Hi! I’m Calypso and currently my living environment is not the best for me mentally and emotionally. I don’t know how else to put it, but that’s what I’ll begin with. I’ve lived in this house all my life and shared a bedroom with my sister since we were both toddlers with my mom. My sister and I are now adults (Me: 19, Sister: 17). It’s cramped, to say the least, as this house is three stories overflowing with people. We just added two new people into the house (two new siblings) and it’s gotten worse.

My father has always been a character of sorts, but recently he’s just gotten so toxic: commenting on my appearance and things I do or just me existing in a space entirely. Emotionally, he's aggressive, often screaming and yelling at the babies when they do things he doesn’t like and belittling them, which makes them cry even more. I can’t handle it; it breaks my heart. He and my stepmom have also threatened divorce on each other. He comments on certain things she does as “crazy or insane,” while also calling his kids “whiny.”

I'm very tired of a household where I feel like I’m not welcomed, and I’m sorry if this doesn’t seem like a worthy cause to donate to due to my story, but I wanted to keep certain things private as well due to personal issues within my household. But another small thing to add is I’ve lived on the same street as my abuser for almost 12 years and I’ve been afraid ever since. I just want to leave my house and be able to afford an apartment of my own.