With your generosity, we were able to help 32 nomads in 2023. Some received $100 Compassion Grants because their requests were beyond the scope of the eFund. Others, who were in danger of losing their homes due to the condition of their vehicles, were approved for transmission repairs, radiator replacements, power steering repairs, and other major repairs. All funding of the repairs is paid directly to the mechanics’ shops. We, at HOWA, and the nomads who are helped are so grateful for the funds that keep the program going. Since the inception of the Emergency Fund in August 2019 we have distributed over $70,000! Please donate HERE.
Below are a few emails that we received from grateful recipients:
“I just received it!! Thank you guys so much !! You are a true blessing!! May y’all your roads be freshly paved, and stars at night be clear!! Namaste my friends”
“Thank you so much for your kind and heartfelt response to my email. It truly means so much to me. I appreciate all that was said and thank you for explaining things to me. It was a truly a beautiful experience reading your email. People haven’t been so nice. Thank you.With love,Tyvonne”
“Just wanted to let you know that I received the money and am so very grateful and thankful. I made it back today and go back to work on Wednesday morning. I had some van trouble right as I got here but a coworkers husband is coming to help me with that issue tomorrow. I really can’t thank you guys enough for all of your help.I’m thankful to be on a team that truly helps individuals in need.”
“Hello HOWA family, I was approved for your Emergency Funds Program on 3/6/23 and I would like to tell you my story. I had traveled from Galveston, Tx to spend the winter in one of my favorite places, Quartzsite AZ. I got a job at Pilot Flying J @ Subway which sustained me and River, my Husky, for the winter. I then went to The RV Show and landed a job as a Camp Host with American Land & Leisure. Everything was going perfect as planned, I had made just enough money to carry on and get to my summer job in West Virginia..then chug..chug..my van broke down. Oh No!! I am alone out here with my dog and had depleted my emergency fund..with a plan to recover..but broke down before ever leaving Quartzsite (thank goodness). I needed help!! I emailed Tracey @ HOWA and she heard my story and allowed me to apply for the Emergency Fund Assistance Program. I told my story, submitted all required documents/ pics / estimate and waited to hear back. I was stranded, stressed, and was feeling very discouraged..when I received an email. HOWA is going to help you!! I could not believe it..brought tears to my eyes. I want you to know, all of your time, effort and love that you put into HOWA..is released into our community and touches people’s lives..like mine…I am so grateful! Thank You HOWA!” Katherine
Thank you to all who donate! In the first two months of 2023 the Emergency Fund has helped seven nomads in situations just like Katherine’s. Help us continue this important program by donating HERE.
HOWA’s Emergency Fund recently hit a milestone with $50,000 awarded to over 140 nomads in need! This was only possible because of you. Donating to this very important program helps keep nomads in their homes on wheels by providing awards that cover everything from gas money to get to a job location or the installation of a rebuilt transmission. We also provide high quality tents for nomads who need temporary or expanded shelter for emergency or medical needs.
Emergency fund recipients are vetted and donors can be assured that the fund is used to help nomads in emergency situations. Ninety percent of Emergency Fund contributions directly assist those in need within the mobile community. Ten percent goes toward operating expenses to run the Emergency Fund Program.
Below are a few notes of appreciation from nomads who have been helped through the Emergency Fund.
“...I came across one of Bob’s videos and was sucked into days of watching. I told my husband we could do this. He thought I was crazy, but eventually agreed. We made the decision to use the last of our money to purchase a van and make it our home on wheels. We found a work camper job and headed out with only a little money in our pockets. Unaware that our van would need repairs. A short time after we arrived at our job the van broke. We were at a loss. What were we going to do? Where would we live? We were stranded. We did not have any money. I remembered Bob mentioned the emergency fund in one of his videos. I was scared to apply at first because Bob always said have repair money! In our case this was not possible. I eventually got the nerve to apply and after some emails and prayers HOWA paid for our van to be repaired. We were able to make it to a better paying workcamper job and save enough to go visit my Mom and daughter before heading to our next job…” “Carol”
“Thank you Bobbi! And please thank the committee! This is so incredibly helpful You guys are amazing, truly and I cannot thank you enough!” Heather
“…I also want to ask if you would, wherever/whomever the funds came from, to Please give them (and yourself for all your patience and help), a HUGE and very sincere, Thank you and God Bless You all. I will use this wisely and carefully, and truly appreciate it. There is no way I won’t be at the October gathering, assisting however I can.”Brenda
Thank you to all who donate. You have made the lives of nomads in need better in so many ways! To donate to the Emergency Fund please click HERE.
When Bunny La Grand could no longer afford the rental she had in Portland, Oregon, she moved herself and her three cats into a 4-person tent and hit the road in her minivan, despite the challenges. She has arthritis and needs both knees replaced, which can make setting up and tearing down a tent difficult. But the pandemic hit Bunny hard, and without savings, she knew she needed to reduce her cost of living.
Unfortunately, her original tent wasn’t well-suited to be a full-time home. Her minivan stores her belongings and her livelihood—clothing she sells online and at flea markets—so a tent represents home to Bunny and her cats: privacy, warmth, and safety. Unfortunately, her original tent wasn’t durable enough to handle Quartzsite’s desert winds and sustained damage in a windstorm. She was also afraid to use her propane heater, even when the temperature dipped into the 40s overnight, because the roof was too low.
So when Bunny heard from a fellow nomad that HOWA provides loaner tents, she was filled with hope. “Having a good tent is crucial to my and my cats’ well-being,” she wrote. “We need a good tent to protect us from the elements, and also wildlife.”
HOWA provided Bunny with a used 8-person tent donated by one of our generous supporters, and Bunny felt the difference right away. “It is such an upgrade and a blessing for me and my three cats,” she told us. “It’s like a small studio! My heart is bursting with gratitude that someone cared enough to donate this tent and that HOWA was able to assist us.”
Then, the zipper on the donated tent broke, allowing one of her cats to escape into the desert night. She used safety pins and duct tape as a temporary means of sealing the door—and a laser pointer to reclaim her escaped kitty. For a second time, thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we were able to send Bunny a new tent with a working zipper. She now has a fully functional 4-person tent, and has passed the original donation along to another houseless friend in need.
Bunny’s ceaseless optimism and gratitude in the face of challenge remind us that there is beauty even in the challenging moments of our lives. When high winds kicked up and threatened to tear the walls of her new home, Bunny wrote, “There was a beautiful full moon.”
A sincere and heartfelt thanks to the generous supporters who make stories like Bunny’s possible. If you have the means to help nomads in need, please consider donating here.
As of December 2021 the HOWA Emergency Fund has distributed over $44,000 to 112 nomads! Thank you to all who donated and helped make this program so successful! To keep the Emergency Fund going please donate HERE.
Here is an example of how your donations help fellow nomads:
Dear HOWA core group, contributors and members. Some of you know me, my first official year out. I started in a high milage car knowing none. I had come to see how these people live on minimal incomes. I live on $500. per month and needed to know how to make it. I quickly made friends with others once linked up with the Women’s Carovan and on to my first WRTR and RTR! What a winter! I met so many beautiful people and had fun! My health had gotten so poor so suddenly that I’d given up on life, never mind actually having fun!I’ve been coming back to life (after 2 years in bed) these last couple years. I’m getting stronger in every way! I LOVE the freedom this lifestyle has to offer! I can do as I need, when I need and take part at my pace. More and more I am increasingly healthier! I even put a little money aside and bought a van. Then, tiny step by tiny step I am building out my van. Unfortunately, I have also had a series of functional/mechanical issues I’ve had to fix recently. I’ve really hit a low and revisiting if I can make it or not and cold weather right around the corner. Then you all said you would help me with my latest mechanical issue …. the engine issue… the one that made me think I couldn’t make it! Because of your foresight and kind hearts creating such an organization and making funds available to people like me I feel like someone actually does care about me! It’s a huge boost!!!! I got the job I had wanted because I have transportation. My physical limitations are many so I hated to see this “perfect match” go away. Because of your prompt help with my transportation, I am now working and stretching my abilities even further. Thank you for ALL you do for so many of us out here doing the best we can to rebuild our lives!!!! You provide an invaluable service that stretches far beyond money. Thank you for finding ME worthy of help!”
All of the staff and volunteers on the HOWA Emergency Fund team have one goal in mind – to provide whatever help nomads need to stay in their homes on wheels. Often that comes in the form of funds to pay for unexpected repairs. Without the repairs, the nomad may be left with no choice but to move into a homeless shelter or, in the best cases, with friends or family. Fortunately, with the generous donations HOWA receives, many nomads are able to continue living in their newly-repaired vehicles. It’s always gratifying for the team when they are able to help someone and especially touching when a nomad writes a heartfelt thank you note.
“I wanted to say thank you for help. With out HOWA I would most likely lost my car this week. I asked for help less than a week ago and its done. I am amazed. The whole process was simple I am very happy to be back to my travels. Bobbie you rock!”
If you are a Nomad with an emergency need, HOWA may be able to help you. Apply HERE.
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