My name is Jessica, and I am a former foster youth, a city Youth Commissioner in Los Angeles, and the Founder of Bridge to Belonging - a peer-led mentorship network built to support transitional-age foster youth. I have dedicated my life to ensuring the next generation of youth coming out of the system have a safe place to land. Right now, I have a team of 10 mentors and operational tracking systems ready to scale this vital work.
But today, I am facing a crisis of my own.
Because I have poured my heart, time, and unpaid labor into building this lifesaver for others, I have fallen severely behind on my own rent. I am currently $6,000 behind and am facing an imminent 3-day eviction notice.
Why I Need the Global Community’s Help:
As someone who grew up in the foster care system, I do not have a traditional safety net of family or friends to turn to for emergency financial assistance. I am stuck in the exact systemic cycle I am fighting so hard to break for other youth. I cannot successfully lead a movement or provide a stable bridge for vulnerable teens if I lose my own housing security.
I am launching this campaign to ask the global community, independent donors, and advocacy organizations to help me bridge this immediate gap so I can stay housed, pay a sustainable living wage to keep this work alive, and secure our upcoming fiscal sponsorship.
Where the Funds Will Go:
$6,000 (Immediate Priority): To completely clear my rental arrears and stop the eviction process entirely.
$1,500 (Startup & Survival Pipeline): To cover basic immediate living costs, transport/gas to secure local donation pickups, and foundational software elements to keep the mentor network functioning while our formal grant cycles process.
Every single dollar goes directly toward keeping a grassroots community leader housed and operational. If you cannot donate, please use FundRazr's sharing tools to pass this along to advocacy groups, foster care networks, and mutual aid circles. Thank you for standing with me so I can keep standing for LA’s youth.
