Save Ashley from Homelessness
Donation protected
*Ashley spent Christmas Day alone in a hotel room in Portland, which has now been paid for until Friday, January 16.*
For my sister Ashley, the hopelessness of the early pandemic meant falling back into drug addiction. With three kids at home between the ages of 5 and 14, no school or childcare help because of COVID and literally nowhere to go, it was a madhouse. She started using again, and then even more, then she quit the job she'd had for 4 years as a certified medical assistant because of her drug use. For 14 years, between three kids, she had never once missed a pick-up. But when she slept through a pick-up of her oldest son from day camp and the police arrived to do a wellness check, they found drugs in the apartment. She was subsequently arrested for possession of an illegal substance, lost her government-subsidized housing and custody of her children. She can't be left alone with them, which eliminates family members she could otherwise be staying with.* She's currently homeless.
Ashley and I were talking a lot before she was first arrested this summer, but I didn't know she was using because addiction is treated like a poor life choice and not a disease. The shame and judgment she has faced and continues to face because her brain is broken has often prevented her from getting the support that she needs before hitting rock bottom. She's alone-alone for the first time ever in her life. The last time we video chatted, her skin looked gray and there was a light in her eyes that had gone out.
Last week, a person from her former circle of junkies mugged and assaulted her. She has no wallet, no ID, no phone, and all of her logins were tethered to her phone via two-factor authentication.
The safety net that society has in place is not designed to catch someone in my sister's position. She struggles to access basic resources, and this fundraiser is to find semi-permanent housing in order for her to establish safety, security, and sobriety.
We're hoping for $5,000 to cover a deposit and the first few months' rent while she works on finding a job and her recovery.
*I've been helping with expenses as much as I can from Los Angeles, which is where my husband and I have to be for work. Ashley can't currently leave the state for legal reasons.
For my sister Ashley, the hopelessness of the early pandemic meant falling back into drug addiction. With three kids at home between the ages of 5 and 14, no school or childcare help because of COVID and literally nowhere to go, it was a madhouse. She started using again, and then even more, then she quit the job she'd had for 4 years as a certified medical assistant because of her drug use. For 14 years, between three kids, she had never once missed a pick-up. But when she slept through a pick-up of her oldest son from day camp and the police arrived to do a wellness check, they found drugs in the apartment. She was subsequently arrested for possession of an illegal substance, lost her government-subsidized housing and custody of her children. She can't be left alone with them, which eliminates family members she could otherwise be staying with.* She's currently homeless.
Ashley and I were talking a lot before she was first arrested this summer, but I didn't know she was using because addiction is treated like a poor life choice and not a disease. The shame and judgment she has faced and continues to face because her brain is broken has often prevented her from getting the support that she needs before hitting rock bottom. She's alone-alone for the first time ever in her life. The last time we video chatted, her skin looked gray and there was a light in her eyes that had gone out.
Last week, a person from her former circle of junkies mugged and assaulted her. She has no wallet, no ID, no phone, and all of her logins were tethered to her phone via two-factor authentication.
The safety net that society has in place is not designed to catch someone in my sister's position. She struggles to access basic resources, and this fundraiser is to find semi-permanent housing in order for her to establish safety, security, and sobriety.
We're hoping for $5,000 to cover a deposit and the first few months' rent while she works on finding a job and her recovery.
*I've been helping with expenses as much as I can from Los Angeles, which is where my husband and I have to be for work. Ashley can't currently leave the state for legal reasons.
Organizer
Amanda Jennifer Pleau
Organizer
Portland, ME