Post in Torrance, California, United States

I'm going to lay it all out in hopes that I can get some understanding, connections, and help:

My name is Brian and I'm being forced out of my place in Fort Myers, FL. (due to my roommates moving and me not being able to pay the rent by myself), and have decided that I want to pursue my dream of going to the Gracie Academy on Artesia Blvd. in Torrance, CA.

The reason I chose Torrance is because I've been training martial arts since mid-2007 and I want to further my training and become a certified instructor. I thought that by moving from PA to FL I would be able to do that, but I was wrong. The martial arts scene around here, while better than PA, is still abysmal. By living in Torrance I can be at the headquarters for some of the best martial arts on the planet and there's so many more people and opportunities for training and teaching.

I had to make a decision between staying in Fort Myers, giving up my martial arts training, and scraping by just to not be homeless or I could move somewhere else where I might have a chance to prosper, so that's how I came to choose Torrance, CA.

I don't have much of anything, but my current idea is that I'm leaving here on Nov. 1st and arriving in Torrance, then looking for work and a place to live once I arrive. I've already put in tons of applications and talked to a lot of people, but it's difficult to do from almost 3,000 miles away.

Once I arrive, I will need to figure out where to crash and sleep until I get on my own feet and find an apartment of my own.

I listed myself as needing a place (on the couchsurfing website) until the end of Dec. 2016 because in January is when my girlfriend and our cats will be joining me in California and when I'll need to have a place of our own by then! That doesn't give me much time, but I have to make it work, and I will.

Lastly, an ideal situation for me would be to find some people to crash with while I figure my stuff out, but who may be open to the idea of rooming and charging me rent to live with them with myself, my girlfriend, and our cats.

Sorry for the long story, but any helpful thoughts would be great so that I don't end up trying to find work while worrying about where I'm going to sleep each night would be amazing!

Thank you kindly, -Brian L.