Janet Reynolds has less than 30 days to move out of the apartment she shares with her two grandchildren, who she's practically raised.
The three-bedroom unit in a Dunedin duplex isn’t much, but it was home for three years.
“You do what you have to do,” she said.
But a few weeks ago a new owner gave Janet and the kids the boot.
“I was kind of devastated,” she said.
She quickly realized there was no way she could afford another place with this much space.
In fact, she’s going to be paying $200 more, almost a thousand dollars a month for just a two-bedroom unit.
That means Janet will be sleeping on the couch.
“It’s not a very comfortable sofa. But I’ve fallen asleep on it before,” she said.
Property manager Monica Hulzing is normally tough on tenants, but when she heard Janet’s plight she wanted to help. So she reached out to friends and used GoFundMe to raise what she thought might be a small amount of money.
But Wednesday she was able to hand over a check to Janet for $2,500.
“When I told her I was doing this for her, she said, 'Why me?' I said, 'Because you deserve it,'” Hulzing said.
The money will definitely help, but higher rent means cutting out the one luxury Janet says she spent money on.: Dance lessons for Samantha.
“She has her recital, then she has to stop,” she said.
Janet is getting ready to move this weekend, and as she’s always done, the widow will find a way to take care of herself and her grandchildren.
“As long as they are safe. That’s the only thing,” she said.
Here are some links with more information on finding affordable housing:
