My name is Bambi Watson and my partner for the last 6 years is  Levon Sparks. We have been stuck in a cycle of poverty and homelessness for 6 years. The system works against homeless people, not for us. The so called "Charities" that are supposed to be helping us, have no reason to actually help us succeed. These "charities" make tens of thousands of dollars for every person they supposedly "help." 

Without homeless people, these charities would lose the millions of dollars in government funding. So instead of actually helping the homeless , they keep us caught up in a continuous loop of needing shelter, food, etc...once you are caught up in this loop it is nearly impossible to rise up and out of the system.

We have tried again and again to get out of this cycle, only to be forced back in by the same system we are trying so hard to escape.  We've tried jumping through all their hoops and doing everything they say we need to do, only to end up separated in 2 different transitional housing projects where the same charity is still getting funding for housing us and they do everything they can to break couples up because it's easier for them to keep you stuck in the cycle if you have no support from other people.

We tried leaving their system completely by going off the grid and living in a tent... But our city works with them by bulldozing camp sites and stealing all of our possessions by saying they are cleaning up the sites... Leaving campers with no alternative but to go back into the system and the perpetual cycle once more.

Now with the pandemic and the recent riots in Minneapolis and St. Paul, we are desperate to get housing where we can feel safe and be together with our cat who is also my emotional support animal. My health has made it impossible for us to camp anymore and we have run out of people who will let us couch surf ... We desperately need a hand up... We need an address where we can get mail and get our lives back on track and out if the cycle of poverty and homelessness. 

I am a writer and an artist and I need a space to call my own where I can work and create... Levon wants to go to college and get the education he needs to be able to have the skills to never end up back in this cycle again.

I have congestive heart failure, COPD, kidney failure, rheumatoid arthritis, degenerative disc disease, peripheral artery disease, 2 brain aneurysm and 3 aneurysms in my left coratid artery in my neck, along with other auto-immune issues. My health issues are just getting worse from not having a safe place to live. I am at high risk from the Covid 19 so I really can't stay in a crowded homeless shelter. We have been living in survival mode for 6 years and we are exhausted and ready to give up... We spend the majority of our time every day trying to find food to eat or a place to stay the night. We just want a safe place to live for long enough for us to get back on our feet again.

We are trying to raise enough money to pay a deposit and a few months rent on an apartment. With my health issues we are trying to do social distancing, but it's really hard to do when you don't have a safe home to stay at home in  ..we are currently in a hotel room that a local church paid for the first 2  days we were here,  but now we spend our days scrambling to come up with the next days hotel rate... So we can have a safe place to sleep for one more night. The recent riots here in Saint Paul   we and Minneapolis have made our need for safe housing even more urgent than before.

Any funds we get will go toward out general living expenses, keeping us sheltered somewhere safe where I can stay as safe as possible from the Covid 19 that could kill me because of my heart condition and my COPD, etc...so until we find more permanent housing we need to pay our hotel costs, food, medications, storage room fees, etc...

We do everything we can to be frugal, we get food from the food shelves, clothes from charities, etc...but, I  have medications I can't afford so I am going without them, and it's nearly impossible to get the financial assistance and medical assistance we need without a stable address. Transportation, etc... We need help...  We are forever grateful for any help. Thank you.