Help Brad stay housed after catastrophic fire

Hi, my name is Brad Chacos. If you’re reading this you’re probably either a friend, family, or know me from my writing career and deep love of McRibs.

I never thought I’d be here but a freak fire and the water and axes needed to contain it utterly destroyed the apartment that I, my kids, and my cousin on disability all live(d) in, along with many of our possessions. I don’t even have a clean shirt to my name! My landlord had no vacant openings to house us in, unfortunately, and while insurance evaluations are still ongoing, it’s going to take months - at least - to fix the place. Firefighters tore off the roof, my bedroom now looks into the sky, waterfalls are happening in my living room and kid’s room, and there are broken boards, heaps of soaked insulation, and ruined stuff everywhere.

All of us are effectively homeless. While a bit of my family’s clothes and toys can be salvaged, virtually all of my possessions and furniture were destroyed. I’m a single dad. My neighbors are also currently barred from staying in their home.

Red Cross disaster relief graciously gifted us a few hundred bucks to cover a few immediate nights of hotels, but hotels aren’t cheap these days (especially for several people). I’m staring at either a month(s)-long hotel stay and/or a scramble to try and find a new place in a hard economy. Both are very expensive. And the fire and water consumed our clothes, furniture, food, and so on, all of which needs to be replaced.

I have renters insurance but need a lot of cash in the near term to keep us all going - cash I sadly don’t have on hand after two years that included a previously flooded home (the irony!) that wasn’t covered by insurance, identity theft, and other unfortunate pricey events. Even my retirement fund has been completely ransacked. We’ll be fine, but right now, we need help.

If you’re able to contribute, my family and I would greatly appreciate it and use the money to cover extended hotel costs, a security deposit for a likely necessary new apartment, food while we’re eating out of microwaves and mini-fridges, and eventually replacing everything we lost in the fire. Essential stuff!

I’m fortunate enough to have credit cards that can help me float some of the costs, so please don’t donate if it’s a hardship for you. We’ll figure things out. And if renters insurance winds up reimbursing me at some point down the line, I’d then use any potential excess funds to return at least the emergency cash the Red Cross gifted my family to get a hotel for these first scary unhoused nights, so other folks in a dire spot have some of the immediate stress taken out of their lives.

EDIT: Your generosity helped me hit my $10,000 fundraising goal and then some - thank you SO MUCH. It means the world to me and my family. I’ve now increased it because I’d also like to help my neighbors if possible, who don’t have rental insurance and are in a similar situation, staring at weeks of hotel stays. EDIT EDIT: AND my stretch goal, wowwwww y’all are amazing. Thank you so much for everything, this will make a hard near future so much easier for my kids, my cousin, myself, and the neighbors I can now help stay housed as well. We are all deeply touched. Literally crying. Thank you!

Thank you very much for your time and consideration. It’s been a rough 24 hours for all of us, and everyone’s support and well-wishes have helped us get through it. I love you all!