Winter Holiday Mutual Aid Drive

**Due to the steady donations, I have decided to extend the fundraiser into the Holidays in order to house more people through the Winter. Please consider donating some or all of your Birthday and/or Holiday gains to help house someone. Happy Holidays! Take Care.**

100% of all Holiday & Birthday donations will go to help shield someone from homelessness in D.C.

 

Donate Directly here: Ward 4 Unhoused Advocacy   

Learn About Mutual Aid here: "So You Want to Get Involved in Mutual Aid " by The Cut

 

 

Original Fundraiser Post

 

"I have been fortunate to live a good life for the last 31 years. Someone told me recently that I should, "Celebrate every birthday as a gift! Few people live to old age and every year you grow older is a year in fortune!"

 

This has stuck with me. Over the last year, hundreds of thousands of people have died of the Covid-19 pandemic in the US alone. And while the pandemic has been gripping the world's attention, many others have passed away of other causes.

 

In 2020, I lost three people in my immediate community. I lost a family friend, a co-worker, & a neighbor. Two of the passings were caused by conditions that I could not have done anything about. The third, however, was a neighbor who froze to death on the street.

 

I mention this because Sonia & I spend our free time trying to help end homelessness & reinforced poverty in D.C.

 

Living outside might be amenable to a select few, but for most people- it is dangerous. Exposure to the elements can exacerbate minor conditions and turn them into life-threatening scenarios. Sonia & I have seen how expensive it is for a community to deal with this public health & safety crisis and have commented to each other how much cheaper it would be for society if we just housed everyone who wanted it.

 

That's why, this year, I'd like to do something a little different. I have been gifted with an amazing support network. That support network has bolstered me up for 31 years. I am proud to be where I am today and would not have gotten here if I wasn't lucky enough to have this loving community at my back.

 

While I don't consider myself religious anymore- I was raised to have a Christian heart. My understanding of this is that I am expected to give and share my good fortune with others.

 

In the spirit of my birthday & of the upcoming holidays- I'd like to invite you all to share in this good feeling of neighborliness & community. It costs $2,000 to house someone in DC for a month. My hope is that my support network can help me house at least ten (10) people through the coldest parts of winter this year. My aim is to house people as well as provide them with money to buy groceries.

 

If you'd like to donate through GoFundMe, there will be a processing fee. If you'd like to donate directly, you can click the donate link here , and we will receive it next month.

 

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me! I will answer any and all questions you have.

 

Thank you all so much for considering my ask and I wish you all a joyous holiday season."