Perla del Mar, a trans nurse in Tijuana, has spent more than a decade sheltering migrants and people experiencing homelessness. Since 2010, the refuge she founded —known at different times as Casa del Deportado Sagrado Corazón and later Casa del Migrante Fuerzas Internacional— has supported thousands of people from many different backgrounds.

Recently, Perla was displaced from the place she had been renting and had to relocate to a rural ejido area on the outskirts of Tijuana, in Colonia Ejido Lázaro Cárdenas (Delegación La Gloria). There, on an improvised piece of land, she is rebuilding the space from scratch. As the photos show, the current conditions are extremely precarious, with temporary structures and tents.

This place is not only meant to become a shelter again. It is also where Perla herself now lives.

Perla asked for $350 to buy the first batch of wood needed to build a small room so that she and volunteers can begin stabilizing the space. We set the goal at $500 so that additional materials can also be purchased as the space continues to take shape.

After years of caring for thousands of people, this is a moment for the community to care for Perla. Helping her rebuild this space is a simple and concrete way to return some of the care she has given for so many years.