My name is Taylor and I am fundraising for my friend Solomon!
Solomon is a hard-working, kind and determined Chicagoan. He is a vegan, a poet, and an optimist. He has an admirable attitude, so much resilience, and as wonderful as he is, Solomon experiences periods of houselessness and often struggles to meet his basic needs.
And, to make matters worse, Solomon suffers from a pulmonary embolism which lands him in the emergency room from time to time. While his doctors recommend medication, he usually cannot afford it. His doctors also tell him to rest for weeks or months at a time, but Solomon has no choice but to work so that he can pay rent and stay out of houselessness (he currently delivers food by foot, bike and bus).
I first met Solomon outside of a vegan restaurant in downtown Chicago several years ago. I invited him in with me and bought him dinner and we had a nice chat. He was so thankful and kind. He explained that he was vegan and experiencing houselessness and strategically begged outside of vegan restaurants in hopes of getting some food that he could eat (because even when he is houseless and strapped for cash, Solomon strives to live by his values). I saw Solomon many more times outside of vegan restaurants and we slowly got to know each other. As I learned more about Solomon and the barriers he faced, I knew he needed more support than free meals.
Since I’ve known Solomon, I’ve seen him work as hard as he can, harder than anyone I know, all hours of the day and night, at various jobs. “Make an effort, not an excuse” is one of his favorite sayings. And he does! In fact, he was hesitant about GoFundMe until a recent illness reduced his ability to work and put him on the verge of houselessness again.
From sleeping on the train in order to stay warm during the bitter Chicago winters, to using the locker room at the Y to store valuables and take a shower, to relying on the public library to charge his phone and use the wifi, Solomon has done everything he can to stay safe, clean, warm and employed. And sadly, that isn’t enough. Not because Solomon doesn’t work hard, but because our country fails people like Solomon.
Solomon is up against so many barriers it’s honestly amazing that he has managed to get out of houselessness for any period of time. That’s because he has no other choice but to survive.
I’ve learned so much from Solomon’s situation about how difficult it is to get out of poverty and houselessness.
I’ve helped Solomon get replacement IDs so he could apply for jobs (he has lost many of his IDs from sleeping at homeless shelters or on the train at night, which meant his belongings often got stolen), funded his bus passes, given him an old phone, paid for him to get his hair done, bought him shoes for work, given him winter coats and bags for his belongings, delivered a bed to his apartment, bought him supplements and food, and given him money every month to help with rent. And yet, Solomon still struggles to stay out of houselessness and earn enough money to pay his rent, phone bill and other necessities. That’s because the barriers he faces cannot be broken by the generosity of just one person.
Solomon does not receive unemployment benefits and has not received a stimulus check. He survives off his delivery wages and tips, and the generosity of those in what he calls his “Angelnet.”
While the systems that create so many barriers for people like Solomon need to change, what he needs now is cash donations. Systems don’t change overnight and right now Solomon needs help paying for his rent, medications, supplements, bus pass, phone bill, food and other essentials. We can help Solomon keep a roof over his head, his med and supplement supply stocked, his belly full, and his bus pass funded while he recovers.
Solomon’s doctors recommend he rest and not work for 8 weeks to recover from his pulmonary embolism. Here are his current monthly expenses:
Rent = $1000
Meds = $79
Supplements = $100
Bus pass = $112
Phone bill = $70
Food = $400
Other essentials such as laundry, hair, etc. = $200
Total monthly expenses = $1,961
This means Solomon needs $3,922 to get through an 8-week rest period without working. And, if we surpass this goal, we can help give Solomon even more stability as even when working as much as possible he struggles to pay his monthly expenses. Every dollar helps! Thank you so much for your kindness and banding together to help Solomon!!