UPDATE: Communications Restored!

Thanks to you, my phone is back on! I am now officially reachable for the background check and drug testing calls from Pittsburgh Mercy. This was the most stressful barrier and now it's gone.

And good thing, too! I got two VERY important calls today that I would've been very sad to miss! So thank you for that very, very much. 💜

Because I’ve had to move so frequently to stay safe, my PO Box is my only consistent "anchor" for mail. Thanks to you, I've kept it! Which will help me continue to receive important mail from work and the state board.

The Long-Term Bridge: The Housing Gap

With the phone active and the PO box safe, all focus now shifts to the $900 needed to extend my housing from March 2nd through the start of April. This ensures Riko and I don't lose our sanctuary in the two weeks between our current stay ending and my new career beginning.

• Phone: ✅ RESTORED ($56)
• PO Box: ✅ RESTORED ($10)
• Housing Bridge: ⏳ $600–700 Remaining

Riko is safe, I am breathing clean air, and the finish line is in sight.

Links for the Final Push:

• Venmo: https://venmo.com/ellisarcwolf
• CashApp: https://cash.app/$CeruleanArc
• GFM: https://gofund.me/85c9fb79e

#MutualAid #MutualAidRequest #Pittsburgh #LPC #Therapist #SuccessStory #GoodNews #JobOffer #PittsburghMercy #HousingCrisis #EmergencyFund #SiberianHusky #MutualAidPA #PovertyTax #COVID19 #Recovery #Venmo #CashApp

A CAREER RESTORED!!!

When I first asked for your help, my goal was simply to survive long enough to rebuild my life. Today, I am incredibly proud to share that my dream is gently easing into reality.

Following my final interview last Wednesday (February 18), I received and accepted an official offer for a clinician position at Pittsburgh Mercy. My tentative start date is set for March 16.

Because of the sanctuary you helped provide, I was able to recover from COVID-19 in a safe, smoke-free environment. Having a quiet space allowed me to finalize my credentialing and walk into that interview as the professional I am, not just a person surviving a crisis. My dog, Riko, has been safe and grounded by my side through it all.

MAKING IT THROUGH THE FINAL STRETCH

We are at the absolute final stretch of this journey, but there is one last "pickle" to navigate.

The funds we raised secured my current, safe housing until March 2. However, my new career does not begin until March 16, leaving exactly a two-week gap where Riko and I will be without a home before my first day of work—and several weeks before my first paycheck. This problem is compounded by the following issues:

• Phone: My phone has been cut off due to non-payment and requires $56 to turn back on. This part especially sucks because I'm expecting a callback from Pittsburgh Mercy to let me know how to proceed with background checks and drug testing, and so I'm pretty anxious about that right now.
• Post Office Box: Because I've had to move so much, I have a PO Box. I have to renew the payment on it, and that's $10.
• Food: Riko is gratefully not out of food, but I am. I've got food stamps, but carrying groceries several blocks uphill is impossible for me, so I need to get it delivered. Ergo non-food-stamp money is needed.

To cross this final bridge without losing the stability we’ve fought so hard to build, I need to finish raising my GoFundMe goal, which I've dropped to $2,500. This will cover:

• $900 to extend my current housing through the start of April, allowing me time to get my first paycheck, to potentially argue for a relocation stipend so I can get an actual rental apartment, and to stay safe—and more importantly, psychologically stable while managing severe PTSD—until I can do all of that.
• $395 to ensure food security for Riko and me and to pay necessary bills until my first paycheck arrives.

CROSSING THE FINISH LINE

You didn't just help me escape a dispiriting, life-threatening environment; you bought me the time to reclaim my career as an LPC. I am now just weeks away from being completely self-sufficient and returning to the frontlines to serve the LGBTQ+ and Spanish-speaking communities.

Please help me bridge this final month. If you cannot donate, sharing this update is just as vital.

Thank you so much, community. I would never have been able to do this without you, and I plan to spend the rest of my life making sure folks I come across don't have to go through what I've had to. :purple_heart:

• GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/85c9fb79e
• Venmo: https://venmo.com/ellisarcwolf
• CashApp: https://cash.app/$CeruleanArc
• Chime: $EllisArcwolf

Thank you for being the steady foundation I needed to start anew. Riko and I almost home.

#MutualAid #MutualAidRequest #Pittsburgh #LPC #Therapist #LGBTQ #HousingCrisis #EmergencyFund #DisabilityJustice #PTSD #COVIDRecovery #FoodSecurity #JobOffer #MentalHealthMatters #SiberianHusky #MutualAidPA #PovertyTax #Venmo #CashApp

Posting again because this is very urgent!!

My partner @magicalgrrrl and I somehow have to raise $330 by the morning tomorrow (Thursday, February 19), so we can stay inside for a week

This is a weekly effort, and I’m really afraid of how tomorrow would go if we cannot pay for shelter. We have been without meds all day as well, and I’m in a chronic pain flare, so having to pack up and leave would take a big toll.

I post every day on TikTok, but today I specifically posted about my art commissions because they’re on sale!
This is the link for the discount: https://ko-fi.com/lukeorion/link/SAVEBETSY

So far, no luck, but I truly hope that a few people will consider commissioning me, ordering something from my shop, or donating on my Ko-Fi! Here’s my Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/lukeorion/

Thank you for reading and boosting ❤️

(Featuring a coloring page I just finished and the one I plan to do next)

Edit: we didnt make it. We have to raise $360 MINIMUM by Saturday morning in order to keep sheltered.

#DisabledArtist #crowdfund #fundraising #fundraiser #MutualAidSavesLives #DigitalArtCommissions #CommissionsOpen #lgbtqia #TransCrowdfund #TransMutualAid #DisabledMutualAid #DisabledCrowdfunding @mutualaid #EmergencyMutualAid #UrgentMutualAid #EmergencyFund #MutualAid

A lot has happened in a few short days, and I want to be as transparent as possible about how your support is being used and why my immediate tactical needs have changed.

Day One: The Breaking Point

My hope was tested immediately. I had been staying with a host who, rather than offering a safe haven, demanded I act as a live-in nurse while I was trying to rebuild my own life. Worse, her heavy chain-smoking severely compromised my lungs, leading to a COVID-19 diagnosis.

Combined with my asthma, this environment was a direct threat to my life. After a final night of being kept awake by the host's psychological crises, I knew I had to choose survival. I chose my life, and I chose my dog, Riko.

Day Two: The Troll and The Exodus

I attempted to secure a permanent apartment for $425/month with a $155 deposit—what seemed like a miracle. Instead, it was a mirage. I fell victim to a predatory rental scam where the individual attempted to extort me for money and images the moment I sent the deposit. I have reported this to the FBI and the Pittsburgh Police, but the immediate result was the theft of $155 I didn't have.

However, the day ended with the power of community. My exodus from that abusive environment was made possible by:

• The Powerhouse Neighbor: An elderly neighbor who stood with me against the host woman until the police arrived to ensure I could collect my belongings safely.
• The Firebird Theatre: A friend from my Final Fantasy XIV community drove to Pittsburgh to help me move my things and Riko into a temporary sanctuary.

Day Three & Four: The Sanctuary and the Pivot

With the first disbursal of GFM funds, I secured a safe, quiet AirBnB in Pittsburgh. This was a tactical shift from my original goal of a permanent rental deposit, and here is why:

• Medical Necessity: I could not recover from COVID and asthma in a smoke-filled room or a winter shelter.
• Professional Continuity: This room provides the quiet I need to finish my LPC credentialing and attend job interviews undisturbed.
• The Long-Term Play: I am now working with Roots, a local organization for subsidized housing. I am approximately 2-3 months away from a permanent, stable home through this program.

The Current Need: Bridging the Gap

Because I had to use GFM funds to pay back the $155 stolen in the scam and secure this room, I am facing a critical bridge gap:

• The $155 Gap: I need to replace the stolen funds to ensure my full month here is covered.
• Food Security: My food stamps (SNAP) do not renew until February 9. I am currently out of food and need to bridge the next 48 hours without dipping into my rent money.

The Finish Line

I have a job interview this Tuesday, and I am finalizing my credentials to begin work as a contract therapist serving the LGBTQ+ and Spanish-speaking communities. Your support is "buying me time"—the time I need for my health to recover and the bureaucracy of my new career to catch up with my skills.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-an-lpcs-journey-from-homelessness-to-healing

If you can help with food or the $155 gap, please use the links below for immediate access:

• Venmo: https://venmo.com/joanburgos
• CashApp: https://cash.app/$CeruleanArc
• Chime: $EllisArcwolf

Thank you for being the heart that pushes me forward when my own fails. We are so close.

#MutualAid #MutualAidRequest #Pittsburgh #LPC #Therapist #LGBTQ #AbuseSurvivor #HousingCrisis #EmergencyFund #TransJoy #FFXIV #FinalFantasyXIV #SiberianHusky #MutualAidPA #PovertyTax #COVID19 #Asthma #SNAP #FoodSecurity #Venmo #CashApp

Wondering how much to save in an emergency fund? Learn the 3 month vs 6 month emergency fund debate, emergency fund rules, where to keep it, and how to build an emergency fund fast. Real examples included.

#emergencyfund

https://thetotalentrepreneurs.com/emergency-fund-how-much-should-you-save/

Safety Net: The Emergency Fund Tiers

Not all emergency funds are equal.

Tier 1 → $1,000 (starter)
Tier 2 → 1 month expenses
Tier 3 → 3 months expenses
Tier 4 → 6 months expenses
Tier 5 → 12 months (self-employed)

Build it before you invest heavily.

#emergencyfund #money

My partner and I have gone all day without meds and have nothing to eat tonight, I am incredibly emotionally disregulated from a bad day with my complex PTSD and autism related issues and in a lot of pain due to endometriosis, please check out my Ko-Fi shop or send a donation to help!! We are trying to get to $120 and only have $8, but we’ll need more to bridge the gap that transfer fees cause 😞 please send help if you can, or at least boost this. I need help so I can be okay

Edit: we got meds, but would appreciate food money, and I’m very concerned because we have to pay for another week of shelter by Saturday morning, which is a whole $360. If you send any support, it will help us immensely right now!

https://ko-fi.com/lukeorion

#DisabledArtist #ActuallyAutistic #MutualAidRequest #UrgentMutualAid #kofiArtist #kofiGoal #kofi #lgbtqia #neurodivergent #crowdfund #cptsd #EmergencyFund #MutualAidSavesLives #MutualAid

It’s been quiet because a lot has happened: I’ve completed four job interviews (including UPMC!) and have one more this Monday. I’m just waiting for the first official offer to land.

The silence was a matter of survival. Where I wound up staying last wasn't so great, and I had to escape an abusive living situation that drained my spoons. I’m out now, but I’ve landed in a hotel in Washington, PA—outside the Pittsburgh bus range and far from the city I need to work in.

I am currently out of food money and trying to scrape together enough to bridge the gap until I can start a job and pay rent. I tried boarding Riko to make things easier, but she's back with me now after an incident. It's just the two of us, too far from everything, trying to reach the finish line.

If you can help us survive these final weeks of the "waiting room," it would mean everything. I am so close to the life I've worked so hard for.

CashApp: https://cash.app/$CeruleanArc
https://venmo.com/joanburgos
Chime: $EllisArcwolf

#MutualAid #TransJoy #Pittsburgh #WashingtonPA #LPC #JobHunt #SiberianHusky #EmergencyFund #QueerJoy #AbuseSurvivor

The Tiered Emergency Fund Roadmap

Level 1: $1,000 (Starter fund)
→ Covers small emergencies
→ Timeline: 1-3 months

Level 2: 1 month of expenses
→ Covers a job disruption
→ Timeline: 3-6 months

Level 3: 3 months of expenses
→ Covers most emergencies

#emergencyfund #money