My name is Shaunalee, and I’m a mother trying to do what every mother is supposed to do: keep my children safe, housed, and together.

At the end of this month, me and my girls have to leave the place we’re living in because the owner is selling the property. We have nowhere secure to go.

I have two teenage daughters still in school, and one of them is graduating next month. This should be a time where she is getting ready for her future, celebrating everything she has worked for, and feeling proud. Instead, we are trying to figure out where we are going to sleep.

I have been trying to stay in our area because this is home. This is where my girls go to school. This is where our roots are. But staying here may mean ending up in a tent, because there is not enough affordable housing, and living rurally without public transportation makes it even harder to find steady work, get to appointments, and rebuild.

I am not asking because I think life owes me something. I am asking because I am tired of surviving crisis after crisis with my children beside me. I want to finally give them stability. I want a place where they can unpack their things, sleep safely, get ready for school, graduate, grow, and not have to wonder what is going to happen next.

The goal of this fundraiser is to help us secure permanent housing. Ideally, that means raising enough for a down payment, closing costs, emergency housing costs, moving expenses, and basic setup needs so we can buy or secure a safe home instead of continuing to be pushed from place to place.

Any money raised will go toward:

A down payment or deposit for safe housing

Legal/closing costs if a home purchase becomes possible

First and last month’s rent if renting becomes the only immediate option

Moving expenses

Basic household needs for the girls

Emergency shelter or temporary housing if we run out of time

I know times are hard for everyone. I do not expect anyone to give what they don’t have. But if you can donate, share, or even send this to someone who may know of housing help, private lenders, grants, rent-to-own options, or safe places available in our area, it would mean more than I can explain.

I am a mother who has made mistakes, learned hard lessons, and kept going. My girls deserve better than instability. They deserve a home. I am trying with everything I have to give them that.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring. Thank you for helping us fight for a safe place to land.