Help Us Find Stable Housing
Donation protected
(This is posted on V's account since she's the only one who already had a gfm account.)
Hi, I’m Sam (he/they). I’m writing this on behalf of five impoverished queer people who want to move in together so we can afford the rent. V’s (she/they) is my partner, whom I have lived with for two years. Peach (they/them), and Fallon (they/them) are dear friends of ours who live further away. Mo (she/they/any) lives nearby. The five of us are a chosen family of queer creators, two of whom are POC.
Quarantine has been hard for everyone. But even before it started, we were looking to move. We had plans, which were cut short when we had to use every bit of money we had just to survive. Half of us live in a single room-- V’s and I have spent the last five months within five feet of one another, and a total of two years in a 150ft² space. We have no storage space, and no room to shelter a friend in need. Our dishes are never done, because we have no space to store them. We have no kitchen-- just a few appliances (rice cooker, mini fridge, etc). The power blows if we turn on more than one appliance, so cooking is difficult and slow-going. We also don’t have a working freezer, which limits meal prep. Living in a 150ft² space is difficult for anyone, but it’s becoming untenable. We love our place and where it is, but we need space.
For a long time, V’s and I have had a dream of making our home a community staple; we want to grow and give and support the needs of those around us. We want to grow gardens and house our queer friends whose families rejected them. We want to be a safe place where people can go. In our current situation, it is simply impossible.
V’s and I are both disabled. In March of 2019, V’s was struck by a car in a hit-and-run. Her knee, which required multiple procedures to address and includes permanent damage, was injured to the point that multiple doctors have confirmed she cannot walk without a knee brace and a cane for the rest of her life. I remember one being surprised that she was walking again at all. I am a type 1 diabetic, insulin dependent. I have been on state health insurance for some time, which takes the costs down significantly, but it’s a regular $76 a month that needs to be paid, or I am asked to pay hundreds of dollars a month for the most basic insulin, switching to which has resulted in the deaths of many type 1 diabetics in recent years. With little to no income, losing my insurance would be both easy and disastrous.
Until COVID hit, I was the primary income earner, working as a barista. I filed for unemployment and submitted claims every week from April to July. There were inconsistencies with what I was paid (a total of less than $350) versus what they had on record. I sent screenshots of my bank account and their systems, showing these inconsistencies and asking for help understanding. I didn’t hear back for months, when I received a brief questionnaire asking clarification about who had hired me at my job. I answered, and days later my claims were marked as Disqualified, for the reason, “We didn’t think you had a good enough reason to leave your job,” because I left my job at a grocery store for an offer as a barista-- two weeks before COVID shut the cafe down. I was confused and heartbroken.
Fallon, Mo and I all have jobs, but I have had no work since March due to COVID and a remodel of the establishment. With being denied unemployment assistance, three separate places to pay rent for, and only two consistent incomes among us, our financial security is currently close to zero. We have lived for months on the kindness of friends, for whom we are truly grateful. But everyone’s resources are running thin. Moving in together will minimize housing expenses for the five of us and allow us to pool money later for additional items in the home, like a proper fridge, a bike or two for commuting, and planters to grow herbs and veggies.
Since we live in Seattle, moving costs are rough and rent is high. This gofundme will allow us to get a place with the people we care about. (And maybe a couch.) Just enough to get a home we can afford together, to minimize expenses and get going. With your help, survival, and a life where we can support and grow a loving community, may well still be in reach.
Hi, I’m Sam (he/they). I’m writing this on behalf of five impoverished queer people who want to move in together so we can afford the rent. V’s (she/they) is my partner, whom I have lived with for two years. Peach (they/them), and Fallon (they/them) are dear friends of ours who live further away. Mo (she/they/any) lives nearby. The five of us are a chosen family of queer creators, two of whom are POC.
Quarantine has been hard for everyone. But even before it started, we were looking to move. We had plans, which were cut short when we had to use every bit of money we had just to survive. Half of us live in a single room-- V’s and I have spent the last five months within five feet of one another, and a total of two years in a 150ft² space. We have no storage space, and no room to shelter a friend in need. Our dishes are never done, because we have no space to store them. We have no kitchen-- just a few appliances (rice cooker, mini fridge, etc). The power blows if we turn on more than one appliance, so cooking is difficult and slow-going. We also don’t have a working freezer, which limits meal prep. Living in a 150ft² space is difficult for anyone, but it’s becoming untenable. We love our place and where it is, but we need space.
For a long time, V’s and I have had a dream of making our home a community staple; we want to grow and give and support the needs of those around us. We want to grow gardens and house our queer friends whose families rejected them. We want to be a safe place where people can go. In our current situation, it is simply impossible.
V’s and I are both disabled. In March of 2019, V’s was struck by a car in a hit-and-run. Her knee, which required multiple procedures to address and includes permanent damage, was injured to the point that multiple doctors have confirmed she cannot walk without a knee brace and a cane for the rest of her life. I remember one being surprised that she was walking again at all. I am a type 1 diabetic, insulin dependent. I have been on state health insurance for some time, which takes the costs down significantly, but it’s a regular $76 a month that needs to be paid, or I am asked to pay hundreds of dollars a month for the most basic insulin, switching to which has resulted in the deaths of many type 1 diabetics in recent years. With little to no income, losing my insurance would be both easy and disastrous.
Until COVID hit, I was the primary income earner, working as a barista. I filed for unemployment and submitted claims every week from April to July. There were inconsistencies with what I was paid (a total of less than $350) versus what they had on record. I sent screenshots of my bank account and their systems, showing these inconsistencies and asking for help understanding. I didn’t hear back for months, when I received a brief questionnaire asking clarification about who had hired me at my job. I answered, and days later my claims were marked as Disqualified, for the reason, “We didn’t think you had a good enough reason to leave your job,” because I left my job at a grocery store for an offer as a barista-- two weeks before COVID shut the cafe down. I was confused and heartbroken.
Fallon, Mo and I all have jobs, but I have had no work since March due to COVID and a remodel of the establishment. With being denied unemployment assistance, three separate places to pay rent for, and only two consistent incomes among us, our financial security is currently close to zero. We have lived for months on the kindness of friends, for whom we are truly grateful. But everyone’s resources are running thin. Moving in together will minimize housing expenses for the five of us and allow us to pool money later for additional items in the home, like a proper fridge, a bike or two for commuting, and planters to grow herbs and veggies.
Since we live in Seattle, moving costs are rough and rent is high. This gofundme will allow us to get a place with the people we care about. (And maybe a couch.) Just enough to get a home we can afford together, to minimize expenses and get going. With your help, survival, and a life where we can support and grow a loving community, may well still be in reach.
Organizer
V's Vitrix
Organizer
Seattle, WA