Help Aaron secure safe, stable housing, and employment.

Hi everyone, I’m Aaron!

I’m a 30-something gay, autistic guy with ADHD, living in Seattle and managing ongoing health issues. Reaching out for help is really tough for me, but I’m at a point where I can’t do this on my own anymore. I want to share what’s been happening, and why I’m asking for your support right now.

The recent lore:

After a rewarding 15-year career in HR & Recruiting, the pandemic brought multiple layoffs and long periods of unemployment. Despite treating my job search as a full-time job, applying consistently, interviewing regularly, and being open to positions at all levels – I haven’t been able to secure stable employment since May 2023.

Unfortunately, I continue to face bias and discrimination firsthand due to being autistic and having ADHD. A few months ago, I landed a new job and finally felt hope again, that I could get back on my feet and have some semblance of my life back. But after just four days, the day after I disclosed my autism and ADHD to my employer, they suddenly decided I wasn't "a fit" and questioned whether they could trust me.

They fired me without giving any clear, objective, bona-fide reason. Sadly, this isn't uncommon: research shows autistic people are often judged negatively by others and perceived as untrustworthy, with neurotypicals unable to discern a valid reason (Sasson et al., 2017). Experiences like mine help explain why up to 85% of autistic adults struggle with continuous unemployment.

Over the past few years, I've exhausted every resource available to me: my savings, investments, retirement accounts, credit cards, and unemployment benefits, all trying to stay afloat. I've relocated up and down the West Coast multiple times, experiencing periods of sudden homelessness having to sleep in my car, and struggled to maintain consistent healthcare coverage along the way.

Being kicked out of my home at an early age, and growing up an orphan after losing my mother to Ovarian cancer, I'm no stranger to being homeless, hungry, and living outside. These frequent moves, and continued uncertainty have been extremely disregulating, it's caused immense challenges for me as an autistic person, and made it even harder to perform well during interviews, and even harder still to maintain quality relationships with friends and loved one, and positive mental health despite all of this rejection.

Last week I suddenly found out a housing arrangement I had secured through August fell through, leaving me, and the 7 other autistic people I live with very limited time (until the end of July) to find a new place to live. After tanking my credit by carrying unfathomable debt (to me), and without stable, gainful employment, I don't see how I will meet leasing criteria anywhere.

If something doesn't change fast, I'll be homeless come July 31st.

I've managed to find some part-time work (about 10 hours per week) as a receptionist at a local doctor's office, but this isn't enough to cover basic living expenses, let alone secure housing ~$800 a month won't even cover rent in low income housing. I'm actively seeking additional employment, and exploring every available community resource, but I will likely need significant financial support in these coming weeks to avoid homelessness, and maintain access to critical healthcare and the medications I need to keep my unique body functioning.

How Your Support Will Help Me Directly:

Why This Matters:

I've always found great pride in my ability to sustain working hard while supporting others, remaining fiercely resilient and independent. On the days where depression is winning, and I can't find a reason to keep going, out of sheer spite I put in the hours, apply for jobs, and do everything I can to regain stability. Right now, I just need help bridging the gap during a critical time.

I deeply appreciate any support you can offer, whether that’s a donation, sharing this fundraiser, sending warm job leads, or simply offering encouragement. Your kindness and generosity truly mean the world to me. I promise that once I’m back on my feet, I’ll pay it forward, just as I was raised to do and have done since I was young—offering mutual aid whenever I can, opening my home to those in need, making and delivering hot meals, or simply being that empathetic shoulder to cry on, someone who doesn’t expect you to pretend everything’s okay when your world is falling apart.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart,

Aaron Backman