help josh raise custody attorney retainer funds

my name is josh hall. I started this campaign to raise funds to hire a lawyer so I can continue my fight for joint custody of my two children, Freyja and Kai. 


this isn't an easy thing to talk about for me, and I don't like asking for help- especially during the financial crisis that the  COVID- 19 has put so many of us in, but after missing work while taking care of my kids and losing jobs due to this economy, I find myself left with no other options but to humbly ask for help.

A little back story: 
 
my daughter Freyja was born in august 2018, and my son kaiote in June of 2020 amidst the pandemic lockdown here in NY. the mother of my children and  I dated for 4 months before her pregnancy with Freyja, its been a rocky road between us since then to say the least. we separated some time ago to attempt co- parenting in the same house with separate bedrooms due to conflicts that led to arguments, which occasionally turned into physical altercations in which she has solely been the aggressor. 

   we got into such an argument on Jan. 24th this year that escalated once again to domestic violence when she assaulted me as I tried to walk away from the argument, this time also attempting to choke me with our infant son under her arm. this time I called the police, and though I chose not to press charges, the state charged her and arrested her because our infant son was involved.(he wasn't physically injured) 


  since then her family has helped her to get a lawyer.  we have failed to come to a custody agreement, and after threats on several occasions before and after the events of Jan. 24th that she would leave the state with the children to go live with family, I decided to petition for custody. I managed to do this without the help of an attorney, but I don't think it would be wise to attempt to represent myself in the court of law, especially if she herself has an attorney. 

I hate that its come to this, I've been trying as best I can for a long time to manage this situation together, without the intervention of the police or the state to no avail.  all I want is for my children to have a safe, stable and happy home, I know I can provide that for them and that domestic violence has no place in it. unfortunately, after supporting all 4 of us for the entirety of our relationship and throughout this pandemic, I have no savings left and I'm struggling to pay the rent and the bills, let alone pay for an attorney.  so I'm here, humbly asking my friends, family and the good people of the online communities we belong to for some help. all proceeds will go towards the legal fees associated with acquiring an attorney. thank you for reading this and thank you for your help.