Hello All... :P
My name is Krysta. I'm 35 years old and born and raised here in Cecil County, MD. I have a
14 year old son whos father passed away suddenly in 2017. Currently he does reside with my mother and father here in Cecil County as well. Unfortunately, living with my parents is not only not feasible but not even an option for me after a serious falling out after my sons father died.
My boyfriend is 28 years old and has lived in Cecil County for almost his entire life as well.
Since the end of June 2022, I have been living outside in the woods of Cecil in a tent. My boyfriend has been out here for almost 5 years. We got together in October of 2022. It hasnt been easy for either of us, but this past year has probably been one of the single most trying years that I have had to deal with in quite sometime. Its been hit after hit for us.
February of this year, the cops came down, AGAIN, threatening us with charges and being detained if we didnt leave the woods within 24 hours. Normally, we would have just ignored their empty threats and rode it out. But after some serious hits to our egos, our mental and emotional health, as well as our physical health, mine especially, we decided to make a call to on of our resources. They placed us in the emergency winter shelter in a hotel in the next town, about 15-20 minutes from our camp. That was two days before Valentines Day. The program was supposed to end March 6th. My birthday was the 13th and the anniversary of my sons dads passing was the 15th, so to say that it was a rather intense and emotional week was a complete understatement. They got us an extension and thanks to a local church paying for a week, we bought some time. Unfortunately, that time ran out the friday before Easter.
We cannot go back to the woods, nor do we want to. But going back to that would be detrimental to our mental and emotional well being. I was "mom" of the woods to a good 20 people. I made contact with multiple outreach programs and help from the community and did what i could to provide what was needed for everyone down there. Being in that role, the caretaker, has always been my little niche. Shortly after we left the woods, a pair of these people that I had done so much for for over a year, broke into my tent/ camp and proceeded to steal just about everything from us. They stole our generators, our power packs for our phones and flashlights, my art stuff (which is the only real outlet I have for my bipolar and anxiety), our clothes, etc.
Back in July 2022, shortly after returning to the area after being in Delaware for sometime trying to get my life in order, I was hospitalized and diagnosed with fluid around my heart, and told that the one side of my heart was weak. That it couldnt keep up with the other side of my heart. I continually keep putting my health on the back burner, and now I cannot do it any longer. My legs are swelling and are extremely painful. Catching my breath even to do some of the simpler tasks, or trying to enjoy the day and spend time with those I love, has become a serious strain and task.
That same year my boyfriend was jumped by 3 people who he knew on a personal basis, and was hit in the head with a shovel. They broke bones in his jaw, face, and fractured his skull. The hospital told him that had they hit him even just a little bit harder, theres a very good chance that he would have been paralyzed. While he did fair pretty well from the attack, he is still suffering some serious side effects or lasting issues because of that. He will occasionally stand up and gets dizzy, loses his balance, and sometimes will black out. He has memory issues as well as emotional regulation issues, and PTSD.
Both of us are in the process of finding a doctor who accepts our insurance and is accepting new patients right now as it seems that most of the ones in the area are not with it being flu season, COVID and the detrimental economy that we all find ourselves in. We have applied for temporary disability and I have applied for SSI, but its a waiting game. My SSI claim said that it is going to take approximately 11 months for it to be processed. My temporary cash assistance/ disability is at a stand still because I need to get my doctor to fill out a paper for them. My doctor relocated to the next state and cannot fill out the papers, as my insurance is not accepted at her new location. We have a chance at getting into a rapid rehousing program, hopefully fairly soon, but until then we are stuck here in this hotel trying to manage, to find the funds to keep us safe, warm, dry and away from the chaos that our lives were.
At the hotel that we are currently at, which is one of the 4 area hotels, rent here is 550 a week. While we have been gracious enough to have people who want to see us get into a better mental, emotional and physical place in our lives, people who have gone to bat for us and helped us through some pretty dark patches in the past year or so, we are spreading ourselves, our resources thin and we have exhausted almost all of them.
At this point we are out of money..... Meaning if we dont find a way to pay for the room, we are back on the street with significantly less options, resources or help available, especially here in Cecil County, Md. Homeless people here are looked down upon and blamed for most if not all of the societal issues around here. We are pushed to the curb or swept under the rug, and lost in the madness. We become trash, and we are not a concern to anyone, except the police who want to crucify us for hitting a hard time in our lives and not being able to climb out of the dark, desolate hole that we have dug ourselves into. While we need help, we get the complete opposite from the community and its leaders. Instead we are left to either luck out by finding a decent case worker or outreach worker, as we have, or we are forgotten until we die. My boyfriend and I have seen this first hand. Towards the end of 2022, a very good friend of ours was found dead in his tent down in the woods we live in. Several months later, a couple, whom we considered family were murdered in an abandoned house they were living in out here in the middle of nowhere on the young woman's birthday. Not only a week or so later, the woman who helped me the first time I was homeless and helped me truly deal with some core issues was killed in a car accident.
Neither of us really have any family that we can turn to, or ask for help. Living in those woods has sucked the life force out of us, and caused building any type of real friendships, fairly difficult, especially since both of us have serious trust issues after the cards that we have unfortunately been dealt.
But we are trying to get away from those shells of human beings that we were. We are trying to do what we need to do to regain our places in society and be contributing members of society. Both of us are trying to move on and regain the independence that we have literally shed blood, sweat and tears for.
Everything that the programs, our case workers, and outreach workers have needed from us, we have obliged and done. But now we are a standstill, waiting for the state. We are actively involved in some of the outreach programs available to the homeless around here and are doing our best to try to pay it forward.
While it hurts both of our pride and ego to do this, we have no other feasible options at this point.
If anyone can see it in their heart to help a couple who are desperately trying to get back on their feet, we would be more than grateful. I'm literally throwing a line in the dark here and praying that something bites and we don't have to go back to that all consuming darkness. Any amount helps us get that much closer to having a stable living place and the happiness that we have been kicking, screaming, and clawing trying to find for so long.
I have multiple avenues available to receive any help. Paypal, Venmo, Apple Pay, Zelle, CashApp, Western Union or MoneyGram.
Email- beautiful.chaos0989@gmail.com
Cashapp- beautifulchaos29
PayPal- krysta.rae@icloud.com
Email: beautiful.chaos0989@gmail.com
Or I can be reached via Facebook messenger at this link : https://www.facebook.com/krystashaven89?mibextid=LQQJ4d
I even have two of my caseworkers/ Outreach contacts who are highly respected and employed in the area who can vouch for us if need be!
Thank you :heart: from the bottom of our damaged hearts.
~Krysta & Tim.
My name is Krysta. I'm 35 years old and born and raised here in Cecil County, MD. I have a
14 year old son whos father passed away suddenly in 2017. Currently he does reside with my mother and father here in Cecil County as well. Unfortunately, living with my parents is not only not feasible but not even an option for me after a serious falling out after my sons father died.
My boyfriend is 28 years old and has lived in Cecil County for almost his entire life as well.
Since the end of June 2022, I have been living outside in the woods of Cecil in a tent. My boyfriend has been out here for almost 5 years. We got together in October of 2022. It hasnt been easy for either of us, but this past year has probably been one of the single most trying years that I have had to deal with in quite sometime. Its been hit after hit for us.
February of this year, the cops came down, AGAIN, threatening us with charges and being detained if we didnt leave the woods within 24 hours. Normally, we would have just ignored their empty threats and rode it out. But after some serious hits to our egos, our mental and emotional health, as well as our physical health, mine especially, we decided to make a call to on of our resources. They placed us in the emergency winter shelter in a hotel in the next town, about 15-20 minutes from our camp. That was two days before Valentines Day. The program was supposed to end March 6th. My birthday was the 13th and the anniversary of my sons dads passing was the 15th, so to say that it was a rather intense and emotional week was a complete understatement. They got us an extension and thanks to a local church paying for a week, we bought some time. Unfortunately, that time ran out the friday before Easter.
We cannot go back to the woods, nor do we want to. But going back to that would be detrimental to our mental and emotional well being. I was "mom" of the woods to a good 20 people. I made contact with multiple outreach programs and help from the community and did what i could to provide what was needed for everyone down there. Being in that role, the caretaker, has always been my little niche. Shortly after we left the woods, a pair of these people that I had done so much for for over a year, broke into my tent/ camp and proceeded to steal just about everything from us. They stole our generators, our power packs for our phones and flashlights, my art stuff (which is the only real outlet I have for my bipolar and anxiety), our clothes, etc.
Back in July 2022, shortly after returning to the area after being in Delaware for sometime trying to get my life in order, I was hospitalized and diagnosed with fluid around my heart, and told that the one side of my heart was weak. That it couldnt keep up with the other side of my heart. I continually keep putting my health on the back burner, and now I cannot do it any longer. My legs are swelling and are extremely painful. Catching my breath even to do some of the simpler tasks, or trying to enjoy the day and spend time with those I love, has become a serious strain and task.
That same year my boyfriend was jumped by 3 people who he knew on a personal basis, and was hit in the head with a shovel. They broke bones in his jaw, face, and fractured his skull. The hospital told him that had they hit him even just a little bit harder, theres a very good chance that he would have been paralyzed. While he did fair pretty well from the attack, he is still suffering some serious side effects or lasting issues because of that. He will occasionally stand up and gets dizzy, loses his balance, and sometimes will black out. He has memory issues as well as emotional regulation issues, and PTSD.
Both of us are in the process of finding a doctor who accepts our insurance and is accepting new patients right now as it seems that most of the ones in the area are not with it being flu season, COVID and the detrimental economy that we all find ourselves in. We have applied for temporary disability and I have applied for SSI, but its a waiting game. My SSI claim said that it is going to take approximately 11 months for it to be processed. My temporary cash assistance/ disability is at a stand still because I need to get my doctor to fill out a paper for them. My doctor relocated to the next state and cannot fill out the papers, as my insurance is not accepted at her new location. We have a chance at getting into a rapid rehousing program, hopefully fairly soon, but until then we are stuck here in this hotel trying to manage, to find the funds to keep us safe, warm, dry and away from the chaos that our lives were.
At the hotel that we are currently at, which is one of the 4 area hotels, rent here is 550 a week. While we have been gracious enough to have people who want to see us get into a better mental, emotional and physical place in our lives, people who have gone to bat for us and helped us through some pretty dark patches in the past year or so, we are spreading ourselves, our resources thin and we have exhausted almost all of them.
At this point we are out of money..... Meaning if we dont find a way to pay for the room, we are back on the street with significantly less options, resources or help available, especially here in Cecil County, Md. Homeless people here are looked down upon and blamed for most if not all of the societal issues around here. We are pushed to the curb or swept under the rug, and lost in the madness. We become trash, and we are not a concern to anyone, except the police who want to crucify us for hitting a hard time in our lives and not being able to climb out of the dark, desolate hole that we have dug ourselves into. While we need help, we get the complete opposite from the community and its leaders. Instead we are left to either luck out by finding a decent case worker or outreach worker, as we have, or we are forgotten until we die. My boyfriend and I have seen this first hand. Towards the end of 2022, a very good friend of ours was found dead in his tent down in the woods we live in. Several months later, a couple, whom we considered family were murdered in an abandoned house they were living in out here in the middle of nowhere on the young woman's birthday. Not only a week or so later, the woman who helped me the first time I was homeless and helped me truly deal with some core issues was killed in a car accident.
Neither of us really have any family that we can turn to, or ask for help. Living in those woods has sucked the life force out of us, and caused building any type of real friendships, fairly difficult, especially since both of us have serious trust issues after the cards that we have unfortunately been dealt.
But we are trying to get away from those shells of human beings that we were. We are trying to do what we need to do to regain our places in society and be contributing members of society. Both of us are trying to move on and regain the independence that we have literally shed blood, sweat and tears for.
Everything that the programs, our case workers, and outreach workers have needed from us, we have obliged and done. But now we are a standstill, waiting for the state. We are actively involved in some of the outreach programs available to the homeless around here and are doing our best to try to pay it forward.
While it hurts both of our pride and ego to do this, we have no other feasible options at this point.
If anyone can see it in their heart to help a couple who are desperately trying to get back on their feet, we would be more than grateful. I'm literally throwing a line in the dark here and praying that something bites and we don't have to go back to that all consuming darkness. Any amount helps us get that much closer to having a stable living place and the happiness that we have been kicking, screaming, and clawing trying to find for so long.
I have multiple avenues available to receive any help. Paypal, Venmo, Apple Pay, Zelle, CashApp, Western Union or MoneyGram.
Email- beautiful.chaos0989@gmail.com
Cashapp- beautifulchaos29
PayPal- krysta.rae@icloud.com
Email: beautiful.chaos0989@gmail.com
Or I can be reached via Facebook messenger at this link : https://www.facebook.com/krystashaven89?mibextid=LQQJ4d
I even have two of my caseworkers/ Outreach contacts who are highly respected and employed in the area who can vouch for us if need be!
Thank you :heart: from the bottom of our damaged hearts.
~Krysta & Tim.
