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Help Keep Us Housed While I Keep Helping Others
I’m Katie Grace J-A-Y, a professionally trained macro-level social worker, USC MSW alumna, LMSW candidate, and founder of three life-saving programs:
Hero for Homeless™, Happily Homeless™, and Psychotic Social Worker™ — all created from the margins, for the margins.
But this isn’t just about titles.
This is lived experience.
And right now, my daughter and I are in crisis.
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A Life of Service — Without a Salary
For more than 25 years, I’ve dedicated my life to serving others — even when I had nothing to give but my heart and time.
I have:
• Volunteered in soup kitchens and food banks
• Served in ️ shelters, foster homes, and transitional housing
• Helped others as a mental health therapist, forensic social worker, and case manager
• Created community programs — while still facing hardship myself
All while navigating poverty, housing instability, and raising my daughter alone.
But the service didn’t stop there.
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I’ve Given All I Had
With my own money — even when I had none — I:
• Paid for hotels for unhoused mothers, elderly, and families in crisis
• Fed the homeless across multiple cities
• Prevented car repossessions for people who needed to get to work
• Stopped evictions for others while now facing one myself
• Covered certifications and trainings to help others get back on their feet
I’ve emptied my account helping others stay afloat.
Now I’m turning to you to help me do the same.
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Why I Need Your Help
In 2018, I was wrongfully terminated for advocating for unhoused clients. That fight was public, documented, and ongoing:
Rewarded for Resiliency – Diverse Education
Formerly Homeless Alumna – USC News
NBC Los Angeles: Working Conditions Alleged
⚖️ Case Dismissed – MyNewsLA
Now, I’m still giving, still building, but without funding, food, or reliable transportation.
My eviction hearing is set for July 31 at 2 PM.
But I have a new contract. I just need your help to stay housed long enough to get there.
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What Your Donation Supports
$1,800 – Stops eviction by July 31
$2,100 – Covers rent for the following month
Groceries – To feed my daughter, Gabby
Transportation – To get to work and do outreach
Licensing Exam Retake – I missed by 8 points. This allows me to become a licensed therapist and offer free therapy to those in crisis
️ Program Supplies – Mental health kits, clothing, and emergency resources
️ Development of Forty Acres of Hope™, our healing campus for the unhoused
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What I’ve Built
✨ Hero for Homeless™ – National outreach + crisis referrals
✨ Happily Homeless™ – Emergency prevention services
✨ Psychotic Social Worker™ – Curriculum for mental health equity and system reform
If the helpers can’t get help… who helps the people?
Please help me continue this work.
Help me keep the lights on while I fight for others in the dark.
CashApp: $KatieGraceJay
PayPal: @KatieGraceJay
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“For I know the plans I have for you…” – Jeremiah 29:11
From lived experience to lasting impact.
Built from the margins. For the margins.
Thank you for standing with us.
— Katie Grace J-A-Y
Founder, Hero for Homeless™
Organizer
