Yup, that's me. You're probably wondering how I ended up in this situation. I'll preface with an apology, for the sheer breadth. My quirk is that I write in a verbose manner. :)

I moved to Minnesota almost precisely a year ago, under the ambitious hope that I'd be able to get an accommodating job quickly, and support myself independently through the various social safety nets and charities- and thrive in a more progressive environment than Florida or California. That.... didn't quite pan out the way I'd hoped. Some of that is due to the Trump regime's gutting of the social safety net, many of the charities and county emergency assistance funds I'd relied on, even in the past summer, were gone by winter. Some of that is on me- I admittedly came here under a naive mindset. But the bulk of what went wrong is squarely on my family and the result of decades of medical neglect. Over the past several months I've undergone medical diagnostics and have uncovered-

My current PCP is an awesome advocate and ally, but their other specialists lack sufficient expertise in DSD/intersex patients with more rare presentation. I've therefore, had to schedule genetic testing and endocrinology appointments with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, over the next month- to get to the bottom of this, and have more informed knowledge for the sake of my health. I cannot understate how crucial accessing this care is- with my natal and pediatric records gone, or willfully obscured; this is my only means of getting to the truth.

Adding insult to injury, back in October- it became evident that a systemic mouse infestation had ravaged my apartment complex- a remodeled multi-family triplex home. The landlord, and even many tenants had been aware of the structural issues for years; and had minimized or neglected the issue. It got to the point where every time I would use the stove, mice would be nesting inside of the stovetop. After getting the county and legal aid involved- some action has been taken to correct the issue, starting with sealing entry points and laying traps on the building's exterior- though I'm lacking clarity as to the treatment plans inside. My living situation has become far more chaotic- with the landlord and many of my housemates having ceased communications with me, and withholding pertinent information from me.

All this to say- it's clear my current housing situation is unhealthy, and I need to leave. It's also clear, that the kinds of work I'd excel in and can realistically sustain, are more limited than your typical retail environments, or construction. I'm partially undergoing these diagnostics for the purposes of MA and SSDI- but those are long term goals. In the here and now, I need to re-stabilize, in a homeless shelter, or eventually subsidized housing- and plan a return to college or training. Let's face it, animation jobs, especially for green artists like myself- aren't coming back. I need to plan a path forward, with that in mind.

Over the Christmas weekend, thanks to everyone's support, I was able to completely pay off my overdue rent balance ($906) up to January 1st, in addition to my past due XCel Energy Bill, save enough to be ready to put my valuable possessions into a storage locker; and get some groceries and allergy meds. This avoids an imminent eviction notice, and has been a great asset. For transparency- I was planning to move around the new year, and check into a women's shelter; but I've since realized, given the legal quandaries and holidays, that I'll need to delay my move until I get guidance from my support system. Given that I'm probably on the hook for January rent, and may be here a couple more weeks; and my own overly ambitious budget; I've adjusted my goal.

My goal is now $2,240. This is an ambitious goal, and I do not expect to reach all, or even most of it. But I felt I'd shoot for the moon, while expanding my goal. The good news- is that we're halfway or further to that goal, as is! This represents:

Even if you don't have the means to spare financially, that valuable mindshare is vital. ;)

-Jane