GOAL UPDATE: Based on my luck getting a full-time job, and still wanting to get ahead of things, I'll be adjusting my overall goal based on what I need to be covered for the month of May and to not be evicted. Here's the breakdown based on what I need *in addition to* what you've all already donated:

Based on that, and adjusting also for the fees that GoFundMe deducts for each donation, I'll be adjusting my overall goal for this fundraiser to $4,100 for now.

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Hi folks, I'm Dana! I'm a non-binary, queer, and neurodivergent arts worker in Seattle, who has been unexpectedly laid off with mountains of living costs to pay so they (and the fluffy gray feline pictured named Clifford) can continue to survive, and bills to pay before they go to collections.

I am already searching for new employment--ideally full-time, but also part-time--but as someone whose work background is mainly steeped in entry-to-intermediate-level admin and arts work, work in my field (and in other fields I’m also looking into), you might imagine, is difficult to come by. Not to mention, I am still struggling to stand on my own two feet, having found my first stable living situation post-COVID quarantine less than four years ago--the effects of homelessness don’t go away overnight. If you want the whole tragic backstory, in the span of five months, I have lost my long-term relationship, had to move with bad credit, have had mounting medical bills due to unexpected physical therapy and doctor's and vet visits, and now find myself laid off and out of work for the second time in six years. I'm creatively inclined but don’t have any side hustles to fall back on, I have a cat that I didn't have the last time I was on the verge of homelessness, and I just want to live.

I made some stupid and desperate choices with payday loans and paying off orders for food and clothes with Affirm and Klarna, none of which I can add to at this point. The severance package promised to me by my former employer won’t cover as much as I’d hoped. My weekly unemployment benefits will be about half of what I used to make, and my food and Medicaid benefits don't kick in until April. I'm forgoing any future medical appointments and ADHD meds until I get to a stable place.

I have several goals based on urgency, the total goal is based on all my costs for the rest of March, April, and May in case the job search is not successful by then, plus a cushion for unexpected vet costs, etc. I’m (re-)setting the overall goal lower but will update based on how the job search goes and if anything changes:

I truly have nothing to offer in return except pictures of Clifford, maybe? A customized playlist? A wistful poem or bit of prose? I know everyone in my age group and younger is also having a rough go of it, so anything that anyone can spare would help; and if you can't donate, please share and get this in front of some kind souls who can. <3

Hoping that this works, and that I can at least get through the next couple months. TLDR; help support a queer person so they and their cat can survive.