To all who have taken the time to visit this page,

For those who don't know me, my name is Onnie (she/her). I work as a Stage Technician, and I recently graduated from a year-long training program to become a Rigging Technician in hopes of expanding my career opportunities. However, I was due for surgery the day after my final exam and will be unable to start working until mid-December due to convalescence.

I lived in an apartment with two other trans women of color. At the start of 2024, one of them suffered through a cruel series of events that left them chronically ill and unable to work. With the severity of the traumatic incidents and out of respect for her privacy and dignity, I won't be sharing the details of what happened. I ask for grace and trust that our house did everything in our power to help our housemate heal.

For a couple of months, my housemate paid her share of bills with savings and mutual aid that she had received. However, due to new medical costs resulting from the incidents, this money quickly ran out. My other housemate became her primary caretaker and did her best to cover both of their bills. I booked work shifts on evenings and weekends after my classes. But as the festival season ended for stage technicians, it became impossible to find evening and weekend shifts.

With minimal income, I used money in my checking account to pay for rent and utilities. I paid for every other expense with credit. This kept us housed long enough for me to finish my training program, but after paying all of November's expenses, I didn't have enough money to pay December's rent. All three of us have found alternative housing and are trying to manage as best as we can.

I've moved all of my belongings into a storage container and several friends have offered to let me live in their apartments until I can earn enough money to get back on my feet. However, I'm now severely behind on my credit card payments. I've reached a point where I'm unable to pay off the interest while affording my phone bill, storage unit rental, and groceries. I pleaded my case to my bank and they've agreed to work out a payment plan, but only if I can pay off my late payments and make my minimum payments for 3 consecutive months (all while they continue to charge an increased interest rate due to my late payments). This isn't possible for me to do alone, and I have no one who can help me overcome this situation...

This is why I'm asking for your help. My goal with this GoFundMe is $10,000. This money will help pay off my late credit payments and will help me to pay my next 3 months of minimum payments, satisfying my bank's conditions to make a payment plan. I'll soon be returning to full-time work to pay my other bills, and extra earnings will go towards my credit card payments.

This is a big ask, so I'd like to thank you for taking the time to read this far. If you're straining to manage your own financial struggles, sharing this GoFundMe through your socials would still mean the world to me.

I hope 2025 welcomes you into a year of hope and clarity,

Onnie