hi everyone, i really hate asking for help, but i’ve reached a point where i need to because i have nowhere else to turn and i’ve run out of energy.

as you may know, i had to leave north dakota last year because living there as a black trans man just wasn’t safe anymore. i was being harassed, misgendered at work (even though that’s legally protected), and there was a point where someone literally held me hostage yelling slurs until i called the police among many other things. i moved to california because i needed community, proper healthcare, and a chance to actually live without constant being in fear.

after getting here, i was homeless for five months and thankfully had a community to hold me in while i tried to get my life back together. recently i’ve been diagnosed with a mast cell disorder that has been making my life hell with allergic reactions, hives breakouts during my jobs due to heat, and constant immune system issues. ive been doing the very best i can. i finally got my own apartment in echo park this august by pure kindness and blessing, but out of nowhere i found out i supposedly owed over $5,000 to my old apartment back in north dakota. i never got a final bill in the mail, even though i kept emailing their customer service and management for months. i have all of the evidence that all those messages either went unanswered or bounced back. i only found out because my co-signer got the letter instead. every time i called them i got dead air or dial tones, so i went back to emailing. when i came with my notice that i was moving they acted like they had people lined up for the apartment, but didn’t rent it out for the rest of my lease. when asked, they ignored the question and asked for money.

the apartment company is now demanding $500 by the end of october even though i only got the email sent to me on the 17th about the itemized charges and then $250 every month after with only a three day grace period before they send it to collections. that’s not realistic for most people because of the way banks work, with delays and holidays and being down for maintenance. i get paid twice a month and already have bills, rent, and medical expenses. i’ve offered to pay what i can ($400 to start but even that was pushing it and dipping into my rent) and i’m working with a nonprofit credit counseling service (greenpath) to set up something fair, but it’s all moving slowly and the stress is making me sick. they told me i need to contact a lawyer about the unfair situation and unreasonable three day grace period when the mandate is 7-10 days before it goes to collections but the apartment knows i can’t afford a lawyer and intend to continue bullying me as they did the entire time i lived there (from complaining about my child walking around outside of quiet hours to turning off my online payments due to a paypal payment verification and a 1¢ charge). even if i could get a lawyer, i wouldn’t be able to afford that and not in this short amount of time they’re demanding. i’ve tried negotiating and letting them know they are being unreasonable, but they won’t budge and are holding collections over my head which would take down the co-signer they failed to take off my lease once my credit and pay stubs were confirmed (i made x3 rent, my co-signers score is 665 and mine at the time was 685, they never gave me a reason why i needed a co-signer when hers was lower), and i refuse to take my co-signer down but i am burning out from being in survival mode for months and dealing with a lot of testing for an official health diagnosis and treatment. if they would give me until November 31st to pay the 500 and then the resulting payments i could do that but this is too short notice when i have other bills to pay.

i aged out of foster care with no family or safety net, and i’m doing everything i can to stay afloat on my own and have been since 18. i’m reaching out to local agencies and former foster youth programs, but they’re all overloaded and funding is limited. right now, i just need help covering this old rent balance so i can protect my co-signer, avoid collections, and stay stable in my new apartment while i figure out how to rebuild my immune system.

if you can help even a little it means more than i can say. i know the world is struggling and everything is hard right now, this will help me continue on as well. every dollar helps me get closer to clearing this sudden, unfair debt and breathing again. and if you can’t donate, sharing this helps too.

thank you for reading and for caring

Adam