COVID-19 Assistance Thread

Deleted · Mar 22, 2020, 1:00 PM

So I'm not sure if this thread will get much use, but I bet there are those of us willing to assist where we can. I know there are those of us who need assistance. Feel free to post here asking for help/offering help. I'll go first.

If anyone in the Austin area without access to work/car/supplies needs assistance, I'll gladly help. I am... on a rather small income myself and have some expenses coming up, but my head is pretty firmly above water and it's looking like I will be fine for a while so...

If you need it I will gladly pick you up, take you grocery shopping for the essentials, help pay if needed, and drop you off back at home. As long as it is on my day off (Wed/Thurs/Friday) and you don't expect me to buy a bunch of expensive stuff. I'm not loaded.

Edit: I forgot to add; if you/your household are high risk I don't mind just taking a grocery list and doing it solo. No promises I'll be able to get everything though.

Ganymede · Mar 22, 2020, 2:59 PM

I concur with Admiral.

I live in the Dayton, Ohio area. I am happy to assist anyone for anything. Legal advice, of course, is my specialty, but I have time, cash, and a pretty good network of resources to draw from.

Aria · Mar 22, 2020, 4:56 PM

@Ganymede said in COVID-19 Assistance Thread:

I concur with Admiral.

I live in the Dayton, Ohio area. I am happy to assist anyone for anything. Legal advice, of course, is my specialty, but I have time, cash, and a pretty good network of resources to draw from.

Could I possibly put you in touch with my Aunt's family if they need anything? She's in VERY bad health, my uncle's isn't great, and with as many grandkids as they have to worry about, I'm not sure how good of a job my cousins might be doing with her right now. They live in West Carrollton.

Ganymede · Mar 22, 2020, 5:06 PM

@Aria

Absolutely. I would be happy to anony-drop stuff to her, if that would be easier. PM me what they need and I’ll get it out there.

gryphter · Mar 22, 2020, 5:25 PM

I'm not cash-rich, but my situation is stable. If there's anyone in Maine not feeling that stability and I can do something to help, please reach out. I will gladly do what I can.

Aria · Mar 22, 2020, 5:28 PM

@Ganymede said in COVID-19 Assistance Thread:

@Aria

Absolutely. I would be happy to anony-drop stuff to her, if that would be easier. PM me what they need and I’ll get it out there.

You are AMAZING. I'll check in with her and see if she's doing okay or not. Even a year ago, she was too sick to leave the house without major assistance and her eldest son was not handling it well, so I really, really appreciate even the offer.

Auspice · Mar 22, 2020, 7:15 PM

Most utilities (and some leasing offices, other companies besides) are happy to work with people to suspend late fees, change payment dates, etc.

I need to call a few tomorrow, myself. I know in Austin, the power company is one. The internet service I use is another (Grande Communications).

Fingers crossed my apartment complex is on that list.

Jennkryst · Mar 22, 2020, 10:42 PM

Delaware just announced closing, but I work in one of those 'essential businesses', so. Yay money/boo potential exposure. Not... a ton of help I can offer, but I might be able to throw monies at a GoFundMe here or there?

Snackness · Mar 22, 2020, 10:46 PM

I'm not sure if this fits here, but I figured why not (happy to delete it if I should)...this is a site I accidentally ended up in charge of that has a list of resources/instructions for making cloth facemasks and getting them to healthcare providers. I know we have some crafters around here, and some people who might need these.

http://facemaskwarriors.com/

Ganymede · Mar 22, 2020, 11:10 PM

I hope this might help people. Apparently, it is a list of jobs available for people that want to work remotely, updated as of the end of February.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1M-8J7z605dcPhUjYfyiKVxuci0e4AWsDLo_tvs19C5M/htmlview?fbclid=IwAR292wSPdo_Rl771WdJvglreAqpaQB5rbxVbRQrsNclV6pRFEI6kto__S7k

Aria · Mar 23, 2020, 1:18 AM

@Jennkryst If you need something, let me or @insomniac7809 know. We're currently home sick awaiting test results, but once we're better, we'll help if we can. We're just across the border in Philly and willing to do porch drop-offs complete with awkward waving from our car.

BetterNow · Mar 23, 2020, 2:02 AM

In regards to legal advice, for those of us in "essential businesses", especially involving grocery stores (people who did not sign up to be emergency first responders), what recourse does someone have if they are forced to come in to work or otherwise risk job loss, despite the virus situation? I can understand not paying someone for staying home, but taking their job away?

RightMeow · Mar 23, 2020, 12:19 AM

@BetterNow

Not a lawyer but work in grocery. I think it depends on your state and your business. Some of them have plans for this. I'm on a voluntary LOA right now. I still have a job when I come back, they aren't paying me now.

Jennkryst · Mar 23, 2020, 1:18 AM

@Aria Thanks, but at the moment, I'm fine. I'm still getting paid, since the restaurant is... uh... somehow an essential business? I'm offering what bit I can until I inevitably catch the plague and my new life goal becomes 'track down Joe and cough on him'.

Ganymede · Mar 23, 2020, 2:02 AM

@BetterNow said in COVID-19 Assistance Thread:

In regards to legal advice, for those of us in "essential businesses", especially involving grocery stores (people who did not sign up to be emergency first responders), what recourse does someone have if they are forced to come in to work or otherwise risk job loss, despite the virus situation?

Unfortunately, it depends on your employer. Some will let people take leaves of absence without fear of job loss; others, not so much.

More than that is a matter of opinion only.

Selira · Mar 23, 2020, 7:50 PM

There's not a lot I can do as a carless person, but I'm in the Portland, OR area and work from home in an essential industry. I also have a decent amount of privilege and bureaucratic know-how, and my roommates are going stir-crazy looking for things to do to help. Let me know and I'll try to work something out.

Auspice · Mar 23, 2020, 8:24 PM

I hate having to do this because if I'd gotten paid appropriately (thanks TWC), it wouldn't be at all necessary and TWC is making it worse by not taking calls at all. Like if you call them, they just say 'Please apply through the website.' Well I already did. Y'all just fucked me over with the way you setup my weeks.

Anyway.

I have a GoFundMe. Everything helps. I'm $470 shy of rent, roughly. Not to mention the other bills that have gone untouched this month. If I can get this or even most of it, I'll be fine. I'll be able to make it work moving forward since after those 2 lost (/unpaid/fucked) weeks, I'll be getting enough. It's just right now, I have no way of managing things.

Even just sharing it helps since you never know who might be able to throw something in. I know most everyone here is floundering.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/vyut2d-help-paying-bills

RightMeow · Mar 23, 2020, 8:20 PM

@Auspice

Link didn't work. I figured out the problem. Here.

Auspice's GoFundMe

ZekeTheG33k · Mar 23, 2020, 8:23 PM

@Auspice Is your state not one that is doing the 'freeze' on Evictions? It wouldn't be so bad if the Senate could come to some general agreement about the stimulus package and disbursing that money to those people whom need it.

Auspice · Mar 23, 2020, 8:24 PM

@Seamus said in COVID-19 Assistance Thread:

@Auspice Is your state not one that is doing the 'freeze' on Evictions?

They are, but I suspect late fees are still a thing.

And having had to pay late fees before due to an online payment system fucking up, you can find yourself with nearly $200 worth in just a week. I won't get paid again for 2 weeks.

@RightMeow thank you, I didn't notice I grabbed my link vs the public one. D'oh.