Erika

PadSplit Member Erika was looking forward to moving to Jacksonville for a fresh start. She’d gone through a lot while living in Milwaukee, and she was eager to get her life back in order. 

She moved in with a friend while getting settled into the new area, but unfortunately, that didn’t work out. It couldn’t haven’t happened at a worse time either, as Erika had just secured a great new job, and she desperately needed stable housing to maintain her new employment.

She started searching for somewhere, anywhere, to live, including shelters but wasn’t finding anything available or accessible to her.

It was a massive sigh of relief when her mom, helping with the search process, stumbled across PadSplit and sent Erika a link. “All of it just sounded amazing and the perfect fit for my needs.” Reading about PadSplit seemed almost too good to be true, thought Erika.

She applied, and, following her background checks and income verification, she was approved on a Wednesday and was able to move into her new PadSplit on Friday, only two days later.

Comfort and convenience

New to the Jacksonville area, Erika said her PadSplit provided her with a stable and comfortable home and helped her meet new people. She and her Padmates recently held a “family-style dinner” where they all chipped in and got to know each other better over a good meal.

The location of the PadSplit is also incredibly convenient. Erika is able to walk to a bus stop and take only one bus without any transfers to get her new job as a customer service representative for a corporate retailer. Door to door, her entire commute is only 32 minutes — another huge benefit to living in the PadSplit.

Saving up and building financial independence

Of course, one of the biggest reasons Erika loves her PadSplit is because she is tangibly saving money on a weekly basis. She estimates saving $200/week as a result of living in the PadSplit and credits the company’s weekly, all-inclusive and affordable fee as the reason for her newfound financial independence. 

“It’s truly incredible to now see the size of my savings account growing on a weekly basis,” says Erika.

She notes that the weekly payment makes it much easier for her to budget and plan for housing expenses rather than having one lump sum taken out each month, that creates a sticker shock. And Erika recently learned that PadSplit reports to credit bureaus for all on-time weekly payments, which will help build her credit score. When she learned of this benefit, she thought: “you guys are never going to get rid of me!”

With her savings, Erika is planning to save to buy her car and maybe even a mo-ped to drive in the hot Florida sun. She’s also planning to move to Tampa soon and was thrilled and relieved to learn that PadSplit has available rooms.

Overall, Erika says PadSplit is giving her a dependable and comfortable home, enabling her to save toward her financial goals, and has helped her meet new people while making plans for her future.

“PadSplit is the best thing that has ever happened to me,” said Erika. She has already told several others about living in a PadSplit and how it can also help them achieve their goals.

Thank you, Erika! PadSplit is grateful to be a part of your journey. For anyone looking to find quality housing close to jobs as they try out a new market, please fill out a new Member application.

PadSplit is one of the best Jacksonville affordable housing options. Whether you’re looking to stay at PadSplit for a month or indefinitely, we have a room for you. Become a PadSplit Member today and get access to affordable housing in Jacksonville.