LOS ANGELS — For Riji Raja, home once meant the front seats of her car. Today, it’s a place filled with gratitude and growth, and the place where a brand born out of experience is flourishing.  

What You Need To Know

  • Riji Raja and her husband spent two years living in their car after becoming homeless

  • During that time, she learned how vital mental health is, especially in overcoming tough situations

  • Raja founded Affirmation Darling, a brand offering affirmation cards, bracelets, and self-care tools to support mental wellness

  • Affirmation Darling has distributed over 600 decks of affirmation cards to homeless young adults

“It’s not really common to hear South Asians going through homelessness, especially in America. But that is my story,” Raja said. 

Raja and her husband moved to Los Angeles to pursue careers in entertainment, but when their careers didn’t pan out the way they expected, they lost their housing.

In those early days of homelessness, Raja quickly realized how vital mental health would be to their survival. When they learned they would be living in their car, her husband came up with a list of five ways to end his life.

Determined not to let him give up, Raja found ways to strengthen their mental health together.

Her refuge was the aisles of Barnes & Noble, where she would browse through affirmation cards and journals, looking for something to lift their spirits.

But the words she read didn’t resonate with her reality.

“I would just read these positive statements, and I’m like, ‘This—I’m not feeling any of this. I’m still in this situation. I’m still living in my car. These positive words mean nothing to me,’” she said.

Frustrated by the disconnect, Raja started writing her own affirmations — ones that included actionable steps for people in her position. She would write affirming words on her wrists and find the positive in their situation. Slowly but surely, she and her husband saved enough money to move into a studio apartment. It was then that she turned her personal wellness practice into Affirmation Darling, a brand offering affirmation cards, bracelets and other self-care tools, making sure that the business gave back by donating products to those in need.

“I couldn’t afford a therapist. Affirmations, actions, positive thinking—this was my way to stay afloat and not give up on my life yet,” she said.

Ricardo Rosales, director of the Midnight Mission’s Homelight Family Living program, agrees with the importance of mental health in helping the homeless population. His organization not only provides housing but also mental health services such as therapy and full-spectrum counseling.

“Mental health services are the most important piece of healing and trying to get better,” Rosales said. “It’s sorely needed. More services are needed here in LA County.”

With Affirmation Darling, Raja is helping fill that gap. She has already distributed more than 600 decks of her cards to homeless young adults, giving them tools for mental wellness when they might need it the most.

“I knew we didn’t go through homelessness for our own benefit,” Raja said. “This is to know what the problem is, make a solution, and deliver it to the community.”

You can find out more about Riji’s brand at affirmationdarling.com, and learn about the Midnight Mission’s services at midnightmission.org.