We are reaching out on behalf of E, a chronically ill sx worker and survivor, friend and loved member of our local community in Manchester who we as a collective have been caring for, who needs urgent financial support to access life-saving healthcare and secure housing.

For the past 4 months she has been in an acute crisis with her physical and mental health, triggered by a period of intense stress, trauma, and burnout due to which she is bed bound a majority of the time. We have been providing consistent care for E while she navigates medical gatekeeping around her chronic illness and mental health. E has ehlers danlos, and since 2021 has experienced acute long covid after being a care worker on the front line of the pandemic, which has lead to intense chronic pain, fatigue and the development of scoliosis, as well as becoming an ambulatory wheelchair user. E is currently unable to access mainstream employment due to their disability, and has been in the sx industry for 5 years. This is no longer a tenable source of income due to her health, and a series of traumatic experiences both within work and their personal life including a series of instances of sxual violence, as well as a stalking case which has included multiple individuals and attempts to access her at work and attempted break ins to her home address. She experiences daily and debilitating chronic pain and fatigue, to the point of passing out, collapse, and multiple emergency trips to the hospital, We will not detail here the extent of her health complications for privacy, but note that she is really struggling with all aspects of daily living and the costs which come with being disabled, as they are ongoing with their applications and have been struggling to acces pip.

She has been experiencing an intense period of psychosis, triggered by stress, trauma, and complex ptsd. E’s depression and stress at the situation has triggered a series of suicidal episodes, which are traumatic for her and those who love her. Due to mental and physical health strains E is now in the grips of an eating disorder, which is having further impact on her health. In amongst this period E continues to be a supportive friend and a dedicated community member and activist.

The money from this go fund me will go towards several costs. Primarily the cost of healthcare, as well as support to find safe and secure housing as their current living situation is untenable for their health and wellbeing, as well as support to access therapy if she is able. She experiences stigma and barriers to both healthcare and secure housing, as a wheelchair user, disabled person, and sx worker who has previous experiences of homelessness/sofa surfing/squatting, with complex trauma as a survivor of childhood domestic violence and adulthood sxual violence. It’s hard to put a number on what is needed as healthcare and housing will be ongoing needs, but any support will be great to help get her back on her feet. We would really love our friend to have an opportunity for a break and a breather, so they can continue to be a valued part of our community. Any support will be gratefully received.