thebibliosphere:

Hey tumblr family, I’m posting this on behalf of my friend Tara who needs some help, and I’d really appreciate if you could boost this.

Tara is currently living in Manchester (UK) with multiple disabilities, and they are
financially struggling to live on the very limited income they get from
DWP.

Tara lives with a number of physical and mental conditions that
make life difficult for them, including: Ehler Danlos Syndrome, Postural
Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Laryngopharyngeal Reflux
Disorder, Post-Nasal Drip, Complex PTSD (post traumatic stress
disorder), Dissociative Identity Disorder, ADHD (Attention Deficit and
Hyperactivity Disorder). What this results in is: severe mobility
issues; chronic pain and fatigue; amnesia/memory problems; difficulty
eating, drinking, talking and breathing; weak joints that dislocate
easily; processing issues dealing with stressful or triggering
situations; and severe social anxiety.

They were homeless for
about six months after having to flee a chain of abusive living
situations, which only ended towards the end of 2017. During this time
they were forced to stay in unhealthy, unsuitable and unaffordable
living conditions which were detrimental to their health and safety. Things like being made to climb stairs to get to their room, not being allowed
visitors or food in their room or to use the hotel restaurant/bar. They were also
subjected to invasive room checks and didn’t have any cooling options (not even an open window) during a heatwave. Despite struggling with isolation,
starvation, lack of access to medical care or necessary dental care,
overheating, and acute cardiac symptoms, homeless
services recorded their living situation as “suitable” despite their continual protests, and routinely
recorded that Tara had no complaints against their will. During this
time Tara’s only option to eat was to buy takeaway, which along with the
accommodation being unaffordable resulted in them burning through their
savings and amassing large credit card debts.

(If you’re wondering why they were housed in an unsuitable lodging room in a hotel, this is now a common thing in the UK. There’s a lack of suitable housing for people needing help, so they’re paying hotels and pubs to rent out their rooms to people in need, while exploiting the people in need by putting them in often unsuitable accommodation, ultimately to dissuade people from seeking help. The UK benefits system is currently Monstrous for a lot of folks in need who don’t have the support of friends and family who can afford to help them.)

While they finally have better lodgings and a limited amount of Personal Assistant
support (which they found independently without help from the govt), they are however without financial assistance
or government funding to pay for said carer, which means they have had to pay for their care out of their own pocket, on top of the extra living costs
that come with being multiply disabled. They couldn’t even get a wheelchair on the NHS right now due to high wait times and had to pay for one themselves, all of which has resulted in living under a lot of debt, and no means to get out of it.

What we hope to achieve with this fundraiser for Tara is:

-being able to pay off some of their debts

-being able to afford to pay for medical necessities such as medicine and consistent visits from a carer/personal assistant

-clothes that actually fit

-being able to replace some of the belongings they lost when they were forced to move from home to home to escape abuse.

If you can, please consider helping. And if you can’t give a donation, signal boosting will help a lot. Thank you ❤

Click here to support Please help Tara to live organised by Tara Morrigan