Help Jonmeshia find a stable future

Her Story:

Jonmeshia W. is a formerly incarcerated mother of 3 children who has been battling housing instability since her release from prison. Many public services are made to support impoverished mothers, or released felons, but not people who are both. Jonmeshia is regularly rejected from support services, either because of one of her intersecting identities, or retaliatory action from the father of one of her children.

Jonmeshia was living in Kalamazoo Michigan, in section 8 housing, but still struggled to make rent, electric, and food each month. She is now homeless again and is waiting in line at a shelter in the Greater Lafayette Indiana area.

Because her youngest child is medically complex, has routine medical needs, and frequent specialist appointments, Jonmeshia cannot get work. She may be able to find employment as her children get older and enter the public school system, but until then she cannot rely on any kind of daycare for her youngest child.

She is also hoping to earn her GED, but struggles to get admitted into a program with the constant stress she is currently under. Jonmeshia was once in special education, and never graduated highschool. Many GED programs fail to support disabled adults pursuing their highschool diploma.

While we work to find supportive community for Jonmeshia, we need funds to make her month-to-month life more stable and sustainable. We are looking to sustain Jonmeshia for at least 6 months, on 6,500 dollars. In winter, energy bills have skyrocketed due to the Midwest's reliance on natural gas and its rising prices. Please help us keep Jonmeshia and her children warm and fed this winter.

Please help however you can.

Other ways that you can volunteer to support Jonmeshia, especially if you are local to Lafayette:

1. Volunteer to help find suitable GED programs for Jonmeshia, and help Jonmeshia apply. The program must provide child care or there must be free child care available to support Jonmeshia while she is in class.

2. Help Jonmeshia find child care for respite that she can trust.

3. Help Jonmeshia determine if her youngest child is elligible for the A&D waiver, and help her get on the list.