#schaumburg

[brinconvenient]

This is a long tale, but I appreciate you taking the time to meet my friend Chris and help her out if you can.

TL;DR: my friend, an elderly queer woman I met when she was homeless just lost everything she owns in a fire at her first permanent home she had after becoming unhoused. Luckily, she and her cat were not home at the time. Please help if you can by donating or boosting.

This is a queer elder who needs our help. I'm hoping tumblr can come through for her

https://www.gofundme.com/f/fire-took-chris-baileys-home-they-need-help

Here's the long tale:

A friend of mine just lost everything except herself, her cat and the clothes on her back to a fire at her apartment (her first after being homeless for years) on Friday. We learned yesterday that nothing from her apartment is recoverable. Please help!

(Long post with cute cat pictures behind the readmore)

I met Chris one Sunday afternoon after driving past her three times as she sat on a bench outside our local library after closing. I stopped to ask if she needed a ride, and found out that she was homeless, staying in motels when her SSI came in and on the street when it ran out.

As the years have passed, I've learned a lot about her. Despite her parents kicking her out at 17 when she was outed to them as gay, she went back to school and became a social worker, working in several Chicago hospitals through the 80s and 90s, and, like a lot of queer women in the caring fields at that time, tended to and provided comfort and care for (among others) so many gay men, young and old, living with and dying from AIDS, from the earliest days of the disease through the availability of the triple cocktail and to the brighter days of hope.

Through it all, she had relationships with women in a time where that was something that wasn't always safe to do. Some were good, some bad, and some resulting in her losing nearly everything, but she struggled through. She quit social work in 99 or 2000 when her mom got sick and passed away, and then stayed out of the workforce to care for her dad until he passed in 2006. Those experiences impacted her deeply, and she became permanently disabled during that period, leaving her living on SSI, and struggling with her own mental health. She eventually lost her condo, and bounced in and out of apartments and motels.

When I met her in Sept 2019, I helped her get back into the motel she'd been staying at and bridging her to her next check and then making sure that she could stay there, and reliably get her maintenance meds and start rebuilding her life and credit.

This is her and everything she owned as we left her hotel room for the final time on Valentine's Day 2022.

The cat there is Bailey, her constant companion since they adopted each other in September 2021. They've both been through a lot and are absolutely the picture of "Who rescued whom?"

We started having biweekly dinners and I worked with her creditors and tried to get her credit score back into a good place, and helped her get banked and fixed up with access to the Internet and just help her feel more solid and stable in her life.

Just over 2 years later, in February 2022, we were finally able to get her into a senior independent living apartment, her first permanent home since about 2017. She had no furniture, but with some secondhand pickups and occasional pickups, we got her something resembling a home.

It wasn't perfect, and she had her grumbles, certainly, but it was her home. It was a place that she could launch from to recover and consider moving some place even better, if she chose.

However, Friday, July 14, Bailey had an afternoon vet appointment. Everything was fine when we left, but when we got home, with Bailey in a carrier in the backseat, we were shocked to see what looked like a million emergency vehicles & a whole lot of seniors sitting on the grass.

Chris and Bailey came with me to take my daughter into the city that evening, giving the situation 2 hours to develop and for us to get more information. We heard a few newsradio updates and saw this story on abc7, getting the sinking feeling that that balcony looked too familiar.

When we got back from the city, we were able to drive around the back of the building and confirm that this was her apartment.

We were able to get back to the building on Tuesday and get into the apartment to get her medications, but everything is water damaged from the sprinkler system (with all of its stagnant water) and the firehoses. All her furniture. All her clothes. Her bed. Her degrees. Gone.

Everything she owned is gone. She literally owns less now than when she was homeless. She's despairing and trying her best to keep it together, but she's lost so many homes in her life, going back to when she was 17 and her parents found out she is gay and kicked her out.

This all feels like too much. Please help. Please donate what you can, and share where you're able.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/fire-took-chris-baileys-home-they-need-help

#queer #queer elder #lesbian #lgbtqia #fire #schaumburg #apartment #lgbtqia+ #unhoused #homeless #Please help #crowfund

[coolthingsguyslike]

#Schaumburg #castle #Germany #autumn

[officialdashcon2024]

How real are you being with me rn, cause like I will buy a plane ticket right this second

In all honesty I’m being semi serious. I’m trying to find quotes for how much a single convention room would cost at the renaissance hotel but they’re like…weirdly cagey about giving prices (maybe it’s to hide the wedding upcharge everyone does idk). If it’s in my price range I’m 100% booking it for the anniversary weekend (cause July 11’th is a Thursday :( ).

If it’s slightly outside price range then I’m considering doing a fundraiser. If it’s completely out of range then I might still show up to Schaumburg with an inflatable pool, some balls and chill in the park lol.

#dashcon 2024 posts #dashcon 2024 #dashcon #10 year anniversary of dashcon #dashcon 2 #tumblr #dashcon 2 electric boogaloo #tumblr post #10 year anniversary #renaissance hotel Schaumburg #schaumburg #I got like 2k savings to play with but that’s not including stuff like flights hotels and stall necessities (tables and dividers and stuff)

[throughthemeadowflowers]

#do you see the bird from my walk? #winter walk #creek #Schaumburg #volkening heritage farm #bird #wildlife #cottagecore #naturecore #cozy cottage #gardencore #plantcore #nature

[kodachrome-net]

Sculpture by Robert Engman: Made for a Community, Woodfield Mall, Schaumburg, Illinois, 2013

#robert engman #sculpture #made for a community #black and white #black and white photography #original photography #photographers on tumblr #schaumburg #woodfield mall #public art #schaumburg history #htc mytouch #bruce sharp #2013 #sadly it is gone now

[plot-holes-and-honey]

Has anyone else made this connection?

#I hope I’m not the first #tell me the differences in these pictures #i’ll wait #glasgow willy wonka experience #dashcon #dashcon ballpit #willy wonka #glasgow #schaumburg #dashcon 2014

[postcard-from-the-past]

Charlotte of Schaumburg-Lippe, Queen of Württemberg visiting the Red-Cross nurses before their departure to the WW1 frontlines

French vintage postcard

#queen #historic #ww #photo #briefkaart #vintage #departure #charlotte #schaumburg #sepia #nurses #photography #cross #lippe #carte postale #postcard #postkarte #postal #tarjeta #ansichtskarte #french #old #ephemera #postkaart #württemberg #red #visiting #frontlines #wrttemberg #the red-cross

[poisonaurora]

Meine Lebenslinien

#borderline life #angststörung #borderline personality problems #borderline problems #depress #this is depressing #depressiv #panikattacken #panikstörung #borderline thoughts #svv #narben #schaumburg #selbstverletzten #selbstzerstörerisch #self destruction #selbstzerstörung #stimmen im kopf #nightmare

[schair38]

Bir zamanlar küçük Schaumburg-Lippe prensliğinin başkenti Bückeburg,da bir kaç saat

#bückeburg #schaumburg #lippe #minden #başkent #almanya #saray #kale #villa #konak #palas #palais

[stonecabinetworks]

Dealing with outdated and worn-out cabinetry in your home - Stone Cabinet Works

Say goodbye to bland and hello to a bespoke kitchen with custom-built cabinets, countertops, and lighting.

Breathe new life into your living spaces with timeless elegance and sophistication.

Trust us, your home will thank you.

Contact us today at (847)-453-9884 to book your appointment.

#kitchencabinets #customkitchencabinets #preassembledkitchencabinets #kitchenremodelers #gurnee #schaumburg #grayslake

[homewatchcaregiversinschaumburg]

#Home Nursing Care #schaumburg #Home Nursing Care in Schaumburg #Quality of Life

[apcl-academy24]

#futurecricketstar #futureCricketers #usacricket #usacricketteam #learncricket #cricketacademy #cricketcoaching #cricketclasses #coachtraining #cricketforhighschool #cricketleagues #schaumburg #T10matches #T20matches #kidscricketacademy #cricketforkids

[joeystark2002]

Schaumburg Home Health Care Services - homewatch caregivers

HomeWatch CareGivers offers premier in-home care services tailored to the unique needs of the elderly, prioritizing their comfort and safety. With compassionate caregivers and personalized assistance, we strive to enhance the quality of life for seniors while allowing them to remain in the comfort of their own homes. Trust HomeWatch CareGivers to provide reliable and compassionate care for your loved ones.

#homewatch caregivers #health care #schaumburg

[marketing-agency321]

Schaumburg Home Health Care Services - homewatch caregivers

HomeWatch CareGivers - Where Excellence Meets Compassion. 🏡💙 Providing top-notch At-Home Care Services with trained caregivers, ensuring affordable and heartfelt care that feels just like family. Your loved ones deserve the best.

#homewatch caregivers #schaumburg #care service #health

[dorfrock]

Die Polizei Nienburg/Schaumburg sucht seit dem 04.02.2024, 20:45 Uhr, nach einer 75-jährigen Frau aus Nienburg.

#schaumburg

[tomsiebert]

#blueoystercult #Schaumburg #2023