Dear Friends and Community,I am reaching out today because I am ready to take a massive step forward in my life, but a financial wall from my past is holding me back. Growing up, survival was my only choice. I was raised in poverty, lived in group homes, and missed out on a normal education because I constantly had to focus on staying alive. Throughout all of this, including surviving a near death experience, I have never touched drugs. Today, I am proud to say I am 7 years completely sober from alcohol! At 15 my life was shattered when I found my dad deceased. The trauma of that moment triggered a severe, ongoing battle with my mental health. Despite dealing with deep grief and anxiety, I get up every single day and work. However, with the extreme cost of living here in Vancouver, working a regular job is barely enough to cover rent and groceries. There is no money left over to build a better future. Right now, my biggest goal is simply to get my driver's license so I can unlock better job opportunities and achieve true independence. Unfortunately, I am being blocked by ICBC. I owe $8,239 for transit fines that are 15 years old! from a time when I was just trying to survive. I have never even held a driver's license, yet this debt prevents me from ever getting one. I am raising $8,239 to pay off ICBC completely so I can finally sit for my driver's test and move forward. Every single dollar raised will go directly toward clearing this debt. If you are unable to donate, simply sharing my story means the world to me. Thank you for reading, for believing in my sobriety, and for helping me take control of my future.

These transit officers would prey on vulnerable homeless people such as myself at the time who were in shelters and that would be required to submit job searches and travel around to get to appointments, I had no luck getting connected with the right mental health teams to get subsidized bus passes and incurred  with interest that kept growing and growing $8283.00 in fines, most of which I was unaware of receiving due to being a traumatized or psychosis state, I have fought and fought with icbc and they will simply not let up. 

These fines aren’t from driving they are strictly from transit and are 20 years old, I’m just praying for a miracle at this point. 

thanks Vancouver,

sincerely: a transplanted Albertan who’s spent 2 decades loving this city.