Help Marissa Move Her Mama Into Safe Housing
Donation protected
Please help us raise $8,000 to free Marissa and her mother Mia from a predatory landlord, and allow Mia to access safe and livable long-term housing. A great number of people have benefitted from Marissa's wisdom, generosity, and incredible hard work, and I'm sure many of us will be glad to have an opportunity to show our love and appreciation and support her in the way she needs right now.
Let me tell you a little about Marissa Yang Bertucci. Many people know her as the creator of the popular Bitchtucci Voter Guide here in the Portland metro area. Others recognize her as one of the powerhouse community organizers working alongside queer youth in support of programs like the Oregon Queer Youth Summit and Queer and Trans Creator Camp. Those who know her personally will agree she is like a force of nature. She puts her whole self into all ten thousand of the things she is constantly doing, from getting her graduate degree in school counseling while working three jobs to serving as a full-time counselor at a high-needs school while also taking the initiative to charter after school debate programs and student support groups. One of those ten thousand things that Marissa is constantly managing—ferociously, tenderly, and wholeheartedly—is something that most people don't hear about.
Marissa's mother, Mia, who raised three amazing children against incredible odds, including breast cancer and resulting poverty, is in need of a safe and healthy long-term living space. Mia is in poor health and lives with a disability, so she needs help caring for herself; for years, Marissa, with help from her wonderful siblings Nina and Paul, has paid her mother's rent, brought her groceries, cleaned her house, done her laundry, taken her to doctor appointments, stood in long lines and dealt with labyrinthine bureaucracy to get her social services, and more.
Recently, after years of being waitlisted, Mia has qualified for Section 8 housing. This could dramatically improve her quality of life, and make it much easier for Marissa to help care for her. However, in order to take advantage of this great opportunity, Marissa first needs to get out from under $8,000 of rent debt at Mia's current apartment, which is (mis)managed by a predatory property management company and is slowly falling apart, with broken heat and rotting floorboards that are actively contributing to Mia's poor health. Between school debt and supporting a dependent, saving up $8,000 could take Marissa years, and the Section 8 housing qualification is only valid for a limited time before it expires and the opportunity is lost.
I am confident we can raise $8,000 and take down this immediate obstacle standing in the way of a better quality of life for Marissa and Mia. Any amount, whether it's $5 or $500, can make a big difference! Thank you all so much for supporting this amazing family!
Let me tell you a little about Marissa Yang Bertucci. Many people know her as the creator of the popular Bitchtucci Voter Guide here in the Portland metro area. Others recognize her as one of the powerhouse community organizers working alongside queer youth in support of programs like the Oregon Queer Youth Summit and Queer and Trans Creator Camp. Those who know her personally will agree she is like a force of nature. She puts her whole self into all ten thousand of the things she is constantly doing, from getting her graduate degree in school counseling while working three jobs to serving as a full-time counselor at a high-needs school while also taking the initiative to charter after school debate programs and student support groups. One of those ten thousand things that Marissa is constantly managing—ferociously, tenderly, and wholeheartedly—is something that most people don't hear about.
Marissa's mother, Mia, who raised three amazing children against incredible odds, including breast cancer and resulting poverty, is in need of a safe and healthy long-term living space. Mia is in poor health and lives with a disability, so she needs help caring for herself; for years, Marissa, with help from her wonderful siblings Nina and Paul, has paid her mother's rent, brought her groceries, cleaned her house, done her laundry, taken her to doctor appointments, stood in long lines and dealt with labyrinthine bureaucracy to get her social services, and more.
Recently, after years of being waitlisted, Mia has qualified for Section 8 housing. This could dramatically improve her quality of life, and make it much easier for Marissa to help care for her. However, in order to take advantage of this great opportunity, Marissa first needs to get out from under $8,000 of rent debt at Mia's current apartment, which is (mis)managed by a predatory property management company and is slowly falling apart, with broken heat and rotting floorboards that are actively contributing to Mia's poor health. Between school debt and supporting a dependent, saving up $8,000 could take Marissa years, and the Section 8 housing qualification is only valid for a limited time before it expires and the opportunity is lost.
I am confident we can raise $8,000 and take down this immediate obstacle standing in the way of a better quality of life for Marissa and Mia. Any amount, whether it's $5 or $500, can make a big difference! Thank you all so much for supporting this amazing family!
Organizer and beneficiary
Ryn McCoy
Organizer
Portland, OR
Marissa Bertucci
Beneficiary