Help a Trans Man Survive ( and get himself out ) the Shelter System - Updaed and Urgent !
You might recongize me, Eli ( featured on the right ) or my husband Stephen ( featured on the left and OP of post linked here. )
My husband and I were kicked out of my homophobic/transphobia emotional and fianical abusive mother in Dec of 2018. We have been bouncing from unstable and unsuitable housing situation from to the next—-from crashing at m husband extremely transphobic and emotionally abusive grandmothers, to our terrible month’s stay at Aburn Place—-the conditions of which can be seen and explained in the pictures below.
This was our ‘home’ where we slept without a lockable door, proper blankets, access to showers, dormed next a violent domestic abusive couple which was triggering given both of my partner’s and I’s histories. The food provided was uneatable, served spoiled and frozen and resulted in multiple hostipalizations from food posioning.
After two turpentinous cycles we were finally considered eligible for the family voucher we are pursuing to obtain permanent and independent housing. Unforunately our new faculty is better but not by much—-we in a room meant for one period, with not enough space for all of clothes within the closet. There is only one communical bathroom despite stressing to numerous social workers at Aburn, AFIC about needing private bathroms as transgender individal and no kitchen on site. We are provided with a mini fridge that is 3 feet high and a foot deep but not allowed to have a hotplate. We are expected to just be beholden to food pantries or to buy food that can be cooked through mircowave. Obviously with no source of income or foodstamps we’d be back in the position we were at Aburn rationing a meal a day.
We are still in our pending status for public assistance ( foodstamps, medicard as Steph and I are both underneath our abusive family’s insurance that they have threaten to remove us from, child support ) despite extending the 45 day wait period because we made a total a 160 a month at the time of application—a mere 60 dollars over the 100 a month thresold ( but well below the poverty line ) for expeditied foodstamps which we desperately need. Despite updating our employement information to show that we are both unemployed we have no option but to close our public assistance case completely ( which can take up to 30 days ) before reapplying to get expetited food stamps. Given the government shutdown we anticipate an even longer wait time with our benefits.
As a result of these circumstances we opted to smuggle in a hotplate in order to cook food in our rooms as a measure to save money and eat more consistency—-as a result of our poor diets these past two months since being homeless I have lost a considerate amount of weight and have been consistently sick. While we have the hotplate we are able to cook granted on small gratel but our hotplate can be confiscated at any time and we will have no stable source of food. Food is our paramount concern, we are very hungry all of the time
As a condition of the shelter, we are currently saying we must save 60% precent of our income to go towards our future apartment. Unfortunately neither my husband or I working nor capable given our degrading mental healths. We are currently trying to connect to the appropriate mental health providers but at the moment in limbo with our insurances and lack of money. Since we have no income we have no way to work towards our saving 2 months ( an estimation of a $2,600 ) in order to recieve our voucher and move out of the shelter.
At the moment our only income has been donations on my husband Steph’s donation which have unfortunately slowed to a near halt and my sporadic survival sex work. I had been employed at a seasonal position but was terminated due to having to miss a number of days due to our mandatory public assistance appointments—despite informing my previous employer about my homelessness. I’m looking for part-time work I can manage while attending school full time but doubt I’d have mental capacity to juggle the two. Been having numerous nervous breakdowns due to the stress of the situation and struggling with severe suicidal idealisation but can’t afford to be hospitalized without losing our bed in the shelter.
We are in the process of advocating for an administrative transfer to a facility with a kitchen, private bathroom and on-site mental health services but a process such as this could take weeks to months. As of the moment we exist in limbo in increasing dire circumstances.
Adding insult to our number of issues due to an error with Venmo I was put into overdraft when trying to pay my husband and I’s phone bills—our phones being our lifeline ( keeping track of our mandatory appointments we can’t miss without risk of being kicked out of our current shelter, ie. access to the HRA app, communication with our social worker, and most importantly internet since we are primarily beholden to data use.
I got in contact with Venmo about the issue but it’s up in the air whether or not I’ll be reimbursed for their issue. Even still am responsible for the 70 dollar overdraft fee I have no means of paying.
Despite these obstacles I am finally registered to take classes in the spring term. I’m currently enrolled full time taking on 5 courses for a total of 14 credits.
I’m taking these courses in order to maintain my HEOP scholarship which is tentative at the moment. I’ve been experiencing complications with my fianical aid despite noting that I am homeless unemployed youth my school is saying that I owe 2,584.45 dollars.
Since kicked out of childhood home by my abusive mother I have no longer depend on her support in paying for my student loans. Additionally, I have loans from my previous school which I’m transferring from not a position to pay. I’m in the process of seeing if I can apply for deferment of these loans to postpone paying till after graduation now that I’m homeless as well as enrolled full time at a local community college.
Given all of this, it would mean the world if you were help. I’ve been applying to jobs every day and trying my best as head of household but without a stable address and less stable mental health, it has been difficult. Any donation helps, and if not in a possible to give monetarily just reblog this so this can get as much exposure as possible. I deeply want to continue school and crave out a life better for myself and my husband—-and trying to do all of this with zero family support.
Thanks for just taking the time to read this. 🙏🏾
How YOU can help
Want to help in the day to day? — Our only source of income are donations at the moment as my husband and I search for jobs.
Cashapp: $elilut99
Venmo: elijahlut99
Paypal: Please DM for it
My Husband’s Steph’s information
Cashapp: $steviesmilez
Venmo: @stephj236
Would you prefer to purchase us something? — For those who prefer sending us items directly. ( While appreciated, money through Cashapp/Venmo/Paypal will always be more beneficial and put towards things like food and transportation. However, items from the linked wishlist improve our general quality of life. )
- Boots for my husband who only has a single pair of boots that offer no insulation and have holes in them.
- My textbooks! I’m enrolled in school full time but am unable to purchase all of my required textbooks.
Ways to help that don’t involve money
Share the gofundme link in particular!
If you are aware of any no-cost to low cost mental health services in NYC please let know.
Share any of any entry-level job in NYC particularly in the Bronx or Manhattan? Part-time for me & full and part time jobs with minimal labor would be great for my husband who won’t be lift anything 5 lbs after his upcoming surgery.
