Hi there, my name is Carmen Iammarino. Some of you may know me as Strike, some know me as Carm, and some know me by other crazy nicknames that I've gained over the years. I have never been one to ask for much of anything from others, especially money, but this is a very different and very urgent situation, as I am trying to raise money to help my girlfriend, Sylvia, who has recently become homeless and needs some funds to help her get herself stabilized as we navigate what the next step is for her living situation.

Sylvia recently moved to Ohio after many previous living arrangements had fallen through, and she has been all over the USA as well as other countries across the world. She had moved here to live with a close friend of hers, and while things were going well for the last six months, recently it has become unsafe for her to stay at that house anymore. Her friend's mother has turned extremely hostile towards her over the last few weeks, starting with refusing to talk to her anytime they were in the same room together, to recently barging into her room unannounced to verbally abuse Sylvia, gaslight her into thinking that she was this horrible person that nobody loved or wanted around, and threaten to kick her out of the house if she didn't leave on her own. This happened when we were spending time together at her place, and it was an extremely tense and scary situation for both of us, but especially for her, and once things had escalated that far, I decided that she wasn't going to spend another minute in that house.

That night, I managed to bring Sylvia to stay with some of my closest friends, and they were kind enough to allow her to stay with them for a few days while we worked out the next steps for where she would live next. I am unable to take her in myself, as I currently live at home with my parents, and her staying with us wouldn't work out as she is trans, which my parents are not supportive of, and also is in a wheelchair full time due to medical reasons. We are in the process of finding her a more permanent living situation right now, and she has no money to pay for essentials of living that she would need in her new place. I am supporting her as much as I can, but I need some help getting her enough money to get herself back on her feet.

It is here that I turn to you all, hoping that you could lend us a hand during this incredibly stressful and difficult time. Any amount that you could donate would be greatly appreciated, as we don't know when she will be able to get a new housing arrangement and need to be prepared for any and all possible situations. The main things she would be looking to use the money for would be a new bed, new clothes, and other personal items and essentials of life. We didn't have enough time to bring much with her when I took her to my friends' place, and so outside of her wallet, the outfit she was wearing, and her purse, she basically has nothing right now. I am hopeful that we will be able to figure something out, but I can't do this alone, and I hope that whoever is reading this would be willing to help out in some way.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and if you decide to donate, I am more thankful for that than I could ever express.

-Carmen "Strike" Iammarino