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Help Bella keep her home - 5 months behind on rent

A court summons for non-payment arrived last week. Bella needs $5,000 to clear the arrears and stay housed in Chattanooga.

🇺🇸 Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States3,773 views
Shawn F. Palmer
Email verified
Chattanooga
When the bakery closed in July, Bella fell 5 months behind on rent. Last Thursday a court summons for non-payment was taped to the door, and the amount owed is $5,000. The landlord was understanding for a while, but has now been clear: if the arrears aren't cleared by October, the family must leave. There are a toddler and a baby at home. Moving would mean new schools, a new commute and no deposit to put down anywhere else. Bella has started working extra hours at a market stall, and is applying for help from local services, but nothing will arrive in time without the rest of the gap covered here. The money will be paid directly to the landlord and I'll upload the receipt once it's done. Where the $5,000 goes: • Rent arrears (5 months): $3,700 • Late fees and court costs: $390 • Utilities in arrears: $115 • First month of rent as a buffer: $795 I'll pay this kindness forward the moment I'm able to. - Shawn
due date
2026-09-30
bill type
Rent arrears

Updates from Shawn

No updates yet. Supporters are notified when the owner posts one.

  • André Sebastião Vasconcelos 🇧🇷 · $15

    “Blessings. Hope this covers a bit of it. - Salvador”

  • Rodel E. Salvador 🇺🇸 · $10
  • Bilal Mahmoud Kamel 🇪🇬 · $25

    “Be well. Only $25 but hope it helps. - Cairo”

  • Ishita P. Kohli 🇮🇳 · $48

    “Hope it all works out. Gave what I could this week. - Chennai”

  • Tiago Otávio Bastos 🇧🇷 · $50

    “Thinking of you! - Niterói”

  • Anonymous 🇮🇩 · $75

    “My colleague told me about this one. - Bekasi”

  • Amira Trabelsi 🇪🇬 · $10
  • Mazen Mustafa Soliman 🇲🇦 · $15
  • Comfort Kehinde Williams 🇳🇬 · $67.50
  • Wafula Mugisha Lyimo 🇰🇪 · $20

    “Sending love. From Mombasa with love.”

  • Robert Romero 🇺🇸 · $20

    “Stay strong. Thought of Bella all day after reading this. - Los Angeles”

  • Hiền Như Duong 🇻🇳 · $25
  • Lệ Bích Pham 🇻🇳 · $30

    “Thinking of you. Hope the October deadline works out. - Thủ Đức”

  • Robert Joyner 🇺🇸 · $25

    “Hope things get better. Hope the October deadline works out. - Birmingham”

  • Roxana Alina Mocanu 🇷🇴 · $100

    “You got this! - București”

  • Ian James 🇦🇺 · $33.50

    “Only $34 but hope it helps. - Sydney”

  • Victoria Booker 🇺🇸 · $12.50

    “Take care of yourselves. Hope this covers a bit of it. - Tucson”

  • Tomasz Wojciech Mazur 🇵🇱 · $200
  • Henrique Medeiros 🇧🇷 · $10
  • Hiroto Noboru Matsumoto 🇯🇵 · $10

    “Get well soon. From Shinjuku with love. - Shinjuku”

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  • Wishing you the best, Shawn. A secure home matters so much. Hope you're settled soon. Our whole street has been following this since the weekend.

    • So sorry you're going through this, Shawn. Reading this made my day a bit heavier but I'm glad I did. Our whole street has been following this since the weekend. Love from Dhaka.

      • Is there anything that isn't money that would help Bella?

        • Good luck, Shawn. Looking forward to the next update. Put this on a community board in Campinas this morning.

          • is there a list of costs somewhere? Just curious how it adds up for Bella.

            • Shawn F. PalmerOwnerAnswer

              Rent arrears (5 months) is $3,700 of it. Everything else is listed in the story and nothing outside that list comes out of this page. I'll keep the page updated.

          • Sending good thoughts, Shawn. A secure home matters so much. Hope you're settled soon. We lost years of savings to something like this so I get it. Blessings.

            • Sending strength. Gave what I could, wish it was more. The breakdown of costs made it easy to trust. Take care.

              • Wishing you the best, Shawn. A secure home matters so much. Hope you're settled soon. Love from Kilkenny.

                • So sorry you're going through this. Everyone deserves a bit of help sometimes. After 6 years in engineering I know how hard it's to ask for anything. Love from Dhaka.

                  • Yolanda G. RodríguezPhoto verified

                    Praying for you, Shawn. Hope this works out for you. My neighbor in Londrina donated after I showed her your page

                    • Wishing you the best, Shawn. Hope this works out for you.

                      • Thinking of you and your family. Shared this with my family. After 17 years in teaching I know how hard it's to ask for anything.

                        $4,487.50 raised of $5,000

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