Support Zach and Caleb's Transgender PDX Fresh Start

Hi everyone,

My name is Zach, and I'm reaching out for help during one of the most challenging times in my life. My partner and I have been hit hard by a series of events that have left us struggling to make ends meet. We're trying to rebuild and get back on our feet, but right now, we need help with the basics—things like food, rent, and covering bills that have piled up.

Our Story:

My spouse, Caleb, and I went through a bad situation with our former roommate, who was also in a leadership position at my workplace. We were lured here with prospects of me being closer to my career and being closer to the trans community in Portland as we both recently had come out as trans and had begun our journeys.

She created a hostile environment at home, and despite multiple attempts to address it professionally, she forced us out of our home in January '24, and I was ultimately fired from my job in August '24. This was the first time I’ve ever been fired, and it happened after I was pushed to the brink due to the lack of support from my employer and the increasingly alarming behavior from the roommate. We were dragged 2800 miles out West to be used, abused, and discarded by our roommate and by my previous CEO and employer. My employer refused to help, even going so far as to send me a ranting termination letter of 10 pages explaining why I am unprofessional and uncivil, all while he contradicts himself from paragraph to paragraph. It is unreal, but we can't find legal assistance at this time—none are comfortable with transgender issues (which some have outright admitted) or they just don't have the availability. Or they don't think it's worth the time or money, which is probably true.

The emotional and financial toll of this situation has been devastating. We had to leave our shared home, and now we’re trying to secure a new place to live. But we’re behind on bills, running out of food and resources, and the unexpected expenses—like paying out of pocket for health insurance and other essentials—have left us drowning.

I have been dealing with severe mental health-related stress, and trying to navigate therapy without insurance has made my ability to apply for jobs halt completely. Unfortunately, as much as I wish it were a matter of willingness, because I miss having a job that I was good at and could self-direct, I'm terrified of winding up in another abusive situation so much that the thought of applying and having to go through all of this again makes me want to shrivel up into a ball and hide.

Why We Need Help:

Housing: We need to cover a deposit and the first month’s rent for a safe and stable place to live.

Bills: We’ve fallen behind on essential bills due to the loss of income and are trying to catch up before things get worse.

Basic Necessities: We’re running low on food and need help covering day-to-day expenses like groceries, utilities, and health insurance.

We’re both doing everything we can to stabilize, but right now, we just need a bit of help to get us through this incredibly difficult time.

How You Can Help:

Any contribution, no matter how small, would make a huge difference for us. Whether it’s $5 or $50, it will go directly toward keeping a roof over our heads, getting food on the table, and helping us recover from this setback. If you can't donate, sharing this campaign with others would mean the world to us.

Moving Forward:

We’re committed to getting back on track, and with a little help, we know we can get there. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for taking the time to read our story, and for any support you can offer. We are incredibly grateful for the kindness of our community during this time.

Also, as a personal note, I want to be able to pay it back to our transgender community in Portland. We've already had a huge outpouring of support from them, and we've made some amazing friends. I want to take my knowledge of publishing and HR and try to make something happen. I want to open my own business, and this would be an amazing way to help me focus on healing, my mental health, recovery, and helping me move forward.

With love and gratitude,

Zach & Caleb