From the desk of Robert Mills,

As some of my friends know by now, I am climbing out of a personal crisis, days from being thrown out on the street. My landlord is compassionate, but also very practical, he has gone through two foreclosures and averted them. I am not officially on the lease, and can only contribute a portion of my rent. My roommate who is the official tenant with a lease had a stroke over a week ago. He is not coming home soon, as he has to be in a residential rehab program. it could be weeks or months before he comes home. My having to leave and become homeless is eminent.

If I cannot prove to the landlord that I can continue paying the rent, he will ask me to leave at the soonest possible time, so he can move a tenant in who can. He is under court orders from the foreclosure suits to pay on a schedule, so he cannot let me slide. I am diabetic and disable, to become homeless is not an option for survival and the work I am doing will be at risk.

I have a mechanism in place that could change his mind, but have not got enough yet. It would employ me, and cover what I lack with my limited disability and would help other unemployed and disabled workers in the future. This project has been adopted and approved by the League for Industrial Democracy.

The Upton Sinclair Mutual Aid Fund, a project of the League for for Industrial Democracy. A fund to address the needs of the unemployed worker and disabled. Providing funds for worker initiated projects and provide emergency assistance grants to individuals in crisis.
PO Box 5307
Johnstown, PA,
15904-5307
Checks or Money Orders to: League for Industrial Democracy. In the memo portion, Robert/Upton Sinclair Mutual Aid Fund

In the depression, many worker organizations, set up a fund of this nature to help unemployed and disabled worker and families. will go towards setting up a Catholic Worker type house, not yet determined,

Possible worker initiated projects to include: bread lines, houses of hospitality, socialist coffee houses, all manner of mutual aide projects.

An injury to one is an injury to all.

You can now go to http://www.causes.com/causes/541962/about?m=35342489 or go directly to the LID website at http://industrialdemocracy.org/ and use the Pay Pal links to donate or to become a member of LID.

It has been a few months now, since the annoincement of the creation of the Upton Sinclair Mutual Aide Fund and it is still dormant. Please really consider how much we need this kind of fund. In creating the idea for tis fund, several objectives have been set as goals. So early on, at this beginng we have an idea of what this fund could accomplish. Upton Sinclair was chosen for the contributions he made to advance socialism in America, and the impact he has had Progressive thought in general. So then, here are the major purposes of this fund:

1) Advocate for the unemployed and disabled workers who are losing benefits and struggling in real ways to survive.
2) When possible, set aside an emergency relief for those unemployed who have emergency expenses such as rent, food, or the like and which even a small grant of assistence may make a difference.
3) Set aside a portion, perhaps even invest in a progressive working assets fund to keep a viable grant that can be used to promote and provide small seed money grants. One such project would be supporting houses of hospitality for workers who are homeless.

If you would like to help in making this fund viable and self sustaining, feel free to contact me.

It really looks like a great fund. It's just that we're all so broke and unemployed! Hopefully there are some that will contribute as they find income friend. I'm developing a ministry to help people work through understanding their gifts and talents, pulling their portfolio and resume together, career coaching with interviewing, and even learning how to innovate and wield that for income. I think if we can get people earning, they will contribute in many positive ways. I hope you get some traction out here. I hope we all get some traction out here. Keep spreading the good words.