Bella Vista Fire

They have been carrying a lot

Going on 3 months later, no cause has been given. There are still no answers as to why any of it happened.

• For some, rent and deposits weren’t returned as expected. Money that was supposed to become the next deposit.
• Some received a bill the following month, for a home they couldn’t even enter.
• Some were charged move out fees.
• For some, these are starting to go to collections.
• Some are sitting on reports, standing in the way of their next lease.
• All of them had to start over, all at once. First month, last month and deposit, all due on the same day that they lost everything.
• All of them experienced trauma. Some of them experienced physical injury. Some of those are still recovering from their injuries.
• Most were not insured, even though they believed they were. No settlement, no lump sum, nothing to land on.

What we want to do about it

• Clear the balances that are blocking them. A collections account or an unpaid ledger is enough on its own to lose someone the next apartment. This is the single biggest thing standing in the way.
• Cover deposits and first month. The cost of walking through a new front door, for the households that still have not found one.
• Catch up the households already housed. Several families stretched to get in somewhere and have been behind ever since.
• Replace what a home actually needs. Beds, a table, pots and pans, towels, a vacuum. The unglamorous list that costs thousands.
• Get the hands they still need and sorting donations. Moving days, storage, transport, and sorting through what has been given.

Volunteer

Some of what these families need is not a thing you can buy.