
Donation protected
It’s just me and my daughter trying to make it in the world as strong, independent women. Her dad passed away a few years ago, and with the intent of showing her what a strong woman looks like, we’ve been struggling… gracefully. The county only “provides” so much “assistance,” and there have been many barriers in the way of our success: bed bug attack on my daughter at a county-funded hotel stay, loss of belongings, vandalism to our vehicle (also at a county-funded hotel), ineligibility of CALWORKS funds due to “making too much money,” which still wasn’t an amount for sustaining daily necessities, vehicle problems, no help from family, and just the mental health issues that have come from our trauma as humans having endured the loss and lack of stability.
We struggle and remain as humble as we can. I try to give her all I got to make her feel like there isn’t anything missing from her world. She doesn’t deserve to be penalized for the lack of a parent and whatever my shortcomings may be due to my own internalized issues. I’m working, and she is flourishing at school. Scraping by makes life miserable. Not knowing where we are going to lay our heads the next night is always terrifying. I want to give her all she deserves and show her life is as beautiful as she is. It would be such a blessing to have help with my dream of having a place that is ours, that is safe and comfy. Each day makes that dream seem impossible, but I can’t stop and won’t stop until I reach it. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and I know that there are a lot of decent people out there who may or may not know the struggle of single parenthood, loss of a partner, recovery, raising a little one, or being homeless, but hopefully, someone hears my prayers and wants to be part of our success story and goal of happiness through self-sufficiency and hard work, and maybe through a little charity and love.
Organizer
Cherish Abreu
Organizer
San Marcos, CA