Escape from America
Donation protected
Hello people from around the internets,
Some of you came here because you're a member of one of my various internet communities and heard that I needed help. And some of you don't know me at all, but you spend time in assistance forums. Wherever you come from, however you know me, thank you for coming here to help.
If you already know my story, you can go ahead and skip to the "Campaign Details" section.
My story:
I'm an American in my mid-20s. When I was in my teens, I got sick, and my life drastically changed. I have fibromyalgia, arthritis, and a variety of other ailments. It isn't fun, but when I have access to good health care, I can live a close to normal life. I can take care of myself, I can sleep, I can exercise. I can go to school, I can work. I can be mostly human.
But in my current situation I don't have health care or transportation. I can't work, I can't do most basic chores or errands. The only thing I really have is a roof over my head. And I'm losing that.
Right now I don't have to pay for housing. But the place I'm living is on the market. As soon as it is sold, I will be given 30 days notice. After those 30 days I will have no job, no transporation, no health care, no housing. I will be broke, disabled and homeless. And I will be broke, disabled and homeless in a place that is hostile to these things and passing more and more laws criminalising homelessness and poverty.
I've tried everything I can. I've applied for every program, asked for help from every charity. Unfortunately, there isn't much out there. There are programs for the disabled but they cost money. And there are programs for the needy, but they don't work for the disabled. The few exceptions (food bank delivery, home health care, at home social worker visits, etc) are open to the elderly only. These programs are limited, few in number and they assume that the person has other support. I'm young, disabled, broke and I have no family or friends who can help. There is little assistance available for me.
I've been fortunate to have a roof over my head, but I've struggled with everything else. Without medical care, I'm not well enough, stable enough to take public transport. I've been relying on charity and limited benefits to stay afloat. Friends and strangers have shown me how incredibly kind the world can be. You amaze me every day.
But now, my luck is about to run out. Whenever my apartment sells, I will no longer have a home. It could take weeks, it could take months. I don't know.
So I'm asking for your help, kind internet friend. I'm currently looking to leave the States. Even when I had good health insurance, the treatments that are most effective are continuous therapies: physical therapy, electrostim, massage therapy. And insurance companies hate paying for that stuff. I need to live somewhere else in order get good health care. I need to be able to take care of myself. I'm currently looking at applying for some jobs overseas, and applying to some non-tuitioned colleges. But I need your help.
I need to get a passport, and pay for various documents. I need to get a computer. Mine died and a friend was kind enough to give me an old laptop, but I need to be able to get files off of my old hard drives, and do proper work, and this old beastie barely has enough ram to run a tiny linux. I need to get some emergency dental work, and to see a doctor before I travel. I need money for a plane ticket, and I need enough in my bank account to get a visa. A friend has offered me a bed in the UK for up to 6 months, so unless I get something sorted before then, that's likely where I'm heading. But I need your help to get me there, and to get me on my feet, permanently.
Money Breakdown:
Worst case scenario, I find out tomorrow or the next day that the unit has sold, and I have 30 days to pack up and leave. A friend has offered me a bed in the UK for up to 6 months, so unless I get something sorted before then, that's likely where I'm heading. My primary plan is to be able to get out in 30 days. If I have more time than that, great, but I need to prepare for the worst. I've put numbers where I have them, but most of these are rough estimates. As a great deal of my plans are up in the air, a lot of details have yet to be hammered out.
Primary costs: These are the bare minimum to get me safely to my friend's bed in the UK.
Passport and identity documents: appx 300$ - 400$ dollars
Plane ticket to UK: 750$ to 1400$ (depends on time of year and how short notice)
Travel insurance (including medical): appx 500$
Min bank balance for tourist visa: appx 5000$ minimum
Medical expenses including doctor's visits, put back on medications, and properly cleared to fly: Unknown
Secondary costs: Past making sure I have a roof over my head for the next few months, these are important, but not quite as urgent. Many of these things are aimed at my being able to earn money.
School Transcripts: 100$
Medical Records: 300$
Computer: Mine died and a friend was kind enough to give me an old laptop, but I need to be able to get files off of my old hard drives, and do proper work, and this old beastie barely has enough ram to run a tiny linux. Having a computer will let me put together a resume, a portfolio, packets of information for people writing me references and let me pick up a few freelance jobs and earn money.
Camera: Lets me take photos of belongings to sell. Some of the pieces are nicer and posting photos in ads should get me more than a must take everything yard sale.
Printer: Lets me print and scan stuff. Very important for various applications and paperwork.
Proper clothing: I live in a land without winter and don't own boots, a coat or clothing appropriate for temperatures below 50 F.
Tertiary costs: Lowest level of importance
Storage unit: appx 100$ a month
I have a very nice, very expensive tempurpedic bed I inherited. It would costs thousands to replace, but won't get me much if I sell it. It's a lifesaver for me pain wise. Storing it, and then shipping it once I get permanently situated would cost anywhere from 1/5 to 1/3 of the replacement costs. It isn't necessary, but it's a huge pain reliever for me.
Campaign Details:
As your money helps me change my living situation, I'll update this page with details. A friend has offered to match all donations up to 8,000 dollars, which is HUGE. Every penny counts. If you can help me, even a little, it will make a real difference in my life.
If you know me well enough that you know my personal details, I am also accepting donations via Paypal, Western Union and direct bank transfers. If you cannot use the WePay system GoFundMe requires, or if you want to do a direct transfer to avoid the fees, please contact me and we'll set something else up.
Thank you all SO much. Oh and you've reached the end of my plea, enjoy the internet cute tax.
FAQ
If you're looking for the nitty gritty details of how I ended up in my current situation, here you go:
Have you applied for SSD?
Sadly, I don't qualify. SSD isn't only needs based, it requires you to have previously worked and paid payroll taxes. I was disabled before I turned 18, so the only jobs I've worked have been freelance and they were largely under the table. Because of this, I can't apply using my SSN. As both my parents are alive and working, I cannot apply using theirs.
Have you applied for SSI?
I don't qualify. SSI considers any money or assistance you receive (except for food and medical) to be income. So even though I have no income, my rent being paid is treated as income.
What about low-income or free housing?
I don't qualify. Once I become homeless I will qualify, but there is a several year wait list.
What about Obamacare?
Well, I am in a state that expanded medicaid, so I am eligible for free health insurance. Unfortunately, it's not quite that simple. There was a large paperwork mixup when transferring people into the state medi-cal program and while I'm waiting for them to fix it I have no coverage.
Additionally, it isn't free medical care, it's free insurance. That means that there are still associated costs on my end. And, as it's insurance, the treatments that are most effective for me are not covered.
How do you have a place to stay now that doesn't cost money? Why can't you ask whoever is helping you to help you find a new place?
At the moment, I live in an apartment that my parents co-signed for. They are only helping me because they are legally obligated to. They have made it abudantly clear that they have no interest in helping me.
Are you sure? I mean, I fight with my parents and they say mean stuff but if I went to them, they'd totally help me. Maybe you need to try again.
My parents are not normal parents. They are abusive.
My parents didn't handle my condition well. We'd always had problems, but my illness broke things. Emotional abuse increased, physical abuse increased. They loved using my illness as a hostage. If I wanted medications, or to see my doctors, I had to please them. And what they wanted me to do changed frequently and often included things I coudn't physically do. They used my medical condition, and my inability to leave without losing insurance to torture me. And I put up with it. I knew that I could only work and be a productive member of society if I had access to medical care.
A few years ago, after a hospital stay, the situation got much worse. I couldn't care for myself, and I'd only been released because my doctor was positive that my parents would care for me. They'd been warned by my other doctors that knew us that this wouldn't happen, but they thought that when my parents saw that I needed help, they'd do their part. Needless to say, this didn't happen.
My parents were quite angry. I was in no position to put up with their abuse and properly placate them. I was bedridden, and constant calls with screamed vitriol didn't help.
I cut off my phone and e-mail. The abuse ceased. When the landlady came to the door wondering where my rent check was, I told her I was bedridden and that my parents had been paying my bills (they started while I was in the hospital). At this point in my life, my parents owed me thousands of dollars that I'd lent to them before I got too ill to work. Because of this, they'd agreed to cosign for my apartment.
Fortunately, they continued to pay landlady directly. I spent the next six months mostly in bed, on several rounds of antibiotics. I lost a lot of weight: I was too sick to eat, and I had limited savings. I tried reconciling with my parents, but it didn't last long. The last time I spoke to me parents, they laughed at my going hungry, calling me a liar and saying that they hoped that going hungry would finally give me ambition. They still pay the rent. They're legally obligated to, and they desperately want to avoid court. They have good careers and good standing in the community and their fear of this becoming public has kept me off the streets.
Have you and your parents tried therapy? My parents and I were having problems but therapy really helped.
For over a decade. I'd go to a therapist because my parents were sick of my "misbehaving". After a few sessions, the therapist would try breaking the news to my parents that I didn't have a treatable condition and that they thought the issue was a family one and they'd like to try family therapy. That would last until the therapist made it clear to my parents that they thought they were the problem. Then my parents would stop all contact with that therapist and find a new one.
Don't you have other family?
Yes, I do. They took the position that my speaking to them about the abuse and asking for help was a betrayal. I had shamed the family and should have kept my mouth shut. They refused to help me.
Seriously, I have tried everything. I wouldn't be asking strangers for help otherwise.
Some of you came here because you're a member of one of my various internet communities and heard that I needed help. And some of you don't know me at all, but you spend time in assistance forums. Wherever you come from, however you know me, thank you for coming here to help.
If you already know my story, you can go ahead and skip to the "Campaign Details" section.
My story:
I'm an American in my mid-20s. When I was in my teens, I got sick, and my life drastically changed. I have fibromyalgia, arthritis, and a variety of other ailments. It isn't fun, but when I have access to good health care, I can live a close to normal life. I can take care of myself, I can sleep, I can exercise. I can go to school, I can work. I can be mostly human.
But in my current situation I don't have health care or transportation. I can't work, I can't do most basic chores or errands. The only thing I really have is a roof over my head. And I'm losing that.
Right now I don't have to pay for housing. But the place I'm living is on the market. As soon as it is sold, I will be given 30 days notice. After those 30 days I will have no job, no transporation, no health care, no housing. I will be broke, disabled and homeless. And I will be broke, disabled and homeless in a place that is hostile to these things and passing more and more laws criminalising homelessness and poverty.
I've tried everything I can. I've applied for every program, asked for help from every charity. Unfortunately, there isn't much out there. There are programs for the disabled but they cost money. And there are programs for the needy, but they don't work for the disabled. The few exceptions (food bank delivery, home health care, at home social worker visits, etc) are open to the elderly only. These programs are limited, few in number and they assume that the person has other support. I'm young, disabled, broke and I have no family or friends who can help. There is little assistance available for me.
I've been fortunate to have a roof over my head, but I've struggled with everything else. Without medical care, I'm not well enough, stable enough to take public transport. I've been relying on charity and limited benefits to stay afloat. Friends and strangers have shown me how incredibly kind the world can be. You amaze me every day.
But now, my luck is about to run out. Whenever my apartment sells, I will no longer have a home. It could take weeks, it could take months. I don't know.
So I'm asking for your help, kind internet friend. I'm currently looking to leave the States. Even when I had good health insurance, the treatments that are most effective are continuous therapies: physical therapy, electrostim, massage therapy. And insurance companies hate paying for that stuff. I need to live somewhere else in order get good health care. I need to be able to take care of myself. I'm currently looking at applying for some jobs overseas, and applying to some non-tuitioned colleges. But I need your help.
I need to get a passport, and pay for various documents. I need to get a computer. Mine died and a friend was kind enough to give me an old laptop, but I need to be able to get files off of my old hard drives, and do proper work, and this old beastie barely has enough ram to run a tiny linux. I need to get some emergency dental work, and to see a doctor before I travel. I need money for a plane ticket, and I need enough in my bank account to get a visa. A friend has offered me a bed in the UK for up to 6 months, so unless I get something sorted before then, that's likely where I'm heading. But I need your help to get me there, and to get me on my feet, permanently.
Money Breakdown:
Worst case scenario, I find out tomorrow or the next day that the unit has sold, and I have 30 days to pack up and leave. A friend has offered me a bed in the UK for up to 6 months, so unless I get something sorted before then, that's likely where I'm heading. My primary plan is to be able to get out in 30 days. If I have more time than that, great, but I need to prepare for the worst. I've put numbers where I have them, but most of these are rough estimates. As a great deal of my plans are up in the air, a lot of details have yet to be hammered out.
Primary costs: These are the bare minimum to get me safely to my friend's bed in the UK.
Passport and identity documents: appx 300$ - 400$ dollars
Plane ticket to UK: 750$ to 1400$ (depends on time of year and how short notice)
Travel insurance (including medical): appx 500$
Min bank balance for tourist visa: appx 5000$ minimum
Medical expenses including doctor's visits, put back on medications, and properly cleared to fly: Unknown
Secondary costs: Past making sure I have a roof over my head for the next few months, these are important, but not quite as urgent. Many of these things are aimed at my being able to earn money.
School Transcripts: 100$
Medical Records: 300$
Computer: Mine died and a friend was kind enough to give me an old laptop, but I need to be able to get files off of my old hard drives, and do proper work, and this old beastie barely has enough ram to run a tiny linux. Having a computer will let me put together a resume, a portfolio, packets of information for people writing me references and let me pick up a few freelance jobs and earn money.
Camera: Lets me take photos of belongings to sell. Some of the pieces are nicer and posting photos in ads should get me more than a must take everything yard sale.
Printer: Lets me print and scan stuff. Very important for various applications and paperwork.
Proper clothing: I live in a land without winter and don't own boots, a coat or clothing appropriate for temperatures below 50 F.
Tertiary costs: Lowest level of importance
Storage unit: appx 100$ a month
I have a very nice, very expensive tempurpedic bed I inherited. It would costs thousands to replace, but won't get me much if I sell it. It's a lifesaver for me pain wise. Storing it, and then shipping it once I get permanently situated would cost anywhere from 1/5 to 1/3 of the replacement costs. It isn't necessary, but it's a huge pain reliever for me.
Campaign Details:
As your money helps me change my living situation, I'll update this page with details. A friend has offered to match all donations up to 8,000 dollars, which is HUGE. Every penny counts. If you can help me, even a little, it will make a real difference in my life.
If you know me well enough that you know my personal details, I am also accepting donations via Paypal, Western Union and direct bank transfers. If you cannot use the WePay system GoFundMe requires, or if you want to do a direct transfer to avoid the fees, please contact me and we'll set something else up.
Thank you all SO much. Oh and you've reached the end of my plea, enjoy the internet cute tax.
FAQ
If you're looking for the nitty gritty details of how I ended up in my current situation, here you go:
Have you applied for SSD?
Sadly, I don't qualify. SSD isn't only needs based, it requires you to have previously worked and paid payroll taxes. I was disabled before I turned 18, so the only jobs I've worked have been freelance and they were largely under the table. Because of this, I can't apply using my SSN. As both my parents are alive and working, I cannot apply using theirs.
Have you applied for SSI?
I don't qualify. SSI considers any money or assistance you receive (except for food and medical) to be income. So even though I have no income, my rent being paid is treated as income.
What about low-income or free housing?
I don't qualify. Once I become homeless I will qualify, but there is a several year wait list.
What about Obamacare?
Well, I am in a state that expanded medicaid, so I am eligible for free health insurance. Unfortunately, it's not quite that simple. There was a large paperwork mixup when transferring people into the state medi-cal program and while I'm waiting for them to fix it I have no coverage.
Additionally, it isn't free medical care, it's free insurance. That means that there are still associated costs on my end. And, as it's insurance, the treatments that are most effective for me are not covered.
How do you have a place to stay now that doesn't cost money? Why can't you ask whoever is helping you to help you find a new place?
At the moment, I live in an apartment that my parents co-signed for. They are only helping me because they are legally obligated to. They have made it abudantly clear that they have no interest in helping me.
Are you sure? I mean, I fight with my parents and they say mean stuff but if I went to them, they'd totally help me. Maybe you need to try again.
My parents are not normal parents. They are abusive.
My parents didn't handle my condition well. We'd always had problems, but my illness broke things. Emotional abuse increased, physical abuse increased. They loved using my illness as a hostage. If I wanted medications, or to see my doctors, I had to please them. And what they wanted me to do changed frequently and often included things I coudn't physically do. They used my medical condition, and my inability to leave without losing insurance to torture me. And I put up with it. I knew that I could only work and be a productive member of society if I had access to medical care.
A few years ago, after a hospital stay, the situation got much worse. I couldn't care for myself, and I'd only been released because my doctor was positive that my parents would care for me. They'd been warned by my other doctors that knew us that this wouldn't happen, but they thought that when my parents saw that I needed help, they'd do their part. Needless to say, this didn't happen.
My parents were quite angry. I was in no position to put up with their abuse and properly placate them. I was bedridden, and constant calls with screamed vitriol didn't help.
I cut off my phone and e-mail. The abuse ceased. When the landlady came to the door wondering where my rent check was, I told her I was bedridden and that my parents had been paying my bills (they started while I was in the hospital). At this point in my life, my parents owed me thousands of dollars that I'd lent to them before I got too ill to work. Because of this, they'd agreed to cosign for my apartment.
Fortunately, they continued to pay landlady directly. I spent the next six months mostly in bed, on several rounds of antibiotics. I lost a lot of weight: I was too sick to eat, and I had limited savings. I tried reconciling with my parents, but it didn't last long. The last time I spoke to me parents, they laughed at my going hungry, calling me a liar and saying that they hoped that going hungry would finally give me ambition. They still pay the rent. They're legally obligated to, and they desperately want to avoid court. They have good careers and good standing in the community and their fear of this becoming public has kept me off the streets.
Have you and your parents tried therapy? My parents and I were having problems but therapy really helped.
For over a decade. I'd go to a therapist because my parents were sick of my "misbehaving". After a few sessions, the therapist would try breaking the news to my parents that I didn't have a treatable condition and that they thought the issue was a family one and they'd like to try family therapy. That would last until the therapist made it clear to my parents that they thought they were the problem. Then my parents would stop all contact with that therapist and find a new one.
Don't you have other family?
Yes, I do. They took the position that my speaking to them about the abuse and asking for help was a betrayal. I had shamed the family and should have kept my mouth shut. They refused to help me.
Seriously, I have tried everything. I wouldn't be asking strangers for help otherwise.
Organiser
A S
Organiser
Los Angeles, CA
