22 year old NYC resident, they/them

"In the height of the pandemic, I was homeless, living out of a fiat 500 (that I could barely afford to keep) with my 50 lb pitbull. I had nowhere to go that I felt safe or that was free of judgment. Finding anywhere to go to the bathroom, especially for someone with PCOS and endometriosis was extremely difficult. The longer I went without a shower because of my situation, the more I was turned away. I have no family and I always tried my best to stay afloat but I lost both of my jobs in March 2020 and I had no possibility of making ends meet. From March to December, I didnt know if I would eat, if I would sleep, if I could have clean clothes that day, if I was even seen as human anymore. I’m only 22 and I felt so small, like I was nothing. The world has become insanely jaded especially regarding basic human rights and freedoms. I should have had access to a toilet, to a shower, anything. I didn’t qualify for any assistance because I didnt have official documents stating I was homeless. I had moved around too much to determine my permanent residency at the time. I worked so many jobs in different places to make ends meet that no one was approving my unemployment. I struggled to fall asleep at night and I couldn’t even fully lay down. Things were looking pretty bleak and my mental and physical health deteriorated very quickly. My gut and kidney health are still recovering. This entire got2go project has honestly brought me immense comfort. Seeing others’ stories, and an entire community of people contributing to make bathrooms more accessible in NYC means a lot more than the average person would think. To me, it really means a lot."