Help Single Mom of Autism Twins After Water Damage

Goal:

 USD $1,000

Raised:

 USD $300

Campaign created by Julie Lapidus

Campaign funds will be received by Keyala Marsh

Help Single Mom of Autism Twins After Water Damage

I am creating this GiveSendGo for Keisha Marsh, a single mother of seven beautiful children, including twin toddler boys who are on the autism spectrum. Keisha and her family are currently facing a critical situation that has left them homeless and struggling to find stability after a devastating turn of events.

Six months ago, her apartment experienced severe water damage due to a leak from a cracked tub of a negligent tenant above her family’s apartment. The repairs for the water damage provided by the apartment management company left contaminated microfiber glass insulation particles throughout their living space, rendering it unsafe and uninhabitable, leaving her and her young children with nowhere to turn.

As a result, she and her family found themselves homeless due to the apartment complex's refusal to take responsibility for the negligence they caused. Different legal experts have explained this to be considered negligence and constructive eviction, in addition to the health hazards that this would pose to Keisha and her family.

Keisha and her family experienced severe health reactions to the fiberglass contamination causing her to make multiple visits to the emergency room and urgent care. Upon returning to their apartment after the apartment management company deemed it safe to return, Keisha's son stated, "Mom, it feels like something is poking me in my hands." And Keisha had a reaction where her hands, face, arms, and legs were burning, red, irritated, and excessively itching. Keisha's primary doctor advised her and her family that it was unsafe for her and her family to continue to live in the apartment.

They had to leave behind all their belongings due to the microfiber glass contamination, including furniture, clothing, appliances, family photos that held irreplaceable memories, bedding, favorite toys, and more. She was recently accepted into an apartment on 1/15/2025 and expects to move in at the end of January. Reality then hit her: she did not have furniture, or the essential items needed to start their new transition to their new home. Having a stable living environment with the familiar items her kids used to own along with a daily routine is essential (especially for her twins on the autism spectrum) to help them to function and prevent a continued exacerbation of their symptoms.

I have never done a Gofundme or fundraiser for someone before, but Keisha is an absolutely beautiful human being inside and out who really cares about her family and her community. I feel honored to have gotten to know Keisha over the last year due to her participation in one of my programs for her children. And I felt compelled to help her get back on her feet. She even provides a prayer circle weekly for members of her local church, which she has continued to do even during this tragedy while she and her family have been homeless.

Keisha goes above and beyond to help her community and has found herself in the new year needing support from others to land back on her feet and sustain a stable living environment for her family after being homeless for 6 months and losing everything of value to her family.

She is looking for financial support for two month’s rent, the security deposit for a new apartment, clothing, household items, kitchenware, toiletries, legal fees, food, and furniture so she can put this time of homelessness behind her and move forward to a brighter and more stable future for her and her children.

Needing Support for the following Expected Expenses (Approximate)
Furniture (Beds): $1000

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From Keisha:
“Thank you for taking the time to read our story and for considering helping us in our time of need. Your support means everything to us, and together, we can find a way to turn this challenging chapter into a story of resilience.”

Photos and Videos of Water Damage and Microfiber Glass Contamination in the Video & Image Gallery above:
She also had an asbestos bulk analyst report test done and it showed the apartment was 97% covered by microfiber glass (see image in the image & video gallery at the top of the page).

Two Videos of apartment showing microfiber glass contamination and flooding are shown in the video gallery at the top of the page.

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Here is a bit more of her story in her own words:

“On July 12, 2024, our circumstances unfortunately changed abruptly when 6 men from restoration company Servpro arrived at our apartment at Park Cedar Apartments in Madison, Wisconsin. Servpro's unexpected presence was both surprising and concerning, as I had not received any prior communication regarding their visit from management.

The knock on my door marked the start of a new and unexpected chapter in our lives, drastically changing our stability, security blanket, and well-being. We felt hopeful and stable after finding a home at the Park Cedar Apartments. However, just a year into our lease, unexpected circumstances arose due to Servpro's negligence in contaminating my apartment with Microfiber Glass Insulation, forcing us into homelessness.

It was a heartbreaking turn of events that left us anxious about our future and caused us to lose everything in our apartment. On July 7, 2024, a neighboring tenant caused severe water damage in my apartment. The tenant possessed a cracked bathtub and continued to utilize the shower for about 1.5 hours. However, the tenant did not report the issue to management, which ultimately led to a leak that caused water damage causing water to leak from the fifth floor into my third-floor apartment.

I later learned from maintenance that their cracked tubs had been an ongoing issue at Park Cedar Apartments, due to the tubs being made out of plastic. Additionally, I was not informed that the six men from ServPro were about to abruptly cut out my ceiling in the entry way closet and in the kitchen.

I had just had finished cooking for my family and was about to go pick up my children. Park Cedar apartment never notified me that they were about to gutter my apartment out, even when management had a required 2-hour window to notify me of the job that was about to occur. I was only ever notified that a restoration company would be coming out that day to do a moisture test (which had already occurred that morning).

Because of this, I had no time to prepare for the restoration repairs, such as covering my belongings or putting away my personal items. Serv Pro completed the job, never covering my furniture in the kitchen and living room areas. While Servpro addressed the water damage they also destroyed everything in my apartment with hazardous microfiber glass insulation (which poses risks to skin and respiratory health), making the entire apartment uninhabitable.

As a result of Servpro's negligence, we lost furniture, toys, clothing, kitchen appliances, bed linens/mattresses, bathroom decor, jewelry, cherished family photos, and even the small things that held deep sentimental value, etc. 

At this point, I was unsure about what the future held. Park Cedar Management informed me that they would not replace my personal belongings, in spite of their negligent tenant and the negligent company they hired. I believe the negligence of the tenant and the company they hired is ultimately the responsibility of Park Cedar Apartments. During my experience of being homeless, Park Cedar placed us in a hotel for just two days. This hotel stay was intended as a temporary solution. I prepared to return to my apartment that Monday after they abruptly guttered out my ceiling in the kitchen, hallway closet, and storage room (which had been affected by water damage).

I was told it was safe for us to return home. 

My son entered the apartment and stated, "Mom, it feels like something is poking me in my hands."  I had a reaction where my hands, face, arms, and legs were burning, red, irritated, and excessively itching, which led us numerous times to the Emergency room and urgent care

However, I was unaware of the severe damage caused by ServPro or how hazardous microfiber glass insulation was. After that, management offered me an apartment directly below our water-damaged apartment on the second floor. However, management could not assure me that the same problems wouldn't exist in the apartment below, potentially leading to severe mold growth if not seen as a potential problem or if microfiber glass insulation affected the air condition ducts (Servpro, got Microfiber glass in areas that wasn't even apart of the damaged areas, such as in all my apartment air condition ducts-in every bedroom and the living room).

I have continued to stay in contact with my primary doctor during this process, and they advised me that it is unsafe for my family and I to live on the third floor of Park Cedar. This is because the area could not be completely cleaned of the microfiber glass particles, which are too small to be seen with the naked eye, and this type of environment is not good for people with Autoimmune conditions, such as autism and neurological conditions, such as ourselves.

We have struggled to find a safe place to stay since leaving the apartment due to the management company’s negligence, often sleeping in our car, living with relatives, or spending nights in hotels to rest.”

Recent Donations
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Jesus love you
$ 50.00 USD
1 month ago

Praying for you sister

Response from Campaign Owner:

"From Keisha: "We appreciate your support and for sharing your heartfelt related testimony. You are truly appreciated. Thank you!

The Lapidus family
$ 250.00 USD
1 month ago

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