My name is Shakima Viera, and I am the Director of V-Crown Family and Youth Services, a nonprofit dedicated to helping families and youth in crisis.

This is not easy for me to write, because I am usually the one helping others—not asking for help myself.

Right now, I am assisting multiple families in urgent need, including a 22-year-old mother with a one-and-a-half-year-old child who has nowhere safe to stay. There are other families as well, all facing situations where they simply need a chance to make it through today.

For years, I have done everything I could to support families using my own resources—making sure people had food, clothing, and, when possible, a safe place to stay. But I have reached a point where I can no longer do this alone.

The truth is, the one person who supported me in every way passed away in August. Since then, I have been carrying this responsibility by myself. I didn’t want to ask for help, but now I realize I have to—because these families deserve safety, stability, and hope.

We are trying to provide something as basic as a roof over their heads, food in their mouths, and clothes on their backs—but even that has become a struggle without support.

If you are able to give financially, every dollar will go directly toward:

• Emergency hotel stays

• Food and basic necessities

• Transportation and immediate support

But I also want to say this clearly—if you are not able to give money, there are still ways you can help.

If you have:

• Hotel vouchers

• Reward points that can be used for a few nights in a hotel

• Airbnb credits

• Connections to temporary housing

Any of those can make a real and immediate difference. Even a night or two of safe shelter can change everything for a family in crisis.

Every form of support matters. Every act of kindness matters.

I may not have a large network to reach, and many of the people I know are the very ones I am trying to help. But I believe that the right people will see this and step in.

If you can give, share, or help in any way—thank you. You are not just donating… you are helping keep families safe.

Thank you for standing with us.

— Shakima Viera

V-Crown Family and Youth Services