donate to provide Julia relief from debts and healing costs

for those that do not know me, my name is Julia. i am 29 years old, currently residing in Naarm/Melbourne.

welcome everyone — i would like to share some parts of my story as i ask for help. whilst those close to me would know that much of this is not a secret, the depth of the hardship and grief i face is not something i speak about with frequency. i have tried very hard to not be defined by my struggle, yet i have come to realise that doing so has really downplayed just how difficult my life is every day.

for the last decade i have lived with chronic pain, migraines and c-ptsd resulting from childhood sexual abuse. after uncovering the truth of my childhood trauma at 25 years old, i began to heal through the access i had at the time to therapy. amongst moving states and other life circumstances, this support ceased before i was really able to receive the depth of relief and recovery required to live a stable life. healing from complex trauma is slow and hard work.

in 2023 i travelled overseas for a month-long artist residency in Finland (where the cover photo i've used was actually taken by a beautiful fellow artist). following this incredible month away, i flew to Sicily where i was confronted with an intensely traumatic four day experience, much of which mimicked the sexual coersion and unsafety i experienced as a child. i arrived back in australia a few weeks later and began my attempt at dealing with severe ptsd. it's hard to describe the ways in which this exacerbated my day to day struggles.

in a time of great need, i was not financially able to access the consistent therapy or care i required. this time of need has extended out to the last year and a half: symptoms have flared, my mental health has been precarious at best, and i have faced consistent housing instability — all whilst trying to remain positive and "strong". i am resilient yes, but truthfully i am beyond exhuasted.

i am feeling beyond survival mode; i work hard every day to keep my nervous system in check and to keep myself here on earth, living from my heart and living in truth. i have not experienced a day without pain since i can remember. i've become very good at keeping myself afloat but truthfully i carry so much pain within me. i am doing my best to move through it but i cannot do this alone.

due to my chronic physical & mental health issues i work infrequently, with a reliance on centrelink for regular expenses like rent and food. earlier this year i applied for the disability support pension in the hopes that my centrelink income would increase from $920/fortnight to approximately $1300. that difference would have been life-changing. unfortunately my application has been denied and this has left me in an incredibly insecure position.

the house that i recently moved into after a month-long bout of couch-surfing is now dissolving, leaving me in a state of houselessness yet again. i have not had a stable home since before i went overseas in 2023, and have experienced stints of housing instability prior to that also. the precarity of my experience is incredibly stressful.

as my dsp application has been denied, this also means i will have to re-enter the workforce in some capacity in the coming months. there is certainly a likelihood of my already difficult symptoms becoming harder to manage — not working was one of the few things i could do to decrease the physical pain however that tactic is no longer feasible due to government bureaucracy.

the funds that i am hoping to raise will cover debts, fines and future therapy sessions to ensure that i am able to access the care that i need and stability over the next few months whilst i manage more big changes. any contribution will help improve my living circumstances in tangible ways, as it will free up my regular income so that i may focus on finding consistent housing and have the opportunity to be relieved from the daily overwhelm that i experience.

if you would like to see a breakdown of the costs, you can access them here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hVq7NaCvEA-0mCwmnf6sZYXa8i4r9yM3ovKubJgQ_0E/edit?usp=sharing

any further contributions will go toward bills and more health costs.

i extend my wholehearted gratitude to everyone who chooses to help me, no matter what you are able to contribute. thank you.

with love,

Julia