Julie Carpenter

I wanted to share an update on my efforts to find work and assistance. Three days ago, I was turned down for aid from HHS because I finally found a contract job paying $17 an hour for a few hours a week. Working more than five hours a week affects my eligibility. Finding even a small amount of paid work should have been a relief, but it has also closed off help I urgently need. The option I was offered was (possibly) a few hundred dollars if I participated in a 24-hour employment boot camp. When I asked what that involved, I was told I would report to a work site and be assigned a task such as picking up trash along the roadside. I pointed to my cane and asked how that worked for someone with a physical disability. She told me I would then be referred to SSI for a caseworker. The SSI process would leave me facing a long wait, with no guarantee of approval. Even if I qualify, the payments would not be enough to cover basic needs like rent, food, and utilities. I want to work and support myself, and I do not want to go on SSI, where earnings can reduce payments or affect eligibility. I am still trying to find work I can physically do. My rent and medical needs continue while I wait for agencies to decide whether I qualify for help. I am doing everything I can to support myself. Thank you for your help while I continue looking for work or assistance. Sharing this helps. xo

I am struggling to get back on my feet without safety nets or family support. Some people have asked if there's anything concrete they can do beyond sharing or donating cash. There is! I put together an Amazon list of specific items that would help my cat Ludo right now. It is just a direct way to send something useful if that's easier for you than GoFundMe or Venmo. Registry list for Ludo: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/MF5051KRZB3 Gifts for Ludo from the registry are sent straight to us. If money isn't something you have right now, sharing this post still counts! That's the one thing almost everyone can do. Thank you for your help and kindness.

I am struggling to get back on my feet without safety nets or family support. Some people have asked if there's anything concrete they can do beyond sharing or donating cash. There is: I put together an Amazon list of specific items that would help my cat Ludo right now. It is just a direct way to send something useful if that's easier for you than GoFundMe or Venmo. Registry list for Ludo: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/MF5051KRZB3 Gifts for Ludo from the registry are sent straight to us. If money isn't something you have right now, sharing this post still counts! That's the one thing almost everyone can do. Thank you for your help and kindness.

I’m deeply grateful to everyone who has donated or shared my fundraiser! Your support has helped keep Ludo and me housed while I continue managing my health and pursuing every work opportunity I can. If you’re able, please share either of these links with your networks. GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/4khbe-still-here-still-fighting Venmo: @jgcarpenter

Another ER visit last week, dehydration and the flu this time. I'm recovering, but it cost me several days I didn't have room to lose. The part-time work hasn't materialized at the hours I was expecting, and between that and the medical week, I'm short on rent. I'm hoping for $1,500 to help me cover it. If you're able to give, it helps directly. If you're not, passing this along to someone who might still does something. Either way, thank you! PayPal: @jgcarpenter4 / Venmo: @jgcarpenter / Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/drjuliecarpenter

For the past year, I have been trying to survive two crises at once: serious ongoing health problems and the collapse of the professional work I have spent much of my life building. Right now, those two crises have caught up with me financially. I have almost no income, my savings are gone, and I am struggling to keep up with basic living expenses, including my rent. I am asking for help because I am running out of ways to keep a roof over my head while I continue looking for sustainable work and pursuing answers about my health. My health has remained under active medical care since my heart attack. I have regular lab work, specialist appointments, and doctor-directed follow-up. For months, my doctors investigated a possible genetic blood disorder, but that turned out not to be the source of the abnormal bloodwork. We are still trying to determine what is wrong. Living with an undiagnosed chronic condition is exhausting, but it also has practical consequences. At this point, work involving physical labor, lifting, prolonged standing, or other physically demanding activity is not realistic for me. At the same time, the professional field in which I built my career has changed dramatically. I have spent years working at the intersection of technology and human behavior, with a particular focus on responsible and ethical design. The kinds of user advocacy and technology communication work I once relied upon have contracted sharply. I am looking well beyond my previous field. I take projects when I can find them, pursue opportunities wherever they appear, and currently have a small amount of part-time remote work. But occasional projects and a few hours of paid work are not enough to provide a dependable living. This is not my first GoFundMe, and I want to acknowledge that openly. A friend created my first fundraiser when my health problems began. I never expected the medical and employment crisis to last this long. That campaign eventually lost momentum, but unfortunately the underlying situation did not go away. I am navigating all of this alone. I no longer have savings, and I do not have a partner or family safety net to step in when I cannot make ends meet. I do not own a car and live as modestly as I can, relying on public transportation. And through all of this, I have Ludo. My cat has been my companion through some of the hardest months of my life. Keeping both of us safely housed—and keeping him fed and cared for—is incredibly important to me. What I need most right now is time: enough financial breathing room to keep my housing stable while I continue my medical care, pursue assistance programs, and search for work I can realistically do with my health limitations. If you have helped me before, I am deeply grateful. Your generosity has already helped me make it through a period I could not have managed alone. If you are able to contribute now, any amount will help with rent, food, utilities, medical-related expenses, and caring for Ludo. If you cannot donate, sharing this fundraiser is also a meaningful way to help. Thank you for reading, for caring, and for helping me keep moving toward more stable ground.