Fundraising for Jenny’s Wedding and Housing #HomeForJenny

My Lovelies, if you’ve been around here for more than the odd occasion lately, you’ll know all about Jenny; the amazing lady I met a few weeks ago when I took post-hotel-conference food to distribute to the homeless people in the city centre (I’m not an angel – food waste is anathema to me when there are people going hungry, and I couldn’t bear it to be thrown away rather than shared, with just a tiny bit of effort on my part). Well, I have AMAZING news about her, but also need your help.

If you’ve followed our story, you’ll know that I offered to help, however I could, if it was possible, because she got under my skin and became part of my Village, and she matters to me. I visit each day and bring her tea, because that’s what she said would make life better for her (except not right now because I’m laid up at home with shingles (and if this post wanders, I apologise now – I’m on some heavy-duty pain meds) and I miss her lots) and she has opened my eyes to an entirely different world.

A harsh world. REALLY harsh.

Not just ‘outside in inclement weather’ harsh, and not even just ‘hungry with no money’ harsh, but ‘active persecution from cops’ harsh, and ‘when registering as homeless, being offered a ticket to ANY OTHER CITY (so you’re no longer our problem)’ harsh.

It’s awful. Really awful. And there seem to be several hundred red-tape-tied, thoroughly bureaucratic, catch-22-type reasons that Jenny can’t get off the streets. BUT, on the plus side, there’s Gabriel – her new-found love, who I wrote about recently, and who has slowly been getting better and better from his injuries under Jenny’s love and care…and HERE’S THE INCREDIBLE GOOD NEWS:

I got a text Saturday morning – “Can you set up a GoFundMe account for us? When you get off the floor, that is. He just proposed and I said yes…”

WOW. I mean, WOW! Because even in the midst of pain and illness and injury and homelessness and the plethora of challenges and complications which are absolutely inherent to all of those…LOVE WINS!

She wants to have a street wedding with a big BBQ for all her people. And she wants to be able to live somewhere with her new husband, which isn’t under an arch of the old city walls (understandably). If the ‘somewhere’ can have four walls, a roof, a front door, and (most importantly) an address, then she can start getting back on her feet and OUT from under some of those catch-22’s.

I asked Jenny how much she thought she’d need to do all this, and she thought £10k, which is HUGE, but we’re hoping for media interest and support from…well, anyone – I don’t think this is a time to be picky.

PLEASE consider donating – even a few quid/dollars will help – CLICK HERE.

Together we’re stronger, and NOW, one of my Village needs funding.

I completely understand if you feel jinky about this – you only have my word as character reference for her, but as far as my own capabilities as character judge go, she’s legit and just wants to get back on her feet and be alright again. She’s an intensely smart, passionate, fierce lady, who I feel privileged to have met and to call my friend. She’s a writer, too, and I remember warming even more to her the day she used the word ‘banjaxed’ in conversation.

So I’ve set it up, and the funding is going to go through my bank account (because to have a bank account, you need one of those address things, which I have), but I’m going to be absolutely transparent and am planning on showing the paper trail of the whole entire lot.

I do NOT want to get into hot water over this – I just want to help my friend, and this seems to be the first big way I can. If you’re not in a place to donate, would you consider sharing this post? Again – *really* not picky about where the money comes from, as long as it does.

Thank you, for all and any support.

If you share, please use the hashtag #HomeForJenny, just to try to give it some clout, and to help me keep track of being able to RT your tweets etc…