I'll be upfront: I'm a recovering addict. For years, drugs were all I cared about — I lost everything, ended up homeless, and lost the trust of the little family I had. That's the backstory, not an excuse.

I got clean, and I've stayed clean. I got a job at Taco Bell and worked my way up to shift lead — I've been there 4 years now.

Right now, it's me, my mom, and my little brother. We were staying together and making it work, with my other brother helping out too — but he recently moved in with his girlfriend, and our rent got raised right around the same time. We've been staying in hotels just to have a roof over our heads.

On top of that, my mom's mental health hit a breaking point. She had a breakdown and is having a hard time staying employed right now. I don't blame her — surviving day to day is hard enough without everything else piling on. I just wish I was in a better position to take care of her the way she's taken care of me my whole life.

I don't have other family to turn to, and after getting clean I cut ties with everyone from my old life to protect my sobriety — so it's really just the three of us figuring this out.

My goal is $2,000 — enough to cover about a month of hotel costs here in Jacksonville (using Priceline/Booking.com rates) and buy us time. That's the window my brother and I need to each get two more paychecks, and for my mom to get back on her feet with a new job.

Any amount helps. And if you can't give, sharing this still makes a real difference. Thank you for reading this far.