Hi, I'm Alice Hana. A little over a year ago, I was living in my own cozy room spending my days with my girlfriend and studying. I was at university and was struggling, but I was still privileged enough to have a place to stay and eat from my university's food bank. My parents stopped paying for my studies after finding out i was transgender and, legally, I could not get help from the government as my parents' salary legally obligated them to take care of my tuition and this discredits me from any help whatsoever and, financially, I could not get a lawyer. I spent the rest of the year desperately sending out applications every day as my savings ran dry paying for my dorm room. About three months ago, I had the final expulsion date as I did not have enough for another month and, after repeated calls to shelters, the only one with a place available was a women's shelter which is only short-term housing, they have been kinder to me then anyone ever should and i could never be thankful enough in a thousand years. They have extended my stay over the holidays, but in a few days I do not know where i am going to go or what I'm going to do; shelters are usually full this time of year and so far i have gone through the whole list with no places available. I don't know how else to say this, but I am terrified. I have had the privilege of being housed most of my life, but I have had to sleep outside some nights as a trans woman and i have been harassed and threatened more than once and worse than I'd like to admit. The money from this fundraiser would be used for me to pay for a place to stay and for food until I can find a proper source of income. I apologize for writing so much and in such an inexpressive, emotionless way; this kind of fear and struggle over the course of a year has kind of taken away my personality. All I do is worry and cry and see my girlfriend once a week and occasionally post a story as a way to still pretend like things are normal and my life is ok. It's been so long since I've been able to afford to be loud and myself. I like seals, i love my girlfriends, I love the friends I still cannot believe have stuck with a mess like me, i loved the biology program i was doing, i like the coffee my girlfriend makes me in the morning, i still like putting a smile on others faces, i like my stuffed dog plushie, i like drawing, i like poutine, i like silence, i like art, i like hana venom, i like reading, i like fish tanks and aquascaping. Growing up my parents have engrained it me that asking for financial help is the most shameful thing i could ever do, so please know that i would never do this if i had another choice. Thank you.