This is difficult for me to write, but I need help.

Since going through my divorce, my life has changed in ways I wasn’t financially prepared for. Along with the divorce came major changes to my finances and benefits, and I found myself falling behind faster than I could recover.

Right now, I am homeless. I don’t have a place of my own, and I’ve been living couch to couch while trying to rebuild some stability in my life.

I’m not sharing this to blame anyone or ask for sympathy. I’m sharing it because this is genuinely where I am right now. I’ve tried to carry it quietly, keep moving forward, and figure things out on my own, but I’ve reached a point where I have to put my pride aside and ask for help.

One of the hardest parts of all of this is being a father while going through it. I’m a single dad, and no matter what my circumstances look like, I’m still doing everything I can to provide for my children and make sure they never feel the weight of what I’m carrying.

They don’t need to see Dad struggling to figure out where he’s going to sleep or how he’s going to make everything work. When they’re with me, I want them to feel safe, loved, provided for, and know that their dad is still showing up.

The truth is, there are days when I’m making sure they have what they need while quietly going without myself. That’s part of being their father, and I would do it every time. But I also realize that getting myself back into stable housing is part of providing for them too.

I’m not only trying to put a roof over my own head. I’m trying to rebuild a home where my children know they always have a place with Dad.

My goal is simple: get back on my feet, secure stable housing, and rebuild financially so I can move forward with dignity and stability.

Any donations will go toward housing, deposits, basic living expenses, transportation, and the immediate costs of getting established again. I’m not looking for someone to rescue me I’m asking for a bridge to help me get from where I am today to where I’m working hard to be.

If you can donate, thank you. If you can share this, thank you. And to the people who have already opened their homes, offered me a couch, checked on me, or helped me through this season I will never forget it.

Sometimes strength is fighting through it alone. Sometimes strength is admitting you can’t. Right now, I’m asking for help.

Thank you for taking the time to hear my story.

Jamie Ruiz