Laura, an autistic drug-free homeless woman and her pup

Hi my name is Jazmine and I am fundraising for Laura, an autistic homeless woman living on the streets whom I just met tonight while walking my dog in Los Angeles.

A simple smile led to me circling back to ask her if she needed anything after seeing her and her pup for the second night in a row. Her face lit up and she immediately asked for refills for her plastic water bottles. That was it. I asked if there was anything else and she trusted me enough to hand me over a zip up with all portable battery chargers and asked if I could charge them for her. Of course, I said yes.

I asked how she ended up on the streets and I can only speak on her behalf so well so here is what I have learned:

Laura just turned 58 on June 10th! Happy birthday pretty lady!

She has been diagnosed with autism since she was a young girl. She has never been homeless before or addicted to drugs. Her father is deceased and her mother is 93 years old. Her mother was her caretaker but she is obviously very old herself and the situation was becoming neglectful/abusive. She holds no resentment and if anything, recognizes her mother is becoming senile and can only do so much. She suffers from seizures which led her to having a stroke ~4 months ago. Half of her body was paralyzed and because she had disability/government assistance, she was taken care of in rehab. I might not have this right but she either had the option to go back to her mom or basically figure it out for herself. She is completely coherent and while she may struggle with her speech and/or articulating her thoughts, she is incredibly kind and competent. She has a wheelchair that carries packages of different things for different moments in life. A hygiene bag with disposable wipes since she does not have access to a shower, diapers since she has nowhere to use the restroom, dog toys/food, a change pouch, a duffel bag of clothing, and a blanket. She currently has $1 to her name and whatever small change she is getting from disability has been allowing her to survive on the streets. She is nowhere near close to being able to afford housing. Her sweet dog is trained to protect her and warn her for seizures and is loyal by her side.

I truly believe the system has failed her by letting her slip through the cracks and it breaks my heart to see a woman with so little have so much heart and faith in herself. She feels she is on borrowed time but I think this is only due to the circumstances she is in.

Since Laura is receiving just enough to get by with food/basic living necessities. And I mean JUST BARELY. The funds you donate will go to buying her a new rollalater walker, a bigger air mattress so Laura & Sage can sleep together comfortably, gift cards for food, and HOUSING! The more money we have, the more options for hotels, renting a room, and potentially even a security deposit on an apartment if we aren't able to get free/low income housing.