I am a 68-year old divorced woman with no family. My husband was a banker in Aspen. When we divorced I was not allowed an attorney to represent me, was not given my share of our assets, and I am “illegally divorced” according to the DA’s office there. I went to Boston to work for American Express but was forced to return to the west by severe asthma. I have an autoimmune condition that benefits from a dry climate. Chronic pain, frequent bouts of bronchitis, severe food allergies and asthma are part of the disease. I get expensive IV treatments of antibodies twice a month at the hospital, so I am on Medicaid and Medicare. I had pneumonia several years ago, so that is my biggest health threat. I have a BA in Education, and have lived in Santa Fe since 1991. I was never able to get a teaching job here so I worked in low wage jobs ($12,000-$!5,000). In spite of my pain and symptoms, I supported myself until I could no longer get hired…2004 when Bush took us back to war. I lived in my car, parked behind Grace Community Bible Church, helping out as an unpaid security guard (my presence kept the drug dealers away from the parking lot). I have been attending the community college for nearly ten years, taking computer and web design classes, film crew classes (hoping to work on movie sets), and art classes. I could not afford to take classes if I was paying rent, and the classes and volunteering with Listening Horse have kept my mind and body active, which is more important than having an apartment and nothing to do with my time. Coming up La Bajada Hill after seeing a neurologist in Albuquerque several weeks ago, my car engine gave out. It is too expensive to repair. I need to get another vehicle to continue living in.I will have about $700 after selling the vehicle for scrap. I cannot sell it until I get a new vehicle as I am still living in it, although without heat. I was doing fine living in my car as long as I had heat in the evening before getting into my sleeping bag. I need to find a solution to this dilemma in two weeks as I my dead car must be moved. The wait for senior housing is anywhere from 8 months to a year and a half. In the interim I want to continue with my art classes at SFCC, and volunteering with Listening Horse Therapeudic Riding where I work two or three whole days each session. I have been volunteering there for four years. It is therapy for myself as well as our clients, who are often very sick. I prefer living in a car so I can afford to keep up my activities. I have been self-supporting and independent most of my life. My therapist praises my creativity, resourcefulness and resilience in my situation. But now I have run into a problem I cannot fix myself. I hate having to ask for help…my independence and freedom are very important to me. But now I have no choice. Gayanne Robinson
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