Support needed!

I’m reaching out to all those that can help my niece, Leishara, hopefully for a short period of time. Leishara stepped up to help these boys when they needed it most. If you are able, please donate any amount to help her and the boys. Let’s get her back on track with her finances and keep them all supported while they wait for the County assistance to come through.

While working full time and raising her daughter alone, Leishara, took in a total of 6 foster kids over a two-year period. Then in February 2021, she was asked if she would be willing to take over guardianship of 3 of the boys.

Their mother had passed away in 2013, they were estranged from their father, and they had bounced between family members who all struggled to care for the boys. By the time they reached out to my niece, they had been homeless and living in a motel with their 21-year-old brother for a couple of months. The boys were attending high school and junior high during the day and held up in the hotel all afternoon and night. They rarely left the hotel and had no friends since they’d bounced around cities when switching between family members.

Leishara reached out to the social worker assigned to their case. The worker recognized that the boys needed services, but for them to go into the foster care system, they would need to attempt family reunification with the father. The boys had not seen or spoken with their father since they were toddlers. Their only memory of him was the domestic violence they witnessed between their parents before their mother’s passing and they were adamantly opposed to being placed with him. That’s when the boys asked Leishara if she would become their legal guardian.

 

All three boys, ages 14, 15, and 17 moved in to the two-bedroom apartment that Leishara and her daughter, Zawadi, shared with their dog and Leishara began the process to obtain legal guardianship. She attempted to complete the court filing herself but after it was rejected by the court clerk, she opted to hire an attorney. Unfortunately, 99% of the attorneys who took her legal insurance either wouldn’t do a guardianship or didn’t work in Solano County. She finally found someone willing to take on the challenge. The case was delayed several times before finally being approved in July 2021.

Meanwhile, the new family of 5 (plus dog) were living in a small two-bedroom apartment. All four kids were home schooling and my niece was teleworking due to the COVID shut down. By April, it was clear that they needed a larger home. They moved at the end of the month to a three-bedroom townhouse which was double their living space but also double the previous rent. Still, it was the average price for that size rental at the time.

As soon as the guardianship was approved by Solano Superior Court, Leishara applied for the guardianship stipend to get help providing for the boys’ clothes, food, and school expenses. But because she lived in Sacramento County, she was told to apply to Sacramento for assistance. She promptly did so but has been waiting since July for her application to be approved. It is now November.

Leishara’s small savings account has been depleted, her previously empty credit card is now charged to the max, and she’s sold all her stocks to be able to provide for the boys. The months of September and October have been extremely hard because all her savings are gone (since August) and they have had to survive on her single monthly paycheck alone.

In the last couple of days, the Sacramento Guardianship office has reached out to let her know that they are now looking at her case and financial assistance may be on its way soon. However, she still does not know when that will be and the family is still scraping by, she’s still maxed out on her credit card, and she still has no more savings left.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read her story, and for any donation you're able to give! It truly does take a village!