I came across a page on instagram called @theihaveanameproject. It reaches out and gives a voice to the homeless and those on the streets. This is something that's really close to my heart, and it would mean a lot to me if you guys would follow it.
So here's a part of my story I've yet to tell. When I was 14 and my brother only 12, my family was foreclosed on. First the water was shut off, and we lived that way for a few weeks. Then we had no choice but to move into the basement of the store my parents owned (later also taken from us). There was no shower, no stove, no heat or AC, and there was always anywhere between two inches and two feet of standing water on the floor at any point. In the winter, getting out of bed in the morning would sting our feet so badly that we'd grab our things and just run up the stairs and get ready at school. We had free lunch at school and a food pantry close by, thankfully, so there was always something to eat. But there wasn't always somewhere safe to go. I remember waking up in the middle of the night to people trying to break in to the tiny window in my portion of the basement. I also remember a man walking in on me in the bathroom of the shop because there was no lock. We lived there for about six months before the family of four finally moved into a 400 sqft one bedroom apartment, where we lived for another several months. Eventually, when we lost everything, we were given a house here in Florida, in which my brother and I finished out our high school years in safety. My husband and I still live in that house to this day. Due to extensive water damage in the kitchen, there is no flooring in most of the house, no cabinets, no counters, and the ceiling leaks. But this is our home - it's what we've got. And I'm thankful to have it. I'm thankful to be warm and safe at night, even if the circumstances aren't ideal. I'm thankful to have a husband who loves me, and to be able to wake up every morning and pursue my dreams of becoming a Suicidegirl and a tattoo artist. And I'm hopeful that one day I'll be able to look back on all of this knowing that I had a name, just as all of the others like me have names. I'm hopeful that one day I'll be able to do something to help them, as I'm trying so hard right now to help myself.
So this is me. This is my life right now. But it won't always be. :)
Don't forget to follow @theihaveanameproject on Instagram so you can hear some amazing stories of people who deserve to be heard.
