"What do we live for if not to make the world less difficult for each other?"
                                                          – George Eliot

Hi there,

My name is Taneka, and I need your help.  I am a compassionate person trying to help a homeless lady. 

Brief Introduction

When I met Adeela, she was listening to this red radio (in the picture above) with so much joy. Later what I discovered is that this is how she feels connected to her deceased mother. Adeela is a 40-year-old, mentally challenged black woman. When she was 30 years old, her mom died.

Adeela's mom was the only living family she had left. After her mom passed, she was hospitalized for eight months for a mental breakdown. After her hospitalization, she was put in a care home for 2 years. She later ran away from the care home because of the abuse that she was facing (the stories she has shared has been terrifying to listen to). She also tried the shelter, but she also met more abuse there. Now she lives on the streets of San Francisco. She has been living on the street for 6 years now and it breaks my heart to know that she is totally helpless and could die on the streets if left like this.  

This is why I have created this GofundMe campaign to get Adeela off the streets and to a care facility, but I've been going in the circles trying to help her. There are not many programs for the homeless in San Francisco.

Long-term, I want to be able to find state housing and income for food and bills. To make that happen, I'm in the process of: 

- Finding her house through different homeless outreach groups for the mentally ill 
- Getting her state insurance so she can see a doctor 
- Helping her get a State ID  
- Researching to understand what is available 
 
I know that there are probably people with worse stories, but to watch this lady lose every aspect of herself and her identity is a lot for me. The stress of not having enough food, a roof over your head and having no one to ask, is a place that I hope is not familiar to you, but one that is a reality for so many. Worse for Adeela, there is no wealth of friends and family to run to for support.

HELP MAKE IT HAPPEN!

My target for this GofundMe is to raise $15,000 to help me cover housing and food for Adeela until we figure out a long-term solution. This is also particularly a hard time to even get government assistance because of COVID -19, and a lot of places are not taking on new homeless clients at this time. I've found Airbnbs that cost $75-100 in the San Francisco area. And I am hoping to raise enough money to cover her bills for the next three months. 

I am so grateful to everyone who has taken the time to read this campaign, and for those who have contributed what they could to help, your efforts are highly appreciated.

Please know your efforts, even the smallest, will not go unnoticed. I will continue to keep you posted on what your donation helped me achieve for Adeela.

If you can't contribute, that doesn't mean you can't help. Help get the word out and make some noise about my campaign to your friends, tweet this on Twitter, or share on Facebook! I appreciate all your support.

Also, if you have information or a better way to help Adeela, please let me know by calling me at 8608162105 or emailing me at [email redacted]. 

Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Taneka