Help a disabled non-binary person escape abuse

Hi, my name is D. Grace, and I've made this fundraiser on behalf of an IRL friend who needs to stay anonymous for safety reasons, as detailed below. I can personally vouch for this person and that they are telling the truth about their situation and why they need to get out of it, and that they need our help to do so. Below is a description of what they are going through, as well as a breakdown of what they will use the money for should they manage to raise the funds.

Please share this fundraiser so we can get as many eyes on it as possible.

Thank you so much from the both of us for reading, it is so appreciated!

TW: homelessness, emotional and financial abuse, abusive relationship

"So I've been putting this off for weeks but I don't seem to have any alternative anymore - I have to ask the kind people of the internet for help.

I am currently homeless due to a family breakdown, and trapped in an abusive relationship. I am physically disabled and rely on my partner for a roof over my head (which he can withdraw at any time), and I have no immediate or extended family upon which I can call for assistance (see: the aforementioned family breakdown). I have a job but it is strictly work from home due to my disability, and my partner has created an environment in which it is impossible for me to continue to work, both logistically and also because of the emotional toll the relationship is taking on me - I do a job in a sensitive sector (not defence, don't worry!) that requires pinpoint accuracy and the conditions under which I'm living mean I can't provide that level of quality as things are. I am also neurodivergent, and my partner uses this and my particular triggers and issues against me to ensure I am never relaxed, never at ease, never truly safe.

As a result of all of this, I've been signed off on long term sick and am now on SSP, as my mental and physical health deteriorates. Even with Universal Credit (I was refused PIP twice!), this is still not enough to even pay towards rent and living expenses let alone build an escape fund. All of my money goes into trying to keep my head above water, and I am failing. One of the ways in which he exerts his control is financially, meaning I have not been able to pay any of my own personal commitments for almost two years - as a result my credit score is very low, lower than any landlord will consider, meaning that option is also off the table.

I have sought support from my local council and they've made it quite clear that there is very little they can offer me at the moment, as any temporary accommodation they have is located shockingly far away from my current base and even if it was close by, none of it is appropriate for a person with my physical disabilities. There are no shelters or refuges nearby (the nearest is 30 miles away, and always oversubscribed).

Even if any of these options - private, council, refuge - were appropriate for me, none of them would allow me to keep my beloved pets, whom I had before this relationship began, and would be heartbroken to lose.

I'm sure you can appreciate why I've had to keep a lot of these details very vague, and that may make some people hesitate to donate, but I am imploring you, without your help I stand absolutely no chance. My mental and physical health is fracturing and I am less and less safe with each day that passes - the longer he maintains this control over my life, the less likely I am to survive this.

I am asking for £10,500 as this would allow me to pay a good chunk of rent upfront on a suitable property for my needs (the only way a landlord will agree to let to me with my credit issues) plus transport and moving costs, as well as enough leverage to cut ties with this man entirely. I appreciate that this is a huge sum of money, especially in a cost of living crisis, but I promise you, I have genuinely sought help from every other avenue and have been knocked back every time.

I have done calculations of what I will need in order to get somewhere safe, and they are as follows:

£900 x 6 for a suitable flat appropriate to my needs

£1000 for deposit

£500 to £750 for white goods as all goods here are owned by our housemate, depending on what I need

£600 x 1 to cover last month's rent and costs here so I can cut ties

£500ish for movers (I have checked quotes)

£1,750 for furniture as he owns all of the stuff here (this includes a good mattress that will last me and support my disability)

£500 (estimated) to cover the fees GFM will take

If I somehow manage to raise more than my target, I will split what is left over between charities that support people in similar situations to me, and fundraisers for people who need gender affirming surgery.

I am frightened, and I am not safe, and I am desperate. Please help me.

Thank you. ❤️"