A turtle needs a shell: Housing for a trans man

Hi, I’m Chavanova, Chava for short, and I’m a 20 year old Black Fabuloso King from Kensington Philadelphia, majority of blood is mixed Black, Indigenous and White rapists. I rep my city all day. I love plants, turtles, and parrots, and I identify with a turtle because I’m just as snappy and slow, but I’m in need of a safe place. I volunteer my time to help other trans women and men access mutual aid resources and transition into housing, and in order to do my work, I need access to safe housing and medical treatment of my own. I’m graduating from Morris Home and I am looking for financial support from my community in the spirit of mutual aid as I transition into my first apartment. I have a huge medical debt from Mercy Hospital of 5,600 and it is making it harder to find an apartment. I’m trying to cover the basics for my survival: food, paying off medical prior debts to improve my credit, furniture, laptop, and some gardening supplies. I have survived physical and sexual violence that contributed to my relationship with substances, and ask for support as I build a sanctuary where I can continue to grow and heal. As a black trans man, I am asking for the reparations I am due for the theft, denial of resources, and violence my family has experienced for generations.

I’ve been in rehab since 2019, and I’m about to graduate but I don’t have the luxury of family support or financial resources as a safety net. As someone who has been in treatment for the duration of the pandemic, I have had limited opportunities to grow my social support network, obtain employment, and engage with my spiritual community. During this time, I’ve started healing myself and feeling more comfortable in my gender identity. I’m trying to go back to school and learn the arts, but it’s no easy task for a broke Black trans guy with no family money or educational background. Sharing a little helps more than you know, a simple sentence, even $1, it is all received with gratitude and intention. (You can also contribute directly via Venmo @SuleinyCordero, or Cashapp $chavanovakid.)