Hi, my name is Ris, and I’m raising funds for myself, my partner, Chris Johnson, and our dogs.

Chris is 25 and has been through more than most people face in a lifetime—he grew up in foster care, battled homelessness, and has fought to build a stable life despite the trauma of his past. In 2023, he finally got off the streets and into housing, but just as things were starting to look up, about a year later, he broke his arm and couldn’t work anymore.

He was a bike courier and relied on that job to get by. After the injury, everything fell on me. I’ve been paying for our rent, utilities, food, and three dogs—our emotional support team—on my own. I run a dog walking business and also worked online in tech, but I was recently laid off. I’m now making about half of what I used to, and it’s just not enough.

Chris’s arm has healed (it will have been a year on June 20th), and he’s back at work part-time as a bar security guard, but his hours were just cut. He went from making $200 a week to only $50. On top of that, he’s dealing with complex PTSD and ADHD, and the depression from not being able to ride for nearly a year has been overwhelming. But every day, he keeps pushing forward.

Right now, we’re at a breaking point. We’re behind on rent and utilities, and we’re afraid our lights and water will be shut off. We’re also struggling to keep our dogs fed—they’re on a special diet that supports their health, and they mean everything to us, especially to Chris’s mental health.

We’re asking for $1,500 to catch up on essentials and keep our home. It will cover our utility bills, rent, and groceries (for both us and the dogs), so we can stabilize and keep moving forward. Right now we have over $1000 in back due bills and our $1200 rent is due in two weeks.

If you’re able to help—even $5—it would make a huge difference. And if you can’t donate right now, just sharing this would help more than you know.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and support us during one of the hardest seasons of our lives.

With love and gratitude,

Ris