Help Natasha Iverson and Her Family Rebuild Their Home
Donation protected
Hi, my name is Anna Johnson. I initially met Natasha and her kids through mutual friends when I needed help caring for my 1-year-old puppy, Ally. They took care of her at their family business, Quarry Kennels, so that I could accept a job helping kids with special needs at a nearby elementary school. Now, I want to help them in their time of need.
Eight months after a traumatic home invasion on April 10, 2024, Natasha’s house and belongings are still contaminated with tear gas deployed by the SWAT team in response to the home invasion. Her insurance company authorized only minimal cleaning and repairs, and hasn’t accepted any responsibility beyond that. They still claim that rudimentary environmental tests done in July are sufficient to prove the house is habitable and does not have tear gas. They said that even after Natasha turned on the air conditioning in July, and due to improper cleaning, tear gas covered everything in the house again. They say they will not pay for anything else regarding the house. “The insurance has been very challenging,” said Steve Lyons, a friend and spokesperson who stepped up to help. “That’s been really a hard thing for that family, thinking that when you’re needed most you’re going to have success, and that hasn’t been the case.”
“Think of all of the damage that the tear gas had done in seeping into the clothing and couches and into the walls, so when you go into the house, still, some of that has to be addressed.” said Lyons, in a recent interview with Brandon Taylor from Channel 27 News. “Their clothing is in pods on the premises and the basement is down to studs, so there’s a lot of remodeling that has to be done.” Their tear-gas saturated furnishings and other belongings, in storage pods in front of their house, are likely unsalvageable, a complete loss.
Furthermore, no one feels safe living in the basement bedroom where Alexander Grunke broke into their home and shot himself. Lyons generously reached out to architects and builders for help. Local architect Philip Ashby donated his time and created a blueprint for remodeling the house so that everybody residing in the residence can have bedrooms on the same floor. Adding two bedrooms and a bathroom to the top floor will cost $100,000. However, gutting and cleaning the rest of the house to remove materials contaminated with tear gas is also essential to move forward with rebuilding the house. Additional donated money over the $100,000 will be used for cleaning, gutting, and replacing housing materials as well as replacing any household items that insurance will not cover.
Natasha Iverson, her fiancé Chad Gallagher, and four kids are now living in two campers in their backyard. Ryker (now age 3), twins Natalie and Cassandra (now age 17), and Austin (age 20), when he is home from college, plus three dogs and four cats, are preparing to live in campers during a Wisconsin winter.
Natasha is a small business owner trying to keep her business open and pay her bills while raising her kids. There is no time to deal with insurance and housing problems. She refuses to let Grunke “win,” but she frequently asks me, “How do I fix this?” The family cannot begin to heal and move forward with their lives until they have a home where they can feel safe and make new, happier memories.
With your help, we can perform a Christmas miracle! Please join us in donating toward the rebuilding of their home. This money will be used to hire remediation professionals, add two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, clean, gut, and replace walls, insulation, sealant, ductwork, HVAC, cabinets, and any other materials that absorbed tear gas. Even $20 will help!
This is a second GoFundMe page for the family, but exclusively dedicated to rebuilding the house. We created a new page for their evolving situation due to technical issues updating the first one. Any money donated to the previous GoFundMe page is still accessible: https://gofund.me/3c605e67
You can also send a check to Christ Lutheran Church, 700 County Hwy B; Stoughton, WI 53589, with “Natasha Iverson” in the memo line.
--Anna Johnson, family friend in Stoughton, Wisconsin
Media:
Channel 27 News Broadcast: "Scars of a home invasion: Dane County family attempts to rebuild after home invasion"
Wisconsin State Journal article with audio from 91 1 call: “After an Armed Fugitive Invaded Their Home, Recovery is a Long Road”
Wisconsin State Journal article : “Wisconsin Family Recounts Harrowing Escape After Gunman Burst into Their Home”
Organizer
Anna Johnson
Organizer
Stoughton, WI