Survival to Stability: A Family’s Journey Home to Philly

My name is Amra, and I can’t explain how difficult it is to ask for your financial help. I’ve applied for hundreds of jobs, rewritten my résumé countless times, and sat through interviews that start with promise and end in silence.

Still, I teach. I dance. I create. I show up for our daughter, for our family, for the dream of stability — even when the weight is heavy.

I’m not carrying that weight alone. My partner works in food service, keeping food on our table. She cooks, cleans, and cares for our daughter alongside me. Together, we shoulder the responsibility of survival and do our best to create beauty and love in our little world — but out here in California, we don’t have support or any kind of safety net.

A few short years ago, the rent for our two-bedroom apartment was $1,785. Now it’s $2,128. Every dollar we earn goes straight to keeping our home and the lights on. We’re not being pushed out yet — but the strain is constant, and the numbers only keep climbing.

Our next step is clear: Philadelphia.

Philly is home — where family, friends, and community wait. It’s where Illadelphlave, my BBOY crew, began twenty-five years ago: a family of movement, resilience, and creativity. It’s where my grandmother still lives, in a home that has sheltered generations.

Returning means reconnecting, rebuilding, and contributing to the city and community that raised me.

We are asking for help — not from pity, but from hope. Hope that love and community can ripple outward.

Your contribution goes directly toward rent and essentials, helping us find stability as we reapply for financial aid in the meantime.

They say, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

We are choosing to go together — as partners, as parents, and as people who still believe in the power of collective care.

With your help, we can rebuild near family and community. We hope to make the move by spring (or as soon as financially possible), and anything above what we currently owe in rent (CLEARED: $4,308.56-THANK YOU!) All donations moving forward will go toward our primary goal of relocation.

Thank you for seeing us, and for helping us hold this roof, this love, and this life together.

Our deepest gratitude,
Amra, Cherry, & Ma’at