Hi, my name is Ali, and I’m asking for help to get a small trailer to live in and to cover the costs of getting my personal documents (ID, medical records, etc.) that I was never given. I’ve been trying to do everything on my own, but my health and my past have made things incredibly difficult, and I’m at the point where I can’t move forward without support. I spent most of my life in DHS custody. I was born with VATER syndrome, and I have stage 4 kidney failure and chronic kidney disease. Because of my condition, I have to use catheters to urinate and have bowel movements. I also deal with seizures, which makes working impossible. When I was 17, my biological mom — who didn’t raise me and didn’t want me — suddenly fought for custody. Because of that, I wasn’t able to receive the benefits and support that come with aging out of the system. Even after I officially aged out, my caseworker completely disappeared on me. I was never given my own documents or information, which left me unable to apply for help and led to medical debt I had no way to prevent. Right now, my boyfriend and I are in a really unstable living situation. We moved in with his friend and his friend’s mom to avoid homelessness, but we aren’t given access to basic needs — things like regular meals, showers, laundry, or safety. My boyfriend just turned 18 and doesn’t have his ID, and his mother refuses contact, so he can’t get help either. I have my ID, but between my kidney failure, seizures, and mobility issues, working isn’t an option. Disability benefits and food assistance aren’t available to us because of missing paperwork and because we’ve been robbed by the people we currently live with. I’m trying so hard to build a safe, stable life, but without housing and without the documents I never received from DHS, I’m stuck. A small trailer would give me a safe place to live and take care of my medical needs. Getting my personal information and documents would finally let me apply for the help I qualify for. Once he’s able to get his ID, he’ll finally be able to get a job and help us work toward stability. If anyone has an RV or trailer they’d be willing to donate, it would completely change our lives and give us a safe place to finally call home.

 Anything helps — even sharing my story. Thank you for reading and for caring. It means more than you know. — Ali