Trans man and family emergency relocation

I'm Jacoby. I came out as a trans man kind of late in my life. By the time I did, I already had kids, and we had fled from a domestic violence situation. We lived in extreme poverty for over five years as our abuser dragged me through court processes to try to take my kids away.

In late 2019, I was granted custody and an agency helped to relocate us to Florida where a family member was living. We arrived by train with nothing but suitcases. This person promised to let us stay long enough to get back on our feet.

Someone who I thought was a friend outed me without my consent. I was immediately rejected and we were all thrown out on the street in November 2019.

By March, the pandemic began to impact our lives. I caught Covid early on, got laid off, and ended up working 70 hours a week at a remote job to keep us living in hotels for a year. I had Covid again while at the last one we stayed in.

Finally, in late 2020, I received help with a security deposit, and we moved into an apartment. At first, this was a relief and we were very happy. Soon, though, the harrassment began. Other tenants started making rude remarks toward me, which led to vandalizing our property, which led to them trying to take pictures of us through our windows, which led to teenagers physicallybbullying my kids, which led to groups of kids taking turns hitting our apartment door with objects like hammers.

This harassment continued from 2021 to present, although it's less now because we barely leave our apartment.

As you probably know, a couple years ago, the governor of Florida began crusading against trans folks. The laws he's enacted have stripped me of my healthcare, my kids and my right to safety, and now, we're again forced to flee. Instead of one abuser, though, it's the state destroying our lives. I haven't even had a chance to rebuild from last time.

I'm fortunate that the organization I work fir was able to offer a grant that will go toward the astronomical expenses of moving myself, my kids, our cats, and what remains of our belongings after donating most of our things. But still, I don't have enough money to both relocate us and to have a place to live.

Our lease ends on June 30th. I shouldn't have waited this long to try to raise money, but I was really trying to exhaust every way possible to do this on my own. Now I see that there's no way I can do it alone, which is both embarassing and extremely scary.

This amount will help me to afford first month's rent and a security deposit for an apartment in a northern sanctuary state. It'll also help us to afford a small amount of clothes suitable for a cooler environment, because right now, all we have are flip flops, shorts and tee shirts.

If you're reading this and able to help us with any amount, thank you. We just need a safe place to start over where my existence isn't banned.