Help Justine Provide Stability for Her Siblings
Donation protected
Hi, My name is Justine Raney. I am 21 years old, and my siblings Rhianna and Jacob are 18 and 16. I am an undergraduate at the University of Iowa.
On April 19th, there was an emergency at my mother's home that led to my two younger siblings being displaced. They cannot return to their mother's care, and they have no other family to be placed with. As a result, I have been deemed the best caretaker for Jacob and Rhianna. If I do not take them in, Rhianna will be homeless, and Jacob will go to a foster home. Rhianna will be with me until August, when she starts college, and Jacob will be with me until he is old enough to leave my care. I am working with their mother to acquire guardianship for Jacob.
I am fortunate to receive scholarships from the University that cover a lot of my cost of living, but these kids come with nothing but the clothes on their backs and their school computers, and they are not without needs. We are currently living in my one bedroom apartment, with an air mattress in the living room and an air mattress in the dining room for each kid to sleep on.
My needs are as follows:
- Driver's ed for both children (370$/kid)
- Laptop for Jacob to use for school
- Rent assistance: We will be moving to a new apartment in August and the rent there is $1250. Additionally, my rent in the one bedroom is $900, and I had to spend some of that money to make sure the kids had beds and shoes and clothes.
- Assistance with food (we have applied to SNAP and are waiting to hear back)
- Gas money- We had to attend a funeral related to this emergency as well as some other travel, and this has taken up about 150% of my gas budget
- Laundry money- Laundry in Iowa City is about $9 for a big load, and I am doing laundry twice as often with two kids
- Cell phones and cell phone lines for each kid (they need to be able to contact me when I'm not home, and when they're at work if they are able to find jobs)
- Clothes + Toiletries for the kids
- Prom related things
- Things related to Rhianna's Graduation and (hopeful) Grad Party
- Emergency therapy for both kids
- A way to transport the kids around the city when I am not home (taxis, Uber, buses, bicycles, etc.)
Funds from this fundraiser will be used to provide a safe home for the kids, and to care for any of their needs.
Please consider donating to this fund to help provide the stability that these kids need to grow up in a healthy environment!!
Organizer
Justine Raney
Organizer
Iowa City, IA