Maggie and Ire's emergency housing costs

Hi, I'm raising money for my close friends Maggie and Ire to cover emergency housing costs.

 

They are a couple living in the Inland Empire of Southern California, who currently survive on limited funds. Ire is disabled and receives SSI, which by itself is not enough to live on. Maggie is a student part way through a nursing degree. When she graduates, she will be able to get a job capable of supporting them both. But for now, she survives by working a demanding yet low-wage hospital job alongside her full-time studies.

 

Despite their limited means, both Maggie and Ire work incredibly hard and do so much for their community. Maggie works 12-hour overnight shifts at an understaffed hospital, where she has been on the front lines of delivering lifesaving care to COVID patients at risk to her own safety. Despite the exhausting nature of these shifts in a hospital that continually is over capacity, she manages to succeed in a demanding full-time courseload during the day. Ire is an activist that for years has worked unpaid and risked their personal safety to stand up for community justice. They also continually act as a beacon of support for their friends and community members alike through mutual aid initiatives.

With their limited combined income, the two of them have only been able to avoid homelessness by finding an extremely cheap but toxic living environment.  This meant living in a large group house with close to ten other roommates. In this environment they have lived with cockroaches, rodents, a general lack of maintenance.  They have dealt with housemates exposing them to covid by refusing to isolate or follow basic precautions.  And they have also dealt with live-in landlords who create constant interpersonal stress and drama. Nevertheless, until now, they have been able to make things work in this difficult situation.

 

But over the past week, one of their housemates has become increasingly aggressive and violent towards them. Despite their attempts at de-escalation and conflict resolution, this housemate continued to seek them out, scream at them, and finally escalated to smashing objects in the house and having to be physically restrained by other house members. Their housing is no longer safe as this person escalates towards physical violence and while being supported by the house's landlords.

 

After the situation continued to escalate, Maggie and Ire have had to immediately leave while searching for new housing. They are currently temporarily staying with a family member but the situation is not available for the long term. Their previous housing was extremely far below the market rate for anything available in Southern California, due to the poor nature of the housing being offered. Based on initial searching, they estimate that they will need at least $1,000 / month in support to afford even the cheapest apartments in the area.

 

I plan to cover this cost starting next July, when I graduate and start my own full-time employment. But we need to raise funds to cover this expense until then: 7.5 months of $1,000 / month towards their rent+utilities, along with an extra $500 towards moving expenses such as the cost of a storage unit for their belongings, which can't fit in their temporary space.

 

These funds will mean that Maggie can continue to finish her degree, which will give the two of them financial stability and the better life that they deserve. It will allow the two of them to avoid risking homelessness or falling into another dangerous housing situation. It will mean physical safety and a dramatic improvement in mental health for both of them, which will allow them to continue the work they do in the community for others.

 

I am organizing this GoFundMe with Maggie and Ire's approval as they deal with the sudden demands of packing, moving, and looking for new housing on extremely short notice. Receipts of funds transfers will be posted for accountability; 100% of funds received will go directly to the couple, who will use them for living expenses.

 

Any donation that you are able to make will be greatly appreciated by Maggie and Ire, as well as their small dog Bella (pictured in the photo). Thank you so much for reading and please consider sharing this GoFundMe with others!

 

If you want to reach out with any questions or prefer to donate directly to the couple, feel free to send me an email at [email redacted]  If you're not able to donate all at once now, but could make a monthly commitment through next July, this would also be greatly appreciated!