Help us find a home.

Hi, my name is Leyani, I am 18 and i’m fundraising to find my mom and I a new home. We are currently displaced due to a huge flood a few weeks ago and are still looking for somewhere to live. We’ve been displaced numerous times over the years having to move into hotels and friends homes due to issues with our condo. Our house has flooded 13 times and we’ve had 1 fire due to our building having issues that are still unresolved. My mom was also diagnosed with Thyroid cancer last year and testing shows that it’s partially due to black mold growing in our home from the flooding. This has made it very difficult journey for us, absolutely depleting our mental and physical states. We’ve contacted governors, mayors, lawyers, the board of our town, and nothing has been resolved. Please help my mom and I find a home, please help us find answers. All we want is to move on from this horrid place and she is burnt out. Anything helps, thank you so much for your time and support.

More context/information from my Mom:

I’m not one to ever ask for help but the reality is that we’be been dealt a very unfortunate hand the last ten years. We’ve been displaced multiple times from our home for fire and floods and reasons beyond our control. I am tens of thousands in the hole due to insurance never paying out enough. I got cancer as a result of the stress and mold and have tested high for two types of neurotoxins from water damage molds which are ridiculously hard to detox from. I never got disability for cancer even though i was eligible, after not working for 6 months and appealed it 3 times. I have been caught in the health care system for a year with no insurance trying to get through to someone. I can’t do anything without good health. We recently lost our home in NJ due to flooding from neighbors again. I can never get back on my feet due to the constant onslaught of trauma. I have worked so hard my whole life to be the best single parent I can, I never got child support, and have absolutely nothing to show for it now. My additional living expenses paid out through my homeowners insurance end in another few weeks, and our home will not be repaired by then due to permit and negotiation issues since insurance is once again not paying out enough for the repairs (not even close). There are many systems in place that should be helping us, but they have all failed us- I am eligible for health insurance, and disability, and fought for months with daily calls to no avail. I pay a high HOA monthly fee and they don’t help with these ongoing issues, neither will township. Social services, catholic charities, and cooper all refer you to the same help lines- the housing authority’s (called all of them- all have wait lists that are closed and won’t even take your info), housing vouchers, section 8, affordable rentals, you name it I’ve tried it and they are all full and not offering assistance so it’s pointless that these programs even exist and that everyone refers you to them like they will help. They can’t. There isn’t help. I am tied to a mortgage on a property I once again cannot inhabit for an extended period and still have to make payments until the repairs are done. I cannot move to a new and safe property for us while still making payments on one I can’t inhabit. It’s insanely stressful. It’s a long arduous road no matter if I list it to sell once it’s repaired due to the deed restriction, or file a bankruptcy or deed in lieu. No matter the route- we are looking at being homeless for several months. I am trying to find a full time job that pays more after having to turn down the jobs I was going to relocate to in MI. It’s all just too much at once. We truly never ask for help and appreciate anything to lighten our load even a little so we can get back on our feet and have a safe home to live in.