UPDATED October 2025:

Naomi is a DMV-based Black trans woman who needs help recovering from trauma and unstable housing. Join a community monthly sustainers that ensure that Naomi is securely housed while she navigates transition and the messy disability benefits system. In 2022 and 2023, Naomi bounced around temporary and unstable living situations while navigating gender transition, medical issues, and trauma. With help from the community, Naomi finally moved into a safe apartment in August 2023 with her emotional support dog, Snow. People who continued to give during this time, whether through money or time, have been crucial in helping her heal.

While Naomi’s disability benefits case has been working its way through appeals, the cost of living has continued to rise and transition has been getting further away. Naomi now has a hearing scheduled for disability benefits, the first time she will be able to make her case directly to a judge, with the help of a lawyer working on contingency. Unfortunately, everything has gotten more expensive, including her rent and utilities. Naomi is interested in a top surgery revision and eventually facial feminization surgery during a time when it is more and more difficult to be visibly trans. With rising costs of living, as well as the uncertainty of future Medicaid coverage for trans care under this administration, more surgeries are looking unlikely. Additional support while we appeal the disability determination can keep her housed and stable while she continues to strive to improve her life and become independent.

Immediately, her needs are food money to replace her SNAP that she won’t receive due to the government shutdown ($300), as well as updating her ID card and passport (about $200).

If you can, please consider a recurring monthly donation. This would allow Naomi to budget and plan for the future with security. Existing sustainers are looking for additional community members to join them. Even 25 or 50 dollars monthly would be extremely helpful.

The basic monthly costs we’re aiming to cover include:

Rent ($1298)
Utilities ($90)
Monthly care and food for Snow, Naomi’s emotional support dog ($75)

Your donations may also support other needs such as:

Medical care
Gender transition-related costs
Transportation
Household supplies

Thank you for your support of Black trans lives! If you can’t donate, please reach out to a few people you think could be able to using templates in this outreach toolkit.

Naomi's Long-Term Recovery and Stability

By Naomi's Care Pod

Naomi's Long-Term Recovery and Stability

Help support Naomi's gender transition and recovery from homelessness

Team Members