Helping my wonderful friend Pam get back on her feet

Hello! This is Dave. I'm hoping to raise money to help my friend Pam. Pam is a brilliant, wonderful person who is going through some really hard times. If she can get past her present difficulties, I think she will go on to do much good in the world. Please consider helping her get a good, safe place to live. Pam has shared the following:

I’m originally from Westchester, and until recently, I was studying at a Boston grad school. Prior to grad school, I had done work with a pediatric emergency center and had been a visiting scholar at the the Vassar Department of Biology Robotics Lab.

But everything changed when I received the most devastating news I’ve ever heard: my grandmother, the only family I had left, had passed away.

My grandmother was not just my guardian—she was my everything. She was my only family. When I lost her, I lost the one person who made me feel like I mattered in this world. I didn't learn about her death until it was too late to attend her funeral. I never got to say goodbye, never got to be with her during her final moments, never got to be at her funeral. I didn’t even know she was gone until it was already too late. That kind of grief—that kind of loss—changes everything about you.

I left school immediately and came back to Westchester to be near her gravesite. It was the only place that felt like home. I only had her body left. I didn’t have housing figured out—I just knew I needed to be close to her and fast. I figured there’d be shelters. But it’s not that simple, I found out.

In Westchester, they won’t offer shelter until you first prove you’re homeless by staying at “warming centers.” I tried. I went. I got beat up. I was terrified, and I left. I don’t know where to turn now. The bullying at these places is crazy hurtful when you are grieving.

I’m also severely disabled, with a painful rheumatoid condition that makes it impossible to survive on the street. I can’t keep dragging all my things from place to place in the cold as that is a trigger for the pain and swelling. Tufts University called my parents (from whom I'm estranged) multiple times and warned them to take me home - told them I was in danger because of the amount of times I was being hospitalized with fatal conditions. They refused to help—again.

So I’m trying to raise money for rent—to get off the street, to find safety, and to start virtual tutoring again so I can support myself. I’m not looking for charity—I’m trying to build a path out of this.

Every dollar will go directly toward rent. I’m trying to survive and rebuild. If you’ve ever felt lost or scared or alone, please consider helping. Even a few dollars—or just sharing this—could change everything.

Thank you for reading. Truly.