DRMM Survival Challenge

CAN YOU SURVIVE

ONE MONTH?

You are ...

CAN YOU SURVIVE

ONE MONTH

When your house burns down?

And you are a struggling, single parent with two kids?

Pay day is on the 15th, you received $632!

You’ve just lost your home and most of your possessions to a devastating fire. You and your children need a place to stay.

Where do you turn?

Staying with a friend could be a feasible short-term option, but it’s not viable long term. Extended stays can be tough on relationships. Complications will arise. Eventually you will need to find a place of your own.

Affordable motel rooms are not designed to accommodate lengthy stays or family living. Things like food storage, cooking, laundry—not to mention safety concerns—make this a very tenuous living arrangement.

Initial costs—first, last, and security, utility deposits, etc.—neighborhood, amenities, not to mention distance from employment, schools, services all need also be figured into this choice.

The obvious list of difficulties—restroom, shower, food storage, cooking, clothing storage, braving the elements, how to get a good night’s sleep—are just the beginning. Where do you park? The added time, effort, costs, and stress of living in an automobile will affect other areas of life, maintaining employment and caring for your family, for instance. No cost.

All the difficulties of living in an automobile apply here, and more. Dangerous exposure to the elements, extreme vulnerabilities in health, well-being, and safety, and the way homelessness affects all other areas of your life are multiplied with this option. No cost.

Your friend’s landlord just learned you are sharing space. He’s threatened eviction if you do not leave immediately.

Your friend is happy to have you stay for a little longer, but will require more money towards rent and utilities.

You’ve just had an argument with your friend and the result is that you must leave.

Your friend has some shady people coming and going. It’s no longer a safe living situation for you or your children.

The least expensive motel rents by the week, but a number of shady characters come and go at all hours. You’re worried for your family’s safety.

Sharing a 12X15 motel room is taking its toll on your family. You know that you need a more stable and sustainable living arrangement.

Staying at a motel, even at the discounted rate, you are unable to make the payments. You will have to move out.

Your apartment has maintenance problems.

You’ve called the property manager a dozen times about the leak in your kitchen. No one is responding. Mildew and mold are forming. It smells.

Your Apartment gets Robbed

You return home and find your apartment has been burglarized. You’ve lost $200. “Happens all the time in this neighborhood,” is all the police can promise.

Rent unexpectedly goes up

Your landlord has raised your rent without warning.

Utilities for your apartment prove too expensive

You’ve fallen behind on your utilities and they’ve threated a cut-off unless you bring the accounts current.

The state you live in mandates insurance to maintain vehicle registration. Fuel and maintenance costs increase as you live in your car.

Finding a place to safely park and sleep in your car is frustrating. Property owners and even police officers have warned you to move on from several spots.

Due to staying in your car and parking illegally, you get a parking citation.

The reality of living in your car with its inherent hassles and dangers mean you never get a full or good night’s sleep. It’s taking a toll. You are tired at work and fall asleep at your desk. Your boss sends you home.

Due to living outside, you don’t have a place to get ready for work and show up looking disheveled. Your boss asks you to leave.

Due to sleeping outside, you are arrested for trespassing and receive a $250 fine.

After spending time outside, the weather and lack of sleep has taken a toll on you. You hear about DRMM and choose to reach out to them for shelter.

You and your children need food to survive. Eating healthy can be expensive, but cutting corners where nutrition is concerned can have its own high costs.

How will you feed your family?

It's cheap and convenient, but a fast-food diet presents health issues.

You’ve made the choice to shop as wisely as you can for your family’s needs.

You choose to skip a meal but still feed your children. Resulting health issues come with costs.

You hear about DRMM and how they will provide a hot and nutritious meal. You choose to go to the rescue mission to feed your family.

Due to your fast food diet, you’re excessively tired at work, and your child is excessively tired at school. You get sent home.

Because of your living situation, food storage is an issue. Food is growing moldy and spoiling. You’re forced to replace it at additional cost.

Because of your living situation, you had to choose a lot of non-perishable, pre-packaged food. You are still not eating very well and have decreased energy.

Due to skipping meals, you become weak and faint at work and are sent home.

Your children need school uniforms.

Your child would like to go to a birthday party.

What do you do?

Your child needs school supplies.

Your child needs a physical.

What do you do?

Your pet is sick.

What do you do?

Your car starts to make a concerning noise. You have no idea what or how serious it is.

What do you do?

Your car needs gas.

Have you seen gas prices?

You got into a car accident - You just took your eyes off the road for a second. How did this happen?

Luckily you still have insurance.

It appears your friend isn't such a good mechanic. Your vehicle shuts down in traffic. You must pay to have it towed.

That was a fine solution until your car broke down in rush-hour traffic. Now you can’t hear the radio over the horns and vitriol of passing drivers. You’ll need a tow truck ... fast.

You’re late for work. Your friend was not as punctual as you like to be and your boss won’t listen to your explanation. You are sent home for the day.

You’re late for work. The bus broke down and your boss won’t listen to your explanation. You are sent home for the day.

Leaving the scene of an accident can result in stiff fines, the loss of your license and perhaps even jail time.

You’re sick. You’ve got a fever. You can’t afford to miss any work.

What do you do?

You were injured over the weekend and you needed to go to the emergency room.

You’re depressed.

What do you do?

You have diabetes - Some 30 million Americans suffer from diabetes. Each year, another 1.4 Americans are newly diagnosed. If not treated, diabetes can lead to death.

What do you do?

Your child is sick - Nothing is more concerning than having a sick child. You’re worried.

Your child can’t go to school and needs care.

You had to miss work for taking care of a sick child.

Your boss notices you aren’t healthy. They ask you to leave for the day.

You couldn’t get out of bed because the pressures of life were so heavy and you are absent from work. Your boss is not understanding.

Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in America, and failure to treat the disease leads to serious, long-term health problems; everything from nerve damage to hypertension, increased heart attack, stroke, and amputation risks.

You need phone minutes.

Your car breaks down and you need to take a taxi to work.

You get a speeding ticket.

Your car gets towed. You must pay a $125 towing fee and a $50 lot fee.

Your child wants to go on a field trip. The whole class is going!

What do you do?

Your child needs updated vaccines for the upcoming school year. Vaccines are mandated by the school district.

What do you do?

You Did Not Make it Through the Month!

Thank you for taking the DRMM Survival Challenge.

For many of our neighbors this isn’t make-believe. It’s real life. Your support of DRMM helps provide hope to the hopeless, abused and disadvantaged of our community.

Your gift can change a life ... Please help.