Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

I am so close to securing housing after the divorce. There’s a place that checks a lot of my boxes.

I put together a housing plan with the goal of monetization to sustain housing moving forward.

Today, I learned I need $2500 to meet the rental requirements – 3x/rent for 12 months, first and last month’s rent, deposit, application fee, and credit fee. Good lord.

It is called the 3x rule – The 3x rule is a common way landlords and property managers vet potential tenants. It states that a tenant’s adjusted gross income, or take-home pay, should be 3x the proposed rent.

Having not rented in over 20 years, I am stunned. I’ve never had to pay more than first month’s rent and a deposit. My landlords have always been private rather than corporate entities. Is that it?

My rent will be $1350, meaning I need to show $4050 in net income or assets like savings. I’ve never earned that much money. Who does? $1300 is the average rent in Pittsburgh for a one bedroom unit. How would a family manage this having to rent a larger unit?

I could assess the policy and I will, but for now I have to focus on satisfying it.

I’ve scraped every barrel. I won’t get my settlement until I’ve moved out. You see the endless loop there. Need housing to move out and get settlement, need settlement to get housing. That’s not a solution. I have some donations planned for after the New Year, but that’s not going to resolve this issue.

They are holding the apartment, but time is ticking.

This is exhausting.

I cannot imagine how people navigate this every day – I have to prove I have access to over $4k each month PLUS the rest. I’ve never in my life made that much money. Now I never will. It doesn’t even make sense. You could drop the funds into your bank account to meet the minimum, then move them back around again. You could quit your job. The income you have one month could simply vanish the next.

People are helping me have a year to figure out next steps and we have plans. I thought I needed to raise money to prepare to move (I do.)

Now I might lose my only chance at decent housing if I cannot come up with $2500. There is no other unit that is remotely on par.

If you can chip in, please help me. I feel like that’s my mantra for the rest of my life.

Here are my links

• GoFundMe bit.ly/HelpLGBTQBlogger
• Venmo @ Pghlesbian
• Paypal.me/Pghlesbian
• CashAppPghlesbian
• Zelle sitnscoop@gmail.com
• Wishlist for daily and ongoing essentials https://giftlist.com/l/hTUL7Hs32Q

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sue Kerr (@pghlesbian)