LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Emotions are high and many people are running low on cash. As the eviction moratorium approaches many are wondering what will happen next. That is the question that’s top of mind for Kristen Waldeck.
“We're already living paycheck to paycheck,” Kristen said.
Kristen was working as a makeup artist and went without work for most of the pandemic. Her fiancé was also laid off. Even though they are both back to work and things are slowly improving, she’s still worried about catching up on rent and possibly not having a place to live.
“We owe back about five months of rent. We pay on time now when we're good now that we're working, but it's just what we've missed out on,” Kristen said. ” We've been waiting, we originally had filed in October for rental assistance and then we apply it again in January and February and still waiting on that.”
She says the stress has become unbearable.
“What’s the hardest about this is because when you say it out loud it’s like then you realize like how stressed you really are and how hard it is to handle that you might not have a place to live next month,” Kristen said.
She is also concerned about the credit card debt she has racked up and if she will ever be able to gain control of her finances.
Jason Baucom, a financial advisor in Las Vegas, suggests reaching out to credit card companies to come up with a solution that may benefit both parties. He also suggests reaching out to a bankruptcy lawyer before taking drastic action.
“As I always say speak with a professional in that area. That's all they do. They're going go to bat for you, they can be your agent, they can go to court, they can do what’s necessary to file the proper paperwork on time, so that you're not like asking for forgiveness,” Jason said.
He says it's important to weigh all your options.
Kristen admits staying optimistic is difficult. But she is hopeful things will turn around.
“Sometimes it feels like there's just no way out like you're just stuck in an ever a never-ending cycle of how you're going to survive or how you're going to make it so the next month by how are you going to pay all your bills month to month,” Kristen said. I just hope that the rental assistance goes through and we can reassign a lease. I just want things to go back to the way they were before the pandemic.”
For resources available please click here: www.ktnv.com/rebound
