Cleveland Sex Worker Emergency Mutual Aid Fund

ABOUT US

This fund is currently monitored by:
- Jeanne L. 

If you have any questions about the fund, or want to make a request for financial assistance, they can be reached at the following email:
Email: clevelandmutualaid [at] protonmail [dot] com

The email application can be found at the bottom of the description. 

COVID-19 in Cleveland/Northeast Ohio

As the response to COVID-19 calls for further self-isolation, sex workers are facing a severe loss in income and support networks. In Ohio, all strip clubs have been shut down & have no current plans to re-open. Sex workers all over the country, including Northeast Ohio, are experiencing extreme precarity and many are unsure how they are going to make rent next month or feed their kids.

Many sex workers who rely on in-person appointments are seeing in some cases a total loss of income due to necessary social distancing & shelter-in-place measures. Workers hit the hardest are those already struggling to make ends meet. Black & Brown trans & queer workers, sex workers who are housing unstable, sex workers who are chronically ill or living with disabilities are all particularly at risk for negative impacts.

Some have been able to take up online work, others have had to continue working in increasingly dangerous labor conditions. We expect this to worsen as the pandemic spreads. Some sex workers may be forced to travel outside of Cleveland and break quarantine in order to make money, making them more vulnerable to negative health outcomes.

The Fund

“Solidarity. Not charity.”

This is a no strings attached fund for sex workers in Northeast Ohio who are negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is currently monitored by a sex worker advocate (if you would like to get involved, also please email me) in NEO. Our aim is to provide as many one time micro-grants (ranging from $50-$200) that we can to sex workers in crisis. 

There is also a possibility of providing long-term monthly or even weekly stipends, depending on the response to this initial mutual aid project.

In this time when many are in crisis we want to support our sex worker communities and leave no one behind. This fund is made up of 100% community donations and redistributed 100% to local sex workers. Every dollar really does count. If you can, please support sex workers in NEO. 

GUIDELINES

We are offering one-time micro-grants on a sliding scale from $50-$200. Funds can be used for cash support on rent and other bills. We can also use funds to assist you in purchasing medications, groceries, cleaning supplies, toiletries, transportation, etc.

How we select who receives funds

-- BIPOC/QTPOC, disabled, in-person, poor or low-income, drug using, street-based, and immuno-compromised workers are prioritized for micro-grants but any sex worker active in NEO is eligible to apply for this relief fund.
-- Funding will be distributed primarily based on need, but we will consider the order of application as well.  
-- We are currently able to distribute funds via Venmo, Cashapp, or in person (within the greater Cleveland metro area).

HOW TO APPLY FOR FUNDS 

1. Email clevelandmutualaid [at] protonmail [dot] com and,
2. Answer the following questions with as much information as possible (we understand the sensitive nature of this information and will not save or use it beyond purposes of this fund):
-- Are you a sex worker?
-- Please describe what type of sex work you do.
-- Are you located in Northeast Ohio and/or do you work in NEO?
-- Are you Black, Indigenous, or a person of color?
-- Do you identify as LGBTQI2SA+?
-- Is your income being affected by loss of in person business due to COVID-19?
-- Do you have other sources of income at this time?
-- Do you have dependents?
-- Do you have health conditions that put you at increased risk re: COVID-19? Do you have a compromised immune system? Do you have access to medical care?
3. Please indicate in your email THE AMOUNT YOU ARE REQUESTING (between $50-200) , WHEN YOU NEED IT BY, and YOUR PREFERRED PAYMENT METHOD.

Thank you for the inspiration & text by the Las Vegas Mutual Aid Fund found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/lvswaid