Help a Community Hero and Her Child Rebuild

My name is Michael. I started this GoFundMe on behalf of a single mom of a young teen. To protect the privacy and the safety of the family, I won’t be sharing their names here.

Mom and kiddo are vibrant members of the Rochester community with the biggest hearts. They’re known for their commitment to serving others, loving on pets and standing up for what’s right (with a side of sass).

This duo found themselves struggling to stay afloat while mom was in between jobs. Mom wasn’t able to afford rent anymore, forcing them to leave their apartment. They tried staying in a shelter, experienced a situation that put their safety at risk, and opted to live out of their car. Two weeks ago a cop decided to impound their car, and now they temporarily have lost that as well. During this series of events, their dog passed away and one of their two cats ran away and hasn’t returned.

They’ve been stuck in a spiral that’s been harder and harder to get out of. Mom just got a new job this week (yay!) but all savings are depleted. They’re currently living with my partner and I, and we’re trying to help them get back on their feet.

Trust me when I say that we aware of public resources (former caseworker here), have applied for everything under the sun, and have still run into barriers. In the middle of moving around so much they lost important documents (like birth certificates) which are required for some applications they’ve submitted to be approved (like SNAP and temporary cash assistance). They were both born outside of NYS, so getting new copies of birth certificates isn’t an easy task. We ordered new ones online from their birth state and the estimate for arrival is “approximately 45 business days”. And there’s no way to rush the service.

These are good people - just like many others who are struggling - who slipped and didn’t have a financial safety net to catch them. Maybe you’ve been there, or almost there, or witnessed someone else that has. Maybe you’ve seen how so many intertwined systems fail the very people they’re supposed to help. Having no place to call home is never situation that anyone wants, or chooses, or deserves.

Countless people are fighting to stay afloat in our world and I know this is another random ask for money coming across your screen. If you can chip in even a dollar or two, that would mean so much. This mom has given her heart and spirit to serving the Rochester community for a long time (more than I can say while maintaining privacy). It’s my hope we can send some love back to her.

Money will go towards:

July is pride month in Rochester, and this is a rainbow family that could really use your support. Thanks so much for reading and helping if you can. 100% of funds raised will go to mom & kiddo.

With care and gratitude,

Michael