I'm raising money for basic needs so I can afford rent and neccessities for my baby during Shelter-in-Place.

Why I'm using HandUp for my basic needs.

I'm fundraising to support for basic necessities for myself and my baby during this crisis, and rent for next month. I'm a student and participate in Calworks but was recently laid off due to COVID-19. I now don't have enough income for rent. I can't afford basic necessities for myself and my family during this crisis.

About me.

My name is Juthaporn. I have a partner and two year old son. I was born in Bangkok, Thailand and moved to the US when I was 9 years old. I grew up in the East Bay in Lafayette, CA. My parents had their own Thai restaurant. My background is in the restaurant and food and beverage industry. I graduated from high school and moved to San Francisco in 1996 to attend SF State.

My backstory.

In 1998 I got pregnant with my first son Damon and dropped out of school. From there, I fell off getting into the drug scene and had to give up my son to my parents while attending residential rehab. It was just the beginning. While in rehab I found out I was pregnant with my second son, Michael. Although I had him clean, I stayed with the Missionary of Charities in San Francisco. Again, I was not ready to stop doing drugs. I had tried to be a good mother but I was irresponsible and wanted my cake and to eat it too, not caring about my kids first, again. After I lost my father in 2003, I gave up living life. I chose to leave everything and became homeless. That's when I met my partner at a Recycling Center. Pan handling didn't work well for me and I didn't want to sell myself. That was the one thing I hope to keep while going through the storm. We, together recycled to make our daily money for drugs. It kept us going. All day we would recycle and all night we would do drugs to stay awake just in case anything happened. It was dangerous out there. We used to have to create spaces to feel safe where we could get some sleep.

My goals, moving forward.

My goals moving forward are to remain clean and sober. I was homeless for 15 years in San Francisco and I lost three babies through homelessness and drug use, but I did bring them to life. My goal is to stay clean.

Other things I'd like to share about myself.

I am living better than I could ever dream. I cannot believe I got a second chance in life being 41 years old. But God is good and I am so lucky to still be alive. I take life one day at a time and am so happy! My happiest moments are right now. After 20 years doing drugs, I have changed my life around. I have managed to stay clean and sober, be a good mother to my two year old son and am enjoying life and living. I am excited about the future and that I have something to give. I have hope today and I give my thanks to San Francisco and the people who live and work here for their compassion and treating me with kindness. They give me the strength to go on everyday without making me feel as if I wasn't worth anything. Although my family does not want to have anything to do with me, I've made my new family here in San Francisco. I love San Francisco. <3