Help Daniel, Lakeisha & Thomas Stay Afloat
Daniel Vought on the porch of a group house he was forced to vacate in July because he couldn’t pay the $800-a-month rent. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)
A SEED has been redeemed to raise $10,000 USD to help. You can give to Daniel, Thomas & Lakeisha with a card, or using the cryptocurrency ETH.
100% of your contribution will go to Daniel, Thomas & Lakeisha after any transaction fees. When you give, we’ll send you a commensurate amount of SEEDS in thanks.
Per the article in The Washington Post here, Daniel Vought is on the verge of homelessness because of a broken, inhumane system:
“For four months, his unemployment benefits application had been snared in red tape at the D.C. Department of Employment Services, a black hole of unanswered emails, phone holds and automated voice messages offering delays instead of answers…
In the meantime, the end of July meant the end of the initial round of federal emergency pandemic assistance. Republicans and Democrats in Congress are deadlocked over the scope of a second wave of federal help. No matter what that future assistance looks like, for people like Vought, still waiting for benefits from the spring and living without a financial cushion, the damage has been done.”
Lakeisha Rollins in her apartment in the District. She left her job at Whole Foods in March because of the pandemic. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)
“The pandemic crept up on Lakeisha Rollins one text at a time.
When the coronavirus hit the District in March, the 30-year-old was working at the Whole Foods Market on P Street NW, pulling items off shelves to fill online orders. Rollins, who is studying to become a nursing assistant, got a message that one of her co-workers had tested positive. The next day, another text alerted her about another positive employee. By April, six workers at the store had contracted the virus.
For Rollins — who has a 10-year-old and a baby arriving in August — the health risk was too much. A fan of “The Walking Dead,” she left her job and decided to wall her son and herself off from the outside like survivors barricading against zombies.
That meant a tough decision. She had about $500 in the bank and was eligible for pandemic assistance because she left her job over a health concern.
Until those benefits kicked in, should she buy food or pay the rent?”
Thomas Kennerly checks his phone while visiting his mother’s house in Oxon Hill, Md. His granddaughter Kaiylan, 4, is with him. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)
“[Thomas] Kennerly, 48, lost his job as a seasonal delivery man at the Amazon Hub Locker on Alabama Avenue SE because of the coronavirus.
In April, he applied for benefits. He didn’t have a computer. The job center where he usually could hop on a desktop was closed. He applied on his phone. For weeks, there was no word — and no money coming in.
‘It’s impossible to get an apartment without funds,” he said. “You don’t want to be depending on other people. It’s hard. You’d rather have your own.’”
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