A year ago, in May 2023, while in the middle of my divorce, I lost my job. My ex husband also lost his job a month later, so he could no longer pay me child support. We were both previously making $90,000/yr, but in Georgia unemployment only paid us $1,200/month. My rent alone for my two bedroom apartment for my daughters was $2,000/month. Unemployment ran out after 3 months, and it took me a total of 11 months to find work again.

The apartments weren’t willing to take partial payments, and in all honesty, I don’t really know how I would have been able to pay them anything. Now I am working again, and it has been the absolute hardest experience trying to find a clean, non roach-infested and safe place for my two daughters and me. Right now I’m paying almost $4,000/month for us to stay in a furnished hotel. Many landlords and property management companies won’t even look past my eviction to actually hear my story.