL).
Since being here, have been unable to find steady employment. The first job I had was temporary and then I was out of work for 2 months while trying to find another job. Money got tight because I don't live in town and I couldn't afford to keep running to town everyday to look for a job and going to interviews. I have since bounced from job to job.
My car isn't all that reliable and I don't live close to town. The tires aren't good on it either and so I'm often buying used tires as replacements. When it comes to my bills, I get an extention on one bill so I can pay another and this is how it is every month, but I always make sure my rent is paid. I'm currently working part-time for 2 reasons, one because it's money and two because at the time it was all I could find.
My daughter receives SSI and we use that to help make ends meet when I can't. I'm still fighting with FEMA for my personal property loss - that's a joke! Trying to get any help from them for rental assistance is like getting teeth pulled because they want things from me that I cannot provide to them, so that's a lost cause. They found me inelligible for assistance - I give up! I will look elsewhere for help.
Current Living Arrangement: I'm currently renting a mobile home about 16+ miles from town.
Help: none, i didn't know there was any out there really.
Needs:
Foods: not picky, whatever
Paper Products: Quilted Nothern TP, Scott Paper Towels
Cleaning Supplies: Palmolive Dishwashing liquid, Tide Cold laundry detergent
Household Supplies: I would like a nice set of kitchen knives, something that actually cuts instead of having to use scissors, lol.
Clothing: I would prefer giftcards to shop for clothing, shoes, etc.
Stores you shop at: We have a walmart and a kmart

Last year my daughter and I didn't celebrate her birthday or Christmas due to our circumstances. I would like to be able to celebrate this year. I used to be able to take her to the mall to go shopping and since the hurricane haven't been able to do that. I'd love to be able to take her to the stores she used to shop in such as American Eagle, Old Navy, Bath & Body Works, etc.
I used to work fulltime, I had a good job and went to school. But since losing everything and having to move I haven't been back to school and certainly haven't been able to find a job, not a job making what I was before. I would just like for this birthday and Christmas to feel "normal" and not be as depressing and disappointing as it was last year.
If I could sit here and make a list off the top my head of the things I need the most it would be a giftcard to walmart for gas in my car so I can go find a better job, tires for my car so i don't have to worry about getting back and forth and stop wasting money buying used ones, giftcards so we can get some new clothes, shoes, coats and things of that nature, giftcards to buy bedding - cause I would love to go buy bedding for the both of us that actually matches, isn't faded and doesn't have holes in it somewhere.