For the past six years I have been a victim of a stalker. Anyone familiar with stalking will know that unless the person repeatedly assaults you there isn’t much that the police can do to help you--you essentially have to fend for yourself. I have managed to keep myself safe, but at a price. At times, I had to flee in the middle of the night. I’ve slept on many a friend’s sofa and hid out in cheap hotels. For the past two years I have basically been living in hiding. Over time, the stalking has robbed me of a secure place to live; of my friends and family who have tired of harboring me and/or of hearing about it. It has severely impacted my health—I now need to take blood-pressure medicine and suffer from several fear and anxiety-related disorders, and I, like many, unfortunately, am out of work. I was, for a time, able to live off of some savings I had and eke out a small living from online auctions, but now I have simply run out of money. I am not eligible for unemployment or welfare.