We met A. at the bus stop we walk to every Saturday. She seemed distraught. As we talked with her, we found out that she had been living out of her van and on a trip to Wilmington, her van was towed while she was in a store. She did not have the funds to get the van back and they accumulated as each day passed. She found a ride back to Raleigh and was trying to figure out not only where she would sleep that night, but how to get her van back.
She gave us the number to the company that towed her van and the guys name she had been talking to. She texted me the next day to see if I had talked with them. When I called, he seemed very irritated as she kept calling trying to get her van back and he said he would not release it unless she paid in full all that she owed, and that the amount kept going up as the days passed. I asked him how much she owed. The fine was now over $1k; however, he said if she would show up with $850, he would release her van to her.
I informed A. that that was beyond what we could financially assist with. She asked if she could get some of her things out of the van, and he replied that the van and all it’s property could not be released until the fine was paid. She came to terms that everything she had was now gone.
We have reached out to her to check in and see how she is doing, but have not been successful in our attempts.