Our friend Halaylah (@Halaylah) is one of the most lovely people you could ever hope to meet: kind, caring, and loving, a force for genuine positivity and uplifting energy on the timeline. They’re known for their amazing art, and their continuous efforts to elevate marginalized voices with their platform. Halaylah and their family have been done wrong by 3+ years of pandemic, with the government’s failure to protect us perfectly encapsulated by their situation now: they’ve been evicted from their home, now housing a family of five in a double room at a Motel 6.

Yeah. So now you know why we’re here. Let’s meet the family!

In Halaylah’s own words:

“Charlie, our oldest, is a trans boy & turned 16 yesterday. He's a sophomore in HS & in his 2nd year of college as well. (Dual credit HS) Studying biology, with a view to forensics. And a better artist than me.

David is the youngest, he is AutDHD like me. Loves beatboxing & is really good at it, and is a better chess player than me, at age 11.

Ken & I have been married 16 years, and Dominick came to us in 2019. He was homeless, working for Ken, who brought him home because it was February & snowing. We took him in, with his dog Mini, and he never left, though Mini died at the end of that year. He is a permanent family member now.”

So that’s the situation. How did we get here? Let’s do a recap.

Their old apartment management tried to wrongfully evict them two years ago. During the height of Covid, they received rental assistance, which landlords tried to refuse and evict the family for nonpayment. While the family fought them in court and won, the legal battle, took a heavy toll on ther mental & emotional health. While the apartment was rent-controlled, the property owners were classic slumlords, pulling every trick they possibly could to pressure the family to leave, finally terminating the lease at the end of 2022.

They were unable to find and qualify for another house or apartment to move into; the Albuquerque rental market is completely overwhelmed. Every available rental receives 5-10 applicants, and with damaged credit it’s incredibly challenging to even be considered. Rental applications are prohibitively expensive ($150 for 3 adults), and take a couple weeks to get a response.

And now, they’ve received gut-wrenching news: the slumlords are coming after them for $8k in damages BECAUSE CAPITALISM IS THE FUCKING BEST. The family is going to need to dispute this in small claims court, but that takes time and money they just don’t have – and as anybody who’s been in crisis knows, the mental and emotional strain is considerable, and entering a court battle is a Herculean task they just don’t have the ability to handle right now. And of course, it’s extremely difficult to find someone who will rent to a potential tenant who owes money to a previous landlord. Rock, meet hard place.

Halaylah and family are currently living in a double room at a Motel 6, paying week-to-week. Of the five of them, four are working. The kids are both going to their regular schools. They’re using a lot of gas to get them there, trying to keep the kids' routines as intact as possible while they weather this storm.

WHAT WE’RE RAISING MONEY FOR:

Raising this money will allow Halaylah and family to crawl out of the hole covid left them in, and find a permanent home. As we all know, you never truly feel safe or at peace without a home, and this family has a long road of healing ahead of them.

Everyone deserves dignity and the comfort of a roof over their head. Please help us take care of our friends and help them maintain the basic necessities of life, which are threatened through no fault of their own.

Thanks in advance. Periwinkle appreciates your kindness and generosity: