Hi, I'm raising this money for a close friend of mine, because she can't safely put her own name on it — and that fact alone kind of tells you why she needs to get out.

My friend is leaving an abusive relationship. I won't list everything here, but I'll say what I know is true: she lives in a house where there's a camera on the door and she gets accused of doing something wrong just for walking outside. Where she's told she's not loved, yelled at name calling and threats. then expected to act like nothing happened. Where the money, and every decision aren't hers. Every breath is being controlled. She has sat in that home feeling trapped, miserable, and completely alone — and if she doesn't get out now, she’s afraid that she never will

The hardest part of leaving isn't wanting to. It's money. She has no savings, no family who can take her in, and no support system. She already called the local resources herself and every one of them just told her to go to a shelter. I'm running this fundraiser so she can do it a different way — a small place of her own, for her and her little dog.

Her dog is a tiny Chihuahua named Bean, and Bean comes with her. That dog is her family. Leaving her behind is not an option, and I wouldn't help her do this if it was.

The money raised here goes to exactly four things:

- Her first week in a safe place to land

- First month's rent on a small studio

- The deposits (including the pet deposit for Bean)

- Food, basic supplies, dog food, and gas so she can get on her feet and get working

She's not somebody looking for a handout to sit on. She has job experience, she's has plans on starting her own house cleaning business, and she sells digital products she made herself. She just needs a door between her and this situation — once she has that, she'll do the rest herself. She always has. She's the strongest person I know, and she's spent her whole life fixing things for everybody else. This time she needs somebody to fix something for her.

Because of her situation, I can't share her name or details, and I won't be posting updates that could put her at risk. Every dollar raised here goes directly to getting her out and set up — that's a promise from me.

If you can give, even $5 helps more than you know. If you can't give, sharing this page is a gift too — it puts it in front of someone who can.

Thank you for reading this. Thank you for helping my friend and Bean start over.