Help Mercury and the kitties keep their house!

I'm Mercury Divine, a queer, trans, and disabled artist located in San Francisco.

In July 2023, three days after signing a lease at a new place, I unexpectedly lost my job. The company dissolved my team, and the replacement position I was offered was incompatible with my autism. As a result, I became unemployed.

Ever since, I've been looking for new work and side gigs the best I can - I've submitted over 150 job applications (all tailored to the specific job posting, all of which I should be either extremely qualified for, or nearly so), but have only gotten 2 interviews. I picked up a temporary holiday position, hoping it would buy me a little time...but that time has run out and I still haven't had any luck getting permanent employment.

I have tapped out every financial resource I have, lowered my costs as much as possible, and applied for public assistance in the form of Medi-Cal/Calfresh/Clipper START - but as of January 2, 2024, my funds have completely run out and I see no possible way I will be able to cover February's rent (or beyond). At this point, I have to either humbly ask for help from others, or start preparing for eviction.

This GoFundMe hopes to accomplish two goals:

The most pressing goal is to close the gap on February's rent, so I can keep my housing. I currently have just under half of my rent saved up, the result of several months worth of putting aside all my performance earnings as well as the last funds from my temporary job that's ending next week. If I can't find the remainder somehow, I will be evicted. Evictions make it almost impossible to get future housing, and I'd like to avoid that. In addition, I hope to keep my house because I have two elderly cats that I cannot give up for several reasons. One, nobody wants to adopt elderly cats, especially one with ongoing health needs (monthly shots); giving them up would almost certainly mean they'll waste away in a shelter and possibly end up euthanized - heartbreaking enough on its own but on top of that, these cats are literally all that's keeping me going. I cannot imagine a future without them. One is a service animal trained to help me with health needs and the other is an emotional support animal. They have literally saved my life on multiple occasions. We need to stay together, and the best way to do that is for me to keep my house.

The second goal of this GoFundMe is to hire a reverse recruiter to help me find employment. Simply asking for help with rent, while necessary, is not a sustainable solution. Without a job, I'll just be in this same boat again and again.

But, why a reverse recruiter?

To put it very simply: I am no longer capable of the urgency my job hunt requires. As an autistic person, I am already at a significant disadvantage job hunting. To quote a post I've seen making the rounds: "Applying for jobs is a hell designed specifically to torment autistic people. Here is a well-paying task which you know in your heart and soul if they just gave you a desk and left you alone and allowed you to do it you would sit there and be more focused and enthusiastic and excellent at it than anyone else in the building. However, before they allow you to perform the task, you must pass through 3-4 opaque social crucibles where you must wear uncomfortable clothes and make eye contact while everyone expects you to lie, but not too much (no one is ever clear exactly how much lying is expected, “over” honesty is however penalized). You are being judged almost entirely on how well you understand these very specific and unclear rules that no one has explained. None of this has anything to do with your ability to perform the desired task."

The amount of masking, resilience, and strength needed to continue the job hunt after over 150 unsuccessful job applications, after months of searching and stressing....it's exhausting. And with every passing day, every additional rejection, every extra hour spent combing the internet for listings to apply to, my mental state is deteriorating more and more. The harder I try, the less effective I believe I am becoming, and the further from my goal I am getting.

At this point, I've done in-depth research on how to optimize my resume, utilized staffing agencies, taken every tip and hint I can find to help with my applications, and have spent hours upon hours upon hours trying my best, but it simply isn't enough. Even just reading the job listings is getting harder and harder. They sometimes might as well be in another language, for as much as my brain is able to comprehend. More and more often I simply get overwhelmed, turn off the computer, and just cry. I'm completely tapped out and completely burnt out. I need to hire someone who can do what I, apparently, no longer can. I need the help of a professional. This is why I want to hire a reverse recruiter.

I humbly ask for whatever help you can provide, so that my kitties and I can keep our house, and so that I can finally get back to work. They say "people just don't want to work nowadays"....but this person, at least, absolutely does. I just need a little help finding the right place.

Thanks so much for reading. I appreciate you, and I hope 2024 treats you fantastically, because goodness knows, we need a little more fantastic in our lives.

I plan to draw a little sketch for anyone who donates, and I will post the gallery after the GoFundMe ends. The sketches will probably be little cats, but if you have any specific simple requests such as a favorite color or a different animal or something like that, please feel free to leave a note with that info. :)