Dayton, Tennessee, resident Corey Henley had a particularly tough year in 2022, but he found hope and a chance to regain stability with a little help from the Neediest Cases Fund.
Henley and his former girlfriend had been living with a relative in a rented home in Dayton for about two years. The home was rented in the relative's name, and Henley and his girlfriend had been paying the person half the rent, Henley said.
They received a surprise eviction notice near the start of 2022, when they discovered the relative had not paid rent for three months though they had already paid their share.
"We were going to lose our house," Henley said.
Henley didn't get the money back from the relative, and he and his then-girlfriend had to use all of the money from their tax refunds to pay back rent in order to rent the home in their names.
They were able to cover the overdue rent and sign a lease, but they had no money left to cover rent for February. Their landlord said they could pay the rent for both February and March when the March rent was due, which Henley was able to do with the $750 requested from Neediest Cases through the United Way of Rhea County.
At the time, Henley was out of work due to an injury, but his girlfriend was working full-time. He now has a job in retail, although he spends nearly 80% of his paycheck on rent since his former girlfriend no longer has a job, he said.
They broke up on his birthday just before Christmas, Henley said.
"Life's been a little rough for me, but I'm going to keep going," he said. "I'm just trying to get through today."
Started by former Chattanooga Times publisher Adolph Ochs in 1914, the Neediest Cases Fund provides one-time assistance to people faced with unforeseen circumstances that leave them unable to meet their basic needs through no fault of their own.
Fueled by donations from Times Free Press readers, the fund is administered by United Way of Greater Chattanooga and its partner agencies.
Contact Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6508.