I’ve put this off for months as I kept thinking things would get better, but we’re continuing to struggle to pay bills and it’s time to ask for help. The most recent blow was Aerie’s disability appeal through the VA was denied. This process has already taken a year and a half. They are preparing to do the next round of appeal, but that process will cost $600 that we don’t have, and there’s no guarantee the disability will ever be approved.

I’ve posted in the past about the escalating shootings at my apartment complex; we had one young man murdered right behind my van in the parking lot. A drive-by shooting after that shot out the tire of my van and I’m still driving on my spare tire because I can’t afford to get it replaced. We had another shooting after that; four kids were shot, and one died. The shootings have left the apartment complex riddled with bullet holes, including several windows that were shot.

Our home is clearly not safe.

The last year has been hard for my business; I took on about twice as many vending events as was sustainable to get financially ahead so we could move, but because of inflation and other factors, my art sales have tanked. I had several events late last year where I took a significant loss, and I’m now in debt. For the past months I’ve been struggling to keep up on rent, bills, and debt payments, as well as business expenses to try and keep my business alive.

We were already planning to move for a host of reasons, one being that my partner is trans and we need to move to a state that has better legal protection.

Despite our best efforts, we have struggled to get enough money together to make the move happen. My partner’s massage therapy practice is going well, but they can only work so many hours because of their disabilities (which was why they applied for additional disability benefits with the VA). I've tried getting additional decluttering work, but that's been slow going getting new clients.

I hate being once again in a position of needing to ask for help to get out of a dangerous living situation, but we're at that point.

Honestly, I would vastly rather that people buy my artwork, hire me for decluttering, or hire my partner for massage work. We both have set up ways to buy gift certificates from both of our businesses, so if you’re interested but not ready to schedule a massage/decluttering/buy art right now, this is a great option. If you want info on any of that, just message me on social media or via GoFundMe's contact option.

Initial donations will go to catching up on some bills and paying the $600 fee to file the next layer of disability appeal. After that, donations will go toward rent deposits and moving fees so we can get out of here and to a safer place in the Minneapolis area.

Please consider sharing this fundraiser via social media if you are willing. Thank you in advance for any help!