"Please share my story. People need to know."—Meet Mariam

“I feel like I’m in hell. I can’t sleep. I only worry…”

This is Mariam, and she asked us to share her story with you.

“I didn’t grow up living like this. In Somalia before the war, life was so much better, and now I barely feel like a human being…”

Mariam’s blunt, openness about her situation speaks to how hard the past few years have been. She isn’t holding back and flat out told us: “Please share this, take a photo, and let people see what life is like for people like me.”

Mariam came to San Diego in the 90s. She was resettled, and life got a lot better and safer for her and her family. It wasn’t cheap, per se, but the newly arrived family could afford to live in some comfort. Around the turn of the millennia, though, housing costs became too much for Mariam, so she decided to move with her kids.

“I had to become a new person when we moved to the Golden State, and I did. Then I had to become a new person again when we moved to Kentucky, and I did. I did it for my kids. Their father left us, he wouldn’t help in any way, so I left for Kentucky. We could afford life there. I worked hard there and found two jobs. We were there for a year, but then there was a new problem…”

Already on the verge of tears, Mariam finally broke down. Talking about her struggles was one thing. Talking about the struggles of her children was too much.

“My kids just missed San Diego. They were lonely and became depressed. They missed our friends and family in California and begged me to go back. I tried to explain why we couldn’t afford life there, but they just didn’t understand.”

After a year in Kentucky, Mariam gave in and returned to San Diego for her kids. Shortly after moving back, both her mother and her disabled brother became sick and needed her almost constant attention.

She went to a local agency and a government office to see about aid, even just for a couple months, and was told she needed more education. She enrolled in school but had to drop her classes almost immediately. Caring for her elderly, unwell family members and looking for jobs took up almost all of her time.

So, after hearing about our efforts to prevent evictions and keep people in their homes and off the streets, she came to us. She’s at rock bottom, staying with her children in a studio apartment for $400. We are helping cover her rent and providing her with resources and contacts to help her get on her feet.

Friends, this is why we started our One Month Away campaign to prevent 20 evictions this holiday season. Mariam is why.

Will you contribute? Whether $5 or $500, any amount goes to helping those who need it most!