Once upon a time I was homeless. Not REALLY homeless, but my husband and I had no official residency for 13 days when we were in between apartments. It was just the way the leases underlapped each other. I had no family capable of taking me in within the city, nor did the husband (then my fiance.) The majority of our friends declined our requests to couch surf. ("Two weeks?! Maybe if it was just a weekend...")
One friend finally said yes. She was in an efficiency apartment all alone, and let us sleep in her living room. Because of her, we were able to continue working our jobs and living in our city. We had to put all our stuff in storage, but that was fine - all we needed was a place to sleep.
Since then, my friend has been through hell and back in her personal life. She has two beautiful daughters, one of whom is disabled. She has been living in shelters in NYC because housing is so expensive.
Finally, a friend who prevented us from being homeless has a chance to have a home of her own again.
But... she needs $2200 by August 1 to secure it.
If I could pay that money myself, I would. I would love to be her angel and pay back tenfold the gift she gave us all those years ago. But I don't have that kind of cash on hand either. I'm proud to say at least I gave the first hundred dollars to her GoFundMe campaign.
At this point the best I can do is spread this around the Internet and hope it goes viral.
This is why it is sometimes important to take risks and offer help when you have the help to give, even if it's something as small as letting someone sleep on your couch for a few weeks. You never know what the future may hold for you - or them.