Billy Avoided Eviction with Financial Assistance
Billy Utecht has been in the food service industry for over 20 years. Like so many industry stalwarts, he’s currently staying home as we navigate the threat of COVID-19. Unfortunately for Billy, he would have had to stay home anyway.
Earlier this year, Billy was riding his moped when a car failed to yield and crashed into him. Billy rolled up the hood of the car and bounced off the windshield before landing on the street. “I knew my leg was broken as soon as I hit the ground.” He was rushed to the hospital and into emergency surgery to put a rod and screws in his leg, his femur split in two.
Horrific injury notwithstanding, Billy wasn’t exactly keen to stay home from work. As a restaurant manager, there wasn’t a significant financial safety net in place for him. He set up a GoFundMe page to which his friends, family and coworkers contributed. And then the country went into lockdown. “Right around the 14th or 15th of March when all this was going down and places were closing up, it dried up. It dried up real quick.” Billy had not received his stimulus check or his unemployment benefits, and he was facing a mountain of medical bills on top of his normal bills: rent, utilities, food and other basic necessities for him and his therapy dog.
On top of the financial and physical stress, Billy was recovering from the fear of facing his mortality - for the second time in his life. He was in another car accident a few years ago, and he experienced some struggles with his mental health as a result. His faithful therapy dog helped him cope, but now he was forced to live another version of that trauma as the world braced for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ever the optimist, Billy didn’t panic. “Even through all this, I’ve been positive - keeping my outlook positive on it. I’m lucky to be alive.” He also didn’t blame anyone for not giving him more financial help - he understood that everyone was in a bind, including his friends and family that normally would be inclined to lend a buck or two. Generous with his empathy and compassion, Billy says over and over how things could be so much worse and how many people struggle to provide for entire families. “I’ve got it easy. I know that I only have to fend and feed for myself and my dog.”
Fortunately, Billy was also on the receiving end of others’ empathy and compassion. His landlady had expressed her flexibility to him, as she appreciated what a good tenant he has been and wanted him to be able to stay, even if money was tight. This level of generosity may not be in headlines lately, but it does exist and it is happening.
Tenants like Billy exist, too, who don’t want to blindly take advantage of such generosity. He said, “she’s been very understanding through this all. I mean, she knows the business I’m in, she understood about my injury… at the same time I didn’t want to also put extra stress on her… having to pay the mortgage and everything. She needs to keep this place for her kid to go to school. She’s been more than generous and nice to me.”
It was around this time when Billy saw an announcement about a $50,000 donation from Anheuser-Busch to Giving Kitchen, and he was intrigued. Even though he’s worked in this industry in Georgia for many years, this was the first he’d heard of Giving Kitchen. He reached out to GK without knowing exactly what kind of assistance he could receive. “I really didn’t expect anything, you know?” He filled out the application and leaned on his case manager, Andre, to help him gather the appropriate materials. “Once I had all that information, it was like a two-day turnaround.” He received an award that would pay his rent for three months. “It really helped more than just myself. My landlady was ecstatic.”
“It’s scary when they tell you you’re out of work three to four months just with the injury and then to have all this happen on top of it, but Giving Kitchen gives hope in very uncertain times.”
Billy still faces an uphill battle of recovery and paying his medical bills. But for now, he’s taking advantage of his “forced vacation,” as he puts it, and finding the silver lining of this COVID storm cloud. “Beside the injury and the COVID… this forced vacation has actually been a much-needed mental and physical break for me.” He’s been reconnecting with people he hasn’t seen in 20 years. He’s resting, he’s healing. He was able to stop taking his pain medication despite still having hardware running the length of his leg. “I’m healing faster because of the fact that there’s nothing going on.” He can focus on his health, especially now that he doesn’t have to worry about paying rent while he heals.
He also didn’t have to ask his parents, who are retired in Minnesota, for any financial assistance. He worries about them, as their demographic may be more susceptible to COVID-19, and he didn’t want to place any additional stress on them by asking for financial support. With the financial assistance from Giving Kitchen, both he and his parents can focus on staying healthy. Fortunately, his brother lives nearby in Minnesota, and has been able to help their parents and their grandmother get the supplies they need to stay safe. It seems like Billy isn’t the only one in his family who sees the value in helping each other in times of need. He said over and over how much he wants everyone to “continue to help others and be there and support each other.”
Billy looks forward to a time when he can donate to Giving Kitchen. He wants to extend the hospitality he’s received to other industry folks who may be in a similar situation, “even if it’s a small amount here or there that I can donate, you know, knowing that it’s going to help somebody else.”
Billy is expected to make a full recovery, and he’ll certainly be back behind the bar and running the floor. With his natural hospitality and generosity of spirit, Billy was made for this business, and Giving Kitchen was made for him.
Giving Kitchen was there for Billy when he needed us most, and GK will be here for food service workers for other food service workers like him in the future. Support them by giving to Giving Kitchen today.