Calling all BJ peeps who are organized and methodical, good at problem-solving and have familiarity with New Mexico and particularly the Las Cruces area.
We have a BJ peep whose new apartment fell through because it failed to pass some sort of inspection.– she was supposed to move in this weekend and is in kind of a panic. She has 4 cats as her family, and she is worried that she will have to give them up if she can’t come up with a solution.
In her own words:
I’m also autistic and my brain has limited executive functions for planning complicated things like moving long distance, and I find it hard to talk to people on the phone. There are too many moving pieces for me to handle right now. I’m having endless panic attacks over this and finding it difficult to cope.
I am reminded of how I was in the first couple of weeks after the tree crashed on my house. All of my organizational skills, my ability to be methodical and organized – all of that flew out the window in the first 2 weeks that were critical. I had a friend who was able to contribute those qualities for a couple of weeks to get me over the hump.
In a perfect world, I picture a small team of jackals who can help with problem-solving and running down leads.
Are any of you in a position to step up and see what you can do to help identify resources, contacts, just help with organizing?
Chime in below or send me an email.
Open thread.
Maxim
So they are wanting to move to Las Cruces from somewhere else in NM? I don’t know the state, but I messaged a FB friend who lives there to see if they have any suggestions.
WaterGirl
@Maxim: already living there, but has to move from current location for safety issues. New apartment was already arranged and was moving in this weekend and then somehow the new place didn’t pass some sort of inspection with the city so she can’t move there so she is basically has no housing after this week.
glory b
If she can ask for an accommodation for her autism as a disability and can explain the need for all 4 of them (from a Dr or therapist), this might work. A landlord might want to limit it to 1 or 2, which is why she’d need the letter.
This is loosely based on PA law, NM law may vary somewhat. This might give her more options for a place to live.
Document everything. Remember, NOT PETS, emotional support animals for her disability.
My husband was regional director (retired a few weeks ago) for the Pa agency that enforces PA discrimination law.
Timill
There’s an extended stay hotel in Las Cruces which says it takes pets. That might fix the immediate accommodation problem.
Steeplejack
I hope someone in Las Cruces is able to offer this woman some assistance. I, along with other jackals, I’m sure, stand by to help financially, if needed. Maybe with short-term accommodations?
Also, is this something that New Mexico Legal Aid could help with?
Maxim
WG, let us know if we need to do an emergency fundraiser to help cover the gap until a permanent solution is found.
Mel
Maybe, if it takes a few days for a things to cone together re: local Juicers to assist her, we could chip in for a bit of time at the extended stay hotel while the helpers are assembled and a new apartment is secured? That way, she would be certain of having safe interim lodgings, and any extra could perhaps be applied to any required security deposit. Sometimes landlords who allow multiple pets in a decent unit require a pretty steep security deposit, and depending upon her financial situation, having available funds to meet a larger security deposit could mean the difference between obtaining a safe, healthy living environment or one that could leave her snd the kitties exposed to health or safety risks, which it sounds like she is currently facing.
Just a thought. I know that she didn’t ask for financial help, but the one week time limit before she has to vacate her current apartment worries me.
That’s a very short time to assemble volunteers, locate a safe place, get background checks or whatever rlse the landlord might require completed, and get her and the kitties safely moved, esp. in such a tight real estate market. An extra week or two of safe, guaranteed lodging might make all the difference in making this work for her and her fur kids.
My heart goes out to her. Not being sure if you’ll be housed or not is absolutely terrifying, especially when you have loved ones, human or furry, who are depending on you to keep them safe.
OzarkHillbilly
yeah, a fund raiser to get her over the hump until the apartment passes inspection (violations in these kinds of cases are usually pretty minor and remedied fairly quickly)
NJHenderson
I’m a lurker, but willing to help with some cash chipping in. This is a hard situation and especially with pets that I’m sure she is really close to.
Mel
@Steeplejack: It would depend upon her income level, whether or not there was a violation of her rights involved, whether Legal Aid has appts. available on very short notice, etc.
It might be good to consult with them after she is safely housed, to investigate whether she has a claim against either of the landlords, but with just a week’s time, it’s probably not a realistic option to depend upon for the immediate needs of securing a safe place for her to stay and preventing her from being separated from her cats, esp. since there might not have been a contract violation, just a terribly timed series of unexpected events.
lee
Another option for her might be to board her pets somewhere until her housing situation is settled. I make this suggestion as it is easier to find temporary housing for a person than it is for a person + 4 cats.
I’ll be more than happy to chip in for a fundraiser.
Anoniminous
Has she talked to Hearts for Autism?
No One You Know
I used to have four cats, and I’m aspie, not autie, but I understand executive dysfunction from the inside…I’m not in NM, but I’d chip in if we had a fundraiser or an address!
Anoniminous
@lee:
Separating her from her pets may not be good or even possible.
Cite
Llelldorin
That extended stay hotel isn’t that expensive — even a minor fundraiser might be able to get the money to get a room for several weeks. That might dial this down from a crisis to a solvable problem.
Yarrow
Does she know if the apartment is being fixed, the apartment will be re-inspected and moving there is possibly just delayed? Or is it now no longer an option and she has to start over looking for a place to live? Knowing that might impact any decisions made as to next steps.
Timill
@Anoniminous: It would be better than having them go to a shelter, if that were the only other option.
Also on the list: a storage unit for her property until things get settled down.
Kristine
Ready to chip in to a fundraiser.
Lyrebird
@Llelldorin: Agreed, and I’m in for a few bucks.
Storage out there is way cheaper than in coastal cities, at least that was true in ancient times when I was there
ETA: I hope there IS someone in Las Cruces even if they don’t have $$, someone who can go _to_ the storage place, where there are usually a bunch of things to sign, and be physically present.
WE ARE ROOTING FOR YOU, FELLOW BJ PEEP!
Llelldorin
@Lyrebird: Ah, right, I’d forgotten storage.
Given the immediacy of the problem, let’s start with mitigation. It’s much easier to be clever when you have a month to think instead of 5 days. We don’t need to solve all her problems RIGHT THE HELL NOW, we need to buy time, and from what everyone is saying, time can be bought pretty cheaply in Las Cruces, NM.
EarthWindFire
Another one able to chip into an extended stay hotel fundraiser. This situation would throw anyone for a loop. Space and time to plan would be a big help.
LiminalOwl
Please count me in for the fund-raiser.
OzarkHillbilly
Too bad the same can’t be said of cool weather in August.
Llelldorin
@OzarkHillbilly: That’s pretty dear everywhere just now.
OzarkHillbilly
@Llelldorin: Not here this week! High of 77 today, low 80s till the wkend.
94 Sunday, 95 Monday. Blech.
Two rabbits
Didn’t Quinerly (?) move to ABQ area? Google says that is a 3 hour drive to Las Cruces.
Maybe someone has an RV she could borrow, then the cats could stay with her?
I was just reading about snow birding in the Las Cruces area, sounds like there are nearby higher elevation areas that might be reasonable…
MomSense
Sounds like it’s an occupancy or some sort of code enforcement inspection that is the holdup.
I can chip in something to help with a hotel or some housing while it gets sorted.
Is there a New Mexico legal assistance program that could help?
NetheadJay
I’m down for contributing towards a temporary place to stay, storage or any other necessary expenses.
On the spectrum myself, so this one hits close to home.
MazeDancer
@Timill: Yes, safety first.
Get her stabilized. Perhaps the apartment will be fixed.
But as Judith Herman says when dealing with trauma: Safety First.
NM is lousy with Air B’n Bs too. Though a popular time of year. But we could fundraise to cover it.
Joy in FL
I will gladly donate some financial help as that need might develop.
WaterGirl
Some good ideas in the thread.
Keeping in mind that she is feeling really overwhelmed, even making the calls and looking into possibilities is likely too much at the moment.
Is anyone/s willing to make some calls? Find out if there’s legal aid. Do a little research and find out if the extended stay hotel is a total dump in a shitty part of town or a decent place to stay? Find out what the price would be for a 4-week stay?
Contact legal aid?
Someone willing to be supportive by phone as we work through some of the options?
Someone willing to check out on-line apartments that might be available, even though (apparently) it’s hard to find a place after Aug 1?
etc?
Many hands make light work, as they say.
Tenar Arha
Short summary:
So, in 1 week arrangements & funds are needed
1) find a storage unit with a/c, so it’s not necessary to re-sort things that are already packed to see if they need temp controlled environment not to be ruined
2) possibly better to find temporary lodging that accepts pets (preferable to boarding pets separately & temporary lodging)
3) then find a new unit, or wait for problems with original unit to clear up
– not sure where this goes, maybe in parallel? Contact Hearts for Autism, then Legal Aid if the situation seems to require it.
ETA typo & @Watergirl great minds etc
Timill
@WaterGirl: At the Extended Stay, arriving Friday 8/18, departing Saturday 9/16, the website gives me $1600 inc taxes.
This is as a member of their website, but that’s just a willingness to get emails.
Best Available (ie no signup) is $1680.
ETA: guarantee with card; pay on arrival.
Hoppie
@MazeDancer: Lots of fan-adjacent people here, I see. Our last we-hoped-forever-but-alas-not cat was Rorimac Underfoot, rescued from outside a hotel in Las Cruces. Sadly, when we got him to a vet, we found he had FLV. Will be pleased to chip in for temporary support to help.
Chief Oshkosh
@Timill: I’m certainly in on any fundraiser for this.
Chief Oshkosh
@Timill: This is near the University, I believe. Googling “crime” and “Las Cruces” returns a real estate webpage that indicates that this is a high-crime area adjacent to a couple of very low-crime areas. To me it looks like the typical area of a university campus near two intersecting highways that has lots of Hampton Inns, Comfort Suites, etc. for game-day and graduation weekends. Probably “high crime rate” comes from campus data not quite fitting the generic calculator for such real estate websites. Campuses tend to have a lot of reported crimes (stolen bikes, computers, frat-related stupidity) that wouldn’t necessarily impact someone living in an extended stay hotel.
delurker
Pet details for Extended Stay America:
– 2 pets per room, $25 a day per pet for first 6 days. Day 7 onward, $10 a day per pet.
– More than 2 with Manager’s approval.
-Service animals are exempt.
I called Las Cruces Reservations and asked the likelihood of approval for 4 cats. “Unlikely, but not impossible.”
MomSense
New Mexico Autism Society seems to have a lot of resources including advocacy, legal aid, etc.
nmaustismsociety.org
505-332-0306
Spanish Moss
I can chip in. I don’t know anything about the area (I am in MA) or legal aid, but I am willing to make phone calls, lookup stuff online, and be supportive in whatever way I can be useful.
CarolPW
@delurker: That’s just money. We can do this.
Anoniminous
Mariposa Autistic Service Center is, supposedly, emailing a list of services. Will post when arrives.
Got a call into Hearts for Autism, waiting for them to respond.
Most important: somebody in Las Cruces needs to know what is going on. It is possible the left hand knoweth not what the right hand hath taken away. She really, really, needs to talk to her therapist.
Chief Oshkosh
@delurker: Great attention to detail!
So, cost of stay for a month ($1680) plus add-on for four cats ($1440) works out to $3210.
delurker
@CarolPW:
Given the remarkable generosity and spirit of people here through the years, (We can do this!), I didn’t provide the information as a deterrent, just facts.
CarolPW
@delurker: Exactly! I took it as great news, way better than a hard corporate limit to 3 cats.
Lyrebird
I thought Santa Fe, in that case more like 5 hrs, but maybe there are friends closer by!
WaterGirl
Is anyone up for checking to see if generally, there are some apartments still for rent in the area?
MazeDancer
She has an apartment she likes. They are not going to leave that building empty.
Anyone willing to take on making phone calls should contact WaterGirl, so they can get this person’s email. Tell her we will pay to move her and a place to stay, but all we need is how to contact the new building. So we can figure out for how long she needs.
Then the phone calls to make are to get clarity on the new place situation. Maybe it’s a week’s delay and she missed that part due to panic,
Looking for new apartments right now will be overwhelming, IMHO.
Also, doesn’t the new place have her deposit already? Find out about that.We can’t help her without more info.
She must have friends in Las Cruces. Why else move there.
We probably need to raise about 5K with moving.
WaterGirl
@MazeDancer: Agree with that mostly. Except not everyone is lucky enough to have friends and family as a support system.
Rebel’s Dad
I’d love to help. I have no $$$ and I know nothing about NM except it’s beautiful. How else can I help? Phone calls, emails, computer work? lmk
Rebel’s Dad
@MazeDancer: All my family is back in Texas, and the only person I have here in Jersey is a friend who lives an hour away. I moved here with no support system because as an autistic gay man it’s much more supportive and friendly than Texas. Milder climate, excellent public transportation, liberal state- sometimes starting over with literally nothing is better than staying where you’re at.
Timill
@MazeDancer: Yup. So we know we can do something – now we need to find out what she would like done. She may prefer a different hotel; her vet may be willing to board a couple of the cats; she may already have a storage unit; and so on.
Really, it’s time to convert the outline we have into an actual plan or two…
Rebel’s Dad
https://www.google.com/maps/search/Hotels/@32.3237221,-106.8703168,12z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m9!2m8!5m6!5m4!1s2023-08-18!2i29!4m1!1i1!9i72!6e3?entry=ttu
Not sure if this link will work, but on Google Maps I found several motels (chain, mostly) from August 18-September 16 that are less than $70/night.
Geminid
@Rebel’s Dad: I hope your new home is a happy one. I had a homeless streak a few years ago. I had money to carry me through, but I was still pretty anxious for a year. I lucked out though, with a great situation.
MazeDancer
@Rebel’s Dad: Good for you for moving. May it go well.
If you feel you can be volunteer “case manager”, then contact WaterGirl. Contact our sweet girll in NM and explain.
Then ask for people to help.
But that’s a big deal. You certainly do not have to, at all. If there is another volunteer, please step forward. Or volunteer to share case management.
And we need her name or something to set up the GFM or pay pal.
Las Cruces is far South in a very big state. And very hot. Not the kind of place people move to without some reason. You had a good reason to move, but chose a good place.
There is a reason, could be professional, educational, or medical, she chose Las Cruces instead of ABQ, Silver City, or Northern NM. Maybe she needed to be far away from Northern NM.
TheMightyTrowel
@WaterGirl: I poked around the web and there are definitely cat-friendly apartments available – but what’s their budget and is there a part of the town they want/need to be proximal to? I’m way out in Aus with literally no knowledge of the US SW aside from its archaeological past, so that’s probably the extent of my ability to help…
ghost cat
Thank you all so much! Today was a hard day and I really needed something good to happen. I feel a bit lighter now. Just to clarify, there’s no need for legal aid of any kind. There are no violations to contracts, just an unlucky confluence of events. The property owner that I had planned to rent from has given no guarantees about when the apartments (2 in a now subdivided house) will be available, so I no longer consider it a viable option. Las Cruces has a housing shortage, rents are ridiculously inflated, and there’s not really much about this part of New Mexico that justifies paying the current going rates. The apartment I had planned to move into was one of the few in town that had a very reasonable rent. So now I think it’s best to leave and find housing elsewhere.
Getting temp housing is much smarter than trying to find a long-term place right now. When I’m really stressed like this, I don’t think clearly, so thank you for pointing out a better plan!
Mel
@Rebel’s Dad: That takes real courage. I hope that as you settle in, you find comfort and peace in what sounds like a much safer place, and find many good people who become part of a loving “found” family. You are a kind and caring person, and you deserve joy and peace and contentment.
Mel
@ghost cat: I’m so glad to hear that you are feeling a bit better. What a frightening, unexpected set of circumstances you were confronted with so suddenly – no wonder things felt so overwhelming this morning.
Are you thinking of moving out of LasCruces, or just moving to a different apartment or area in Las Cruces? And how can we best help?
Sending you and your kitties big hugs.
MazeDancer
@ghost cat: So good to hear.
NM is a big state. With lots of cat lovers. There is something great out there for you.
Get some tolerable temp place and the rest will unfold. And, remember all those people here who are ready to chip in to help if needed.
Sometimes money is useful to bribe folks into remembering how much they love cats.