Friends, family, and community, we have a neighbor in need. With her permission, I am sharing her story.
Her name is Angela. I met her after another neighbor asked if I could drive Angela to run an errand. She had recently been taken by ICE and was terrified to leave her home alone.
During the errand run, I asked how I could help. The only thing she asked for was food for her dog. I pressed a little harder and she mentioned she would need help paying this month’s rent. ICE’s intimidation in our community has made it impossible for her to work, cutting off her income entirely.
My amazing neighbor, Maria, and I decided to raise funds for the one month of rent to help her stabilize. During that process, she shared that she was actually three months behind and facing eviction. Thanks to our phenomenal and generous community, we were actually able to raise enough to catch her up on rent! A huge relief for which she is incredibly grateful. She really can’t believe people out there want to help her.
Knowing she may need more help than she was going to voice, my husband and I did a food shelf run and when we arrived to deliver the food, we saw how little she truly has.
She and her youngest daughter share a bed. Her only furniture is a recliner she found outside and a broken dining table. Her kitchen consists of two bowls, a few cups, one pan, and a rice cooker. Nothing more.
Despite being in the United States legally, she was still taken by ICE—an experience that deeply traumatized her and shattered her sense of safety. Since her release, she has been experiencing panic attacks and is unable to sleep. The fear, isolation, and loss of income have taken a severe toll on her mental health.
We are working to connect her with legal, mental health, and community resources, but she urgently needs support now. Funds raised will go directly toward rent, basic living expenses, mental health care, and legal fees to help her permanently finalize her legal status.
She has lived here, worked hard, paid her bills, and asked for nothing in return. Please consider donating and sharing to help this fighter regain stability, dignity, and hope as she works to get back on her feet.