Hey everybody,

I wanted to create this fundraiser to help dear friend and fellow anjunafam member, Lance, who has run into some devastating times and needs help to get back on his feet. After a couple weeks worth of discussion, Lance has allowed me to make this post and coordinate it so he can focus on work and on getting better.

I’ll let Lance share more details if he is comfortable doing so, but to summarize, he has recently run into some bad luck and lost everything, including but not limited to, his home, job, close family member/s etc. He has found new employment and is working 6 days/week, but due to the hole he found himself in, it’s been a very difficult one to pull out of. He was also rationing (and is now out of) a MUCH-needed daily medication. He is essentially homeless and has been sleeping on park benches and bus stops for 1-2 months now. This is not safe nor okay!!! Since he has no place to store groceries, all of his meals have had to be takeout which blows through money quickly, making it even harder to save, not to mention putting somebody in the ridiculous situation to where they are potentially having to choose between having a meal versus other essentials. He also does not have parents to rely on nor other family in his area. Anjunafam and the other friends made in this music scene are his biggest support system.

Anyone who has experienced the cycle of poverty knows how difficult it can be and how long it can take to pull yourself out. The longer it goes on, the more danger/risk you’ll face and the harder your mental health is to maintain, which only leads to worsening conditions. Unfortunately, some people are never able to get out of this cycle.

For this fundraiser, we are asking for the bare minimum it’ll take to get him into a studio apartment ASAP (deposit/fees, first/last month’s rent, some basic furnishings, etc) and to have enough to refill his medication. Just having his medicine and a roof over his head will make things so much easier in which to heal and move forward. Like I said, he is employed and works hard, but he needs a head start on getting a new home or else it could be a life or death situation.

Please know this decision to ask for help wasn’t made lightly, Lance is a humble king. He is a hard-working kind-hearted individual and he does not deserve this. But he has been such a great friend to me and to so many of us over the years and I want to prove to him that we have his back and will do what it takes to help him. Even if you can't contribute at this time, a simple "share" could go a long way!

-Justine