Legal Guardianship Fund

Hi friends, I’m reaching out today to ask for help for help with something I’ve been dealing with privately and tried to work alone to take care of for most of my life.

It’s been hard to talk about, and the vulnerability to strangers is honestly really scary, but at this point I am desperate to move forward from this to ensure a happy and healthy life for my brothers and I.

I’m the oldest of 3 children, and for the past 6 or so years I have watched my parents destroy every semblance of a home life for my brothers. The constant abuse, toxic environment and their addiction has caused immeasurable trauma, not just to us but to everyone and anyone who’s had to witness. It has cost my youngest brother years of his formative childhood years living in shelters, being in the presence of and victim to domestic violence, as well as living in an unsafe and extremely volatile environment.

Being the oldest, i moved out at 18 to get away from my parents and since then I’ve done my absolute best over the years to pick up the pieces. I have taken years out of my own life to try and protect my two brothers from my parent’s actions. I’ve had to sacrifice my health, happiness, time, jobs and relationships to care for my brothers to the best of my ability while my parents were incarcerated, missing, or just succumbing to their addiction.

The reason I am deciding to make this choice is because as of (9/11/23) both parents were incarcerated and my mom has been M.I.A. since she’s been out, choosing to live on the streets instead of seeking help. My youngest sibling needs somewhere to live and safely get to and from school. They have burned every bridge with their choices and we have no family left that is able to take in my youngest sibling or help us out. After so many years of pain and struggle we are truly just exhausted mentally and emotionally, and i am choosing to no longer let this rule our lives. I’ve worked hard the past few months to set myself up for success by buying a car and securing stable jobs. For these reasons I’m choosing to go through with taking full legal guardianship of my 14 year old brother.

Despite all he’s faced, he is brilliantly smart and creative and i want to ensure he has a stable home with responsible and loving adults moving forward.

This gofundme is in place is to cover any legal fees through the process and to help us (my two brothers and I) find a home to live in together these next couple months. I work full time at 2 jobs to take care of myself, but we are doing this pretty much on our own and need help with the transition. We are already next in line to apply for a house and if all goes well we will be able to move in this next month with your help.

Thank you for anyone who takes the time to read and share. I’ve been blessed with an amazing network of friends who i know will support us moving forward. I know times are really hard right now and we are all struggling to survive, and that makes it extremely hard to ask for help. So I want to thank anyone who’s ever supported me or given me advice, or just been a friend to me through the years while I navigate this.

Thank you

- Alyssa

I haven’t attached a photo of my youngest brother because he is a minor.