Help Chris and Eli Rebuild Their Lives

Hey everyone,

My partner (Eli) and I are desperately needing help. I know that everyone is. I know that everyone is struggling right now. I'm sorry. We have lived in Pittsburgh since 2020 and have slowly watched ourselves decline, spiral, and collapse at rock bottom.

For the first time since we've been here, we finally have safe housing. We're trying to get back on our feet and become 'ourselves' again. But we need so much help. We are physically and mentally disabled, our daily life is a struggle, we're trying our best.

A little bit about us both:

I'm Chris (they/he). I'm a former professional music librarian from TN. I have mobility issues that prevent me from getting around as easily as I once could, and have constant joint pain in my hands. I used to be pride myself in playing piano and tuba, but the hand pains have made it hard to do the former and a bout with Bell's Palsy has crushed the latter for me. I still try to write music in my free time and take commissions when I can, but it isn't enough to make ends meet.

My partner Eli (they/them) is a PHENOMENAL graphic designer and digital artist. Like myself (but in their own flavor of awesomeness), they are also neurodivergent and we both struggle to function daily. A [private] diagnosis from June 2024 has made it impossible for Eli to return to their professional field of being a chef and a baker. They have always had a passion for art, though, and they've recently began designing logos, banners, and other business-oriented designs; they, too, are seeking commissions in their artistic endeavors.

Below is a brief itemization of things we need assistance with:

- In PA, vehicles are required to undergo annual inspections. We were recently able to get all the documents for our car in order but have failed to scrape together the funds for an inspection. The average in PGH is around $100, so I would first like to ask for assistance in that.

- Car insurance is another massive hurdle. I'm currently insured with Hugo and pay $26 weekly for car insurance, but a long-term goal would be with a regular insurance company for a 6-month plan, so it isn't a burden even for just a short while. Those plans are typically around $500, but I know that insurance quotes can change even minutes apart.

- We have not had the funds to do our laundry in a very long time. We have at least 5 large laundry bags and several 13 gallon garbage bags stuffed full of every piece of clothing, every towel, every blanket and pillowcase -- literally everything we own (from when we moved and before that). We do have access to laundry in our apartment building, but we do not have money to wash any of it. I don't even know what it would take to get it all done, but I would ask for at least a soft goal of $50 to help with laundry specifically.

- We are very short on household goods and food, especially since we just moved, we've missed food bank pickups, and the food bank has also received fewer donations due to everything going on in the world. I know we all hate Amazon, but that is one of the easiest ways to get things to us from the public; we've compiled a very basic wish list that will be down below.

If anyone is so inclined, I will provide our LinkTree link below in order to contact us or support us in other ways. I don't wanna limit anyone's options if possible I know that I've said a lot of things here, and I know it's a lot to digest. I'm very sorry. If anyone is able to help, we would greatly appreciate that. (Our end goal to this fundraiser is higher than what appears, I'm just trying the auto-budget thing on GoFundMe)

Chris Blankenship

LinkTree

Wishlist