My name is Yajaira (Ya-hi-duh) but some call me Yaya or even YeahYeah. I’m 29 and my baby girl Bleu is 9 months. 

I’m going to be honest and vulnerable with y’all. I really don’t have another choice, so here it goes...

As of 7/11/2020 I officially became homeless, by choice (but not fully). I made the decision to leave a very toxic and abusive (in all ways) relationship. I tried to leave before, but found myself going back because I had nowhere else to go. The thought of being homeless is beyond scary to me. Add to that, the psychological trauma that needed to be worked through, you can imagine. As a result of the mental health issues that come with the toxic relationship, I was not able to focus and give my all to any job. I was losing myself to depression, anxiety, stress and much more. Did things that I didn’t want to do, but felt like I needed to do , just to keep the peace. Always felt like I was walking on egg shells and tiptoeing around this person. Constantly being controlled and manipulated into submission...I felt my soul dying piece by piece. 

God gave me the courage to open my mouth and ask for help. I’ll try to summarize how it “went down”.

It was 7/10/2020 around 4pm when the straw broke the camels back. I called Daniel, my older brother, I needed to vent badly. At the end of the call, Danny said to me “You call the cops, or I will”. I didn’t want to go through the embarrassment and shame that comes along with the looks of law enforcement, so I told Danny that I was going to the community pool to get away. I had these plans before hand anyway, so I stuck with them. A God sent neighbor, now friend, that I met on 7/8/2020 sent me a text message earlier in the day inviting me to the pool at 4pm. Long story short, I opened up to her, came to find out that she understood what I was going through. At the same time that I was at the pool, Danny, who lives in CA, was reaching out to Calvery Chapel Ft. Lauderdale. One of the church counselors emailed me and then we had a phone conversation. The church paid for me to stay at a hotel for a few days and provided resources for further assistance. I’m beyond grateful that they helped me and will continue to help me with counseling and with what they can. A huge “Thank You and God Bless” to all those who were involved in making sure I got out safe, had a place to rest, picked me up and drove me, made sure I had food, and those who prayed and continue to pray for me. I didn’t have to call the cops to escort me because my cousin and her husband arrived and kept things at bay. I packed and they drove me to the hotel.

As of Monday 7/13/2020 I will be staying at a shelter for 6 weeks (that’s the max they allow). After the 6 weeks, it’s up to me where I go. By that time I still wouldn’t have enough saved to fix my car and afford housing.

I need help! If you can help with a donation, that would be great! If you can’t, I truly understand, but maybe you can help by sharing this with others in hopes of reaching my goal.

My goal is to move to TX where my mother lives. I would love to find a place where Bleu and I can start over.

 Thank you for taking the time to read this and for taking action, no matter if it’s donating, sharing, reaching out, praying, or a combo. For those that pray, pray for the person that I left, that he may seek the help he needs and that he surrounds himself with good counsel. I pray that you are blessed by God.