Help Our Family Stay Together After a House Fire

Our Goal: anything will help

In 20 days, my children and I will be homeless — not because we did anything wrong, but because a house fire took everything and the system meant to protect us didn’t.

1. I am a mother of four, a first-time grandma, and a foster parent to four children — a few of whom are disabled and on the autism spectrum. I took them in right before our house fire. They had already been pulled from the only home they’d ever known, and just a short time later, the home we were building together went up in flames.

As of May 29th, my children and I have nowhere to go.

Our insurance has fallen short.

My savings are gone. And after 10 years at the same job, I was let go because my focus had to be on the fire and these children — not work. For the first time in 23 years of raising kids and caring for others, I have nothing left to give them.

I’m not asking for help for me. I’m asking for them.

I grew up knowing what it felt like to have nowhere to go. I swore my children would never feel that. I’ve spent my whole life making sure every child under my roof felt safe and secure — and right now, for the first time, they’re starting to feel the hopelessness I promised them they’d never know. That breaks me more than the fire ever did.

We just got settled into a rental in February. The kids have routines. The foster children are finally stabilizing after being uprooted over and over again. My ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴍʏ daughter that graduated prior to the fire gave up a full-ride scholarship last year to stay and help our family through this. Ripping these kids from the only stability they’ve found would be devastating — especially for the ones with special needs who can’t understand why they keep losing their home.

A local business owner James Miller of Integrity Cleaning and Solutions paid thousands out of his own pocket so we had somewhere to stay

That aren’t kindness I’ll never be able to repay with cash because it was his heart and his goodness that did this for us when no one else stepped in. That act of kindness kept my family together.

Now I need to ask for that same kindness again — from anyone willing to help.

I have a lawyer and a public adjuster fighting the insurance battle, but that takes time.

We are out of time.

1. Every dollar goes directly toward rent and basic needs to keep a roof over my children’s heads while we fight to rebuild. Please — if you can give anything, or even just share this, it could change everything for my family.

All I got to say if it wasn’t for these children (ᴀʟʟ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇᴍ) during this time I don’t know ʜᴏᴡ ɪ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ goᴛᴛᴇɴ through it.

Iᴛs been rough and challenging and hard their smiles on their faces is what keeps me going and keeps me fighting this whole process.

Iᴛ ʜᴀs ʙᴇᴇɴ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ʜᴀʀᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴀʟʟ ᴏғ ᴜs. especially on the children that do not understand what's going on.

Thank you for caring.

Any amount helps. Please share if you can.