Help us rebuild our lives after the Palisades Fire

My name is Jianling, and I'm writing with my little sister Kailing. As the devastating Palisades Fire ravaged through our neighborhood, my family and I thought our apartment of 18 years on Sunset Boulevard might be safe. As of Wednesday we found out it was not, with it and everything in it being reduced to ash and rubble, leaving us homeless (both pics show our place).

With little time to evacuate, we were rushed to pack our two cats and a few essentials. All the rest of our belongings, clothes, memories and our livelihoods were lost to the fire. We are lucky enough to have a safe place with our aunt and uncle, but this arrangement isn't sustainable in the long term. We have to find a new home, but we cannot afford it as first/last/deposit is now $12000. That is more than our FEMA payout. And we didn’t have renter’s insurance.

My sister and I are unable to live our lives. Without a home we can't learn or go to school. My sister deserves a place to grow up and be her age, even after all the chaos. All she should have to worry about is school, and she can't even do that with how things are right now. She lost all her school supplies, notebooks, textbooks etc and so did I. I'm supposed to be applying to colleges, but I have no physical space, or mental space to do so. This is my last year of living with my family before I leave for college, and it was supposed to be in my childhood home. I want to live at least somewhere with them before I go.

All funds raised will be used to support us getting a new home with basic things like beds to sleep on and a table to eat at. Electricity and gas for lighting and cooking. And a space to build love, like with all the handmade gifts we shared with each other to celebrate moments like birthdays and Mother’s Day. Please, help us rebuild our lives.

#PaliStrong