My name is Bently Paiz. I’m 21 years old and a grassroots community organizer in San Antonio who recently ran for Texas State Representative in District 120.

Today, I am facing homelessness.

Over the past year I poured everything I had into building a grassroots campaign focused on housing, workers’ rights, and protecting everyday people who are being pushed further and further to the edge. My campaign was powered entirely by volunteers and small donations, along with much of my own personal money trying to keep the campaign alive because I believed deeply in fighting for my community.

While doing that, my own life slowly began to fall apart.

Work in the construction and fiber industry slowed significantly across the San Antonio area due to immigration raids at job sites. I lost the steady work I depended on as a fiber optic technician. Around the same time, I lost access to food assistance during the government shutdown.

Before this happened, I had been recovering from anorexia. When the shutdown cut off the support I relied on, I began skipping meals simply because I could not afford to eat. Unfortunately, that situation caused the eating disorder I had been recovering from to return, something that was not my decision but the result of being pushed into survival mode.

Eventually my health collapsed and I ended up hospitalized for several weeks. During that time I fell even further behind on rent. I also lost access to internet service because I could no longer afford it, which made it extremely difficult to apply for jobs or search for new work.

Shortly after, my car was repossessed, taking away the only reliable transportation I had left.

Yesterday, the court finalized my eviction.

In just a few days I will be forced out of my apartment with nowhere to go.

I am completely on my own. I don’t have family who can take me in, and I have two dogs, a Husky and a German Shepherd, who depend on me and will likely end up on the streets if I lose the ability to care for them.

The hardest part about this is that it’s the exact situation I was running for office to fight against. I’ve watched this happen to family members my entire life. Once people fall into this cycle of eviction, debt, and instability, most never recover.

I am doing everything I can to stop that from happening to me.

This fundraiser will help me:

• Cover relocation and moving expenses

• Secure temporary housing so I am not forced onto the streets

• Stabilize basic living expenses while I search for work again

• Keep my dogs safe and cared for during this transition

• If enough is raised, work toward recovering my repossessed car so I can return to work and rebuild stability

I have always believed in fighting for the people around me and standing up for those who feel ignored or abandoned by the system. Right now, I am the one asking for help.

If you’re able to donate anything at all, it would mean more than I can explain. And if you can’t donate, sharing this fundraiser could make a huge difference.

Thank you for giving me a chance to get back on my feet.

— Bently