No key, no door, no room that‘s mine.

For months now, I’ve been carrying my bag around like it’s my home. No key, no door, no room that’s mine. At the same time, €50,000 of debt from my studies, rent, and overdraft are weighing on me. I’m trying to find a way to get my life back onto solid ground — a place from which I can work, plan, and simply live again.

And what this is ultimately about for me is my work. Work has never just been employment to me; it’s the way an individual carries social responsibility. A part of the meaning of life. What I’ve realized is: everyone locates that sense of responsibility somewhere else. For some it’s politics, for others technological progress. For me, it has always been the education of children. Because whatever shapes children today determines the state of society 30 or 40 years from now. That’s where attitudes and mindsets are formed — the part of a person that will later guide their decisions.

I want to be able to pursue that calling, and I don’t want to live with the fear that this mission might slip away from me now.

I’ve tried using homeless services. And I noticed something: for many people, homelessness isn’t a temporary emergency but more like a scene or social environment with its own rules, routines, and relationships. Many there struggle with severe, chronic issues — addiction, mental illness — and sometimes violence or criminal activity. It’s tragic, and I genuinely feel for the people in that situation.

But for someone like me, coming from a “normal life,” these services are often very difficult to use. There’s constant pressure to adapt to a particular social environment, and staff often don’t really see you as an independent, capable adult. And of course, I don’t identify with that scene. What I need is a place where it’s normal to work, and if needed, to work on your life. That’s why I usually sit in cafés with my laptop and try to get things done — in shelters, it’s almost impossible to find even a minute of quiet.

So I want to ask the community: What concrete options are there for someone in a situation like this? Have you had experience with projects or private initiatives that help people in financial crisis? Foundations, local networks, anything focused on long-term stability? I’m in Germany.

As a first step, I started an online fundraising campaign to raise at least some money. If I could just get enough to move into a room or apartment again, everything else would become easier. But getting reach is hard, so maybe someone has advice on that as well?

If you have any ideas, contacts, or personal experience: I would be deeply grateful. Thank you for taking the time to read this.