Tough times starting to hit people unaccustomed to setbacks

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers TRYING TO COPE WITH TOUGH TIMES- Susan Weatherstone and her husband weren't the kind of people who had to worry about the economy- - until now. Her husband, was laid off from NASA about six years ago, but they launched their own enterpise, Conejo Connection Transport, which provided shuttle service for the disabled. The business did well at first, but when state grants dried up for Conejo Connection passengers, the couple found themselves facing dire consequences, possibly even homelessness. Homeless isn't something Susan Weatherstone, 54, ever expected to be, but she's moments away from being evicted after she and her husband, Iain, 70, fell on hard times.

When her husband was laid off from NASA about six years ago after working there for 26 years, the couple began their own business- Conejo Connection Transport- and were successful for about five years. They owned a home in Simi Valley and were earning $14,000 to $16,000 a month, she said, until the state budget crisis eliminated grants that helped support those who use their services.

WANTS MORE WORK TO DO- Manna food bank volunteer Monica Norton, a Westlake Village resident, restocks empty shelves at the Thousand Oaks facility on Tuesday. Supplies are extremely low, and donations are always welcome. Manna is at 3020 Crescent Way, just south of Thousand Oaks Boulevard, west of Hampshire Road. Food of every variety is needed, and refrigeration is available for meat, eggs, milk and other perishable items. JANN HENDRY Acorn Newspapers "Our income went down $8,000 a month; we lost one-third of our business, and we thought we'd just keep working hard and it would get better. We thought people needed our service," Weatherstone said.

But it turned out the shuttle service they provide to developmentally disabled children, those on dialysis and others is a luxury when the economy is suffering, she said.

When they were forced to move out of their home, they thought they would be moving into a guest house, but on the day of the move their prospective new landlord changed his mind. The couple had to repack everything they owned and put it into storage, Weatherstone said.

Now their storage costs are overdue by $1,130, and if they don't pay that by this week the items will go to auction.

Included in the possessions that will be lost are her husband's work tools, their bed and refrigerator, her mother's jewelry and, what she knows is taboo but very sentimental to her: her mother's midlength ranch mink coat, which her father bought her mother to wear to her brother's graduation as a medical doctor from Cambridge University in England.

Weatherstone has been volunteering at a nonprofit organization, where she recently spent hours phoning others in distress to tell them there is no money at this time to help with rent. When she came home earlier this week, after giving bad news to others, she learned she and her husband will be evicted from their Thousand Oaks apartment, where they now run their business, if they don't soon pay the $1,495 rent.

"My husband will be getting his monthly pension check of $1,800. We are currently $800 overdrawn at the bank," she said.

Before they found their apartment, the two were considered homeless even though they lived in a $65-a-day hotel with a kitchen while they tried to find a more permanent place to rent, she said. Prospective landlords turned them down, labeling them homeless because they were living in a hotel.

"It didn't matter that we owned a business or that we owned two homes in Simi Valley for six years and eight years. They only care what you're doing right now," she said.

Weatherstone found her way to Manna, where she received food. That has been helpful to her both physically and spiritually, she said.

"At Manna they were very, very thoughtful. We got a glance of hope there is help out there," she said.

Weatherstone is thankful they have a roof over their heads, at least for now, and a telephone so they can continue their business and have some hope that they'll get through this trying time.

To contact Weatherstone, call Conejo Connection Transport at (805) 557-4919.