Support Felicia’s Health and Housing Emergency

Help Felicia Move Out of an Infested Apartment and Into Safety

My name is Alex and my cousin, Felicia is 28 years old. She’s a survivor of a major stroke, lives with epilepsy, non-verbal aphasia, paralysis on her right side, Lupus and ADHD. She’s also one of the kindest, most gentle people I’ve ever met. She can’t speak clearly, can’t read or write well, and relies fully on others to communicate on her behalf. But she still smiles, still tries, and still wants to be independent. She’s done everything she can to live on her own, pay her bills, and follow the rules. But the systems built to protect her have completely failed her.

Since December, Felicia’s apartment has been infested with cockroaches. It’s not a few bugs, it’s constant. Crawling through her clothes, food, and even her bed, we continue to try to make our home accessible but we have lots of stairs so it’s hurdles were trying to navigate.

All of it, it’s caused her seizures to worsen. It delayed her home care from IHSS because she’s having seizures daily. It’s triggered respiratory problems and stress beyond what anyone should have to endure, especially someone who is already medically vulnerable.

Despite this, her apartment complex ignored our repeated requests for help for over five months. They didn’t respond to us until a Code Enforcement officer finally came and cited the apartment for violating California’s habitability laws. Even then, they dragged their feet.

Pest control just entered on May 15th and said multiple treatments will be needed. Felicia’s income is that of an SSI recipients. She has no rental assistance or Section 8. She cannot afford to stay, and at this point, we don’t want her to.

This apartment is making her sick. A federal HUD complaint is now open for disability discrimination and neglect. But these things take time and Felicia doesn’t have time. Every day in that unit is putting her at risk. We’re trying to raise money to help Felicia move into a clean, safe space where she can breathe, rest, and finally begin to feel safe again.

And for anyone wondering, “Why hasn’t she just left?”, we’ve tried. We’ve begged her to come stay with us. But it’s not that simple. That apartment is the last tie she has to her life before the stroke. She clings to it because it feels like the only part of her past that she still owns. Our home doesn’t work well for her needs either, our shower is too small for her shower chair, and there are stairs everywhere, which are dangerous for someone with paralysis and seizures.

We never forced the move, even though we tried. We’re doing our best, but the truth is, she doesn’t feel at home here the way she does in her own space. Having that sense of independence is a luxury, and we get that. But it’s tough. Really tough.

This isn’t just about rent. It’s about dignity. About a woman who never asked for this but who deserves better than this.

We need help covering:
 • First and last month’s rent plus deposit
 • Moving expenses
 • Emergency hotel stays if needed
 • Basic necessities like food, hygiene, and transportation
 • Medical transport bills from the multiple seizures she’s had since the infestation started

We’ve tried calling 211. Tried applying to every housing program we could. Everything is backlogged, underfunded, or closed. And because her income is just under what she needs to survive, she doesn’t qualify for many emergency supports. We’re out of options.

We’re asking if you can give anything, even $1, it will go directly to helping her get out of this unsafe situation and into something stable. We’re also reaching out to every agency we can, but we can’t wait anymore. Not with her health on the line. She’s not loud. She doesn’t complain. She just wants peace. We’re fighting for that on her behalf. And we’re grateful to anyone who stands with her. Thank you for reading this. Thank you for caring.

Update as of 5/29:

As of today, we still have not heard from management. They told Code Enforcement they’ve been trying to reach out, but that’s not true. I’ve been waiting by the phone. I have two phones, one under my name and one under Felicia’s iCloud. Neither has received a single call, voicemail, email, or text from them. They are lying. While they report attempts to connect, we’re still in the dark. No update, no response, no action.