My name is Janelle. I'm a 40-year-old woman living in San Francisco, and I'm reaching out because I need help keeping a roof over my head while I work my way back to stable ground. In the past three years, I've been laid off three times. Each time, I got back up. I filed for unemployment, I kept applying, I kept showing up. Most recently, I accepted a temp-to-hire role that was described to me from the start as a 3-month pathway to full-time employment. Months later, I've learned the company was never serious about conversion — and my temp agency actively discourages me from applying elsewhere. I'm working hard and earning almost nothing, because the agency takes more than half of what I make.
On top of this, I'm carrying a medical bill from a concussion that put me in the hospital. I paid what I could, and my insurance covered some, but the bill arrived anyway. I don't have family I can turn to for help, which means this community is my safety net right now. I'm telling you this not for sympathy, but because I want you to understand why I'm here asking strangers instead of making a phone call.
Here's what I want you to know: I am not sitting still. Right now I am actively applying for full-time work, registering with new staffing agencies, pursuing freelance opportunities, and building two creative side businesses — an e-commerce business and a food and beverage booth — that I genuinely believe in. I have 15+ years of experience in executive support, operations, events management, DEIB, people operations, and culture building — skills I am ready to put back to work the moment someone gives me a real chance.
I'm asking for help to get back on my feet. I need support for three months of rent, utilities, food, the medical bill, and random expenses like rental insurance that keep appearing. What I need right now is a bridge. Three months of breathing room — enough time for one of my applications to land, for my work to take off, for the next chapter to begin. When it does, I will pay this kindness forward. That is a promise. If you've ever had a rough patch and someone helped you through it, I would be so grateful to be on the receiving end of that kindness today. Every dollar helps. Sharing this costs nothing and means everything. Thank you for seeing me.
On top of this, I'm carrying a medical bill from a concussion that put me in the hospital. I paid what I could, and my insurance covered some, but the bill arrived anyway. I don't have family I can turn to for help, which means this community is my safety net right now. I'm telling you this not for sympathy, but because I want you to understand why I'm here asking strangers instead of making a phone call.
Here's what I want you to know: I am not sitting still. Right now I am actively applying for full-time work, registering with new staffing agencies, pursuing freelance opportunities, and building two creative side businesses — an e-commerce business and a food and beverage booth — that I genuinely believe in. I have 15+ years of experience in executive support, operations, events management, DEIB, people operations, and culture building — skills I am ready to put back to work the moment someone gives me a real chance.
I'm asking for help to get back on my feet. I need support for three months of rent, utilities, food, the medical bill, and random expenses like rental insurance that keep appearing. What I need right now is a bridge. Three months of breathing room — enough time for one of my applications to land, for my work to take off, for the next chapter to begin. When it does, I will pay this kindness forward. That is a promise. If you've ever had a rough patch and someone helped you through it, I would be so grateful to be on the receiving end of that kindness today. Every dollar helps. Sharing this costs nothing and means everything. Thank you for seeing me.
Organizer
