The Whitfield Family Desperately Need Our Help

Summary: The Whitfields desperately need our help. They are now facing being homeless with their two toddlers after a series of very unfortunate events. Please read below for a more in depth description of a situation involving an uninhabitable living environment due to water/mold damage, faulty work and the events that have unfolded after.

James “Bo”, a friend of 25+ years, and his family have had a rough few past years with his current situation being the “straw that broke the camel's back”. Before Bo’s family moved to Ohio, Bo was involved in a serious car accident. Bo’s accident left him with some severe injuries which forced him to be unemployed during his time of recovery (broken neck, broken back, broken shoulder, broken ribs, punctured lung, plastic surgery, 2700 stitches in face..). After recovering he was limited to the type of work he could perform. Bo’s insurance carrier did not fulfill their obligations to him, leaving Bo on the hook for medical bills. Moving forward, Bo found a job opportunity located in Ohio. Bo and his family decided to relocate and start fresh.

The Whitfield family consists of James “Bo” (38yr), Robert (4yr), Jack (1yr) and Cristina (36yr).

Buddy, Tiger, and Messi are the lovable furry members of the Whitfield clan. At the beginning of the year (2023) they moved from Georgia to Ohio with the excitement of their first home purchase. With buying a home out of state they entrusted their realtor, home inspector,

and FHA to ensure the house was free of issues and liveable. Not long after settling in, the Whitfield’s started to notice several issues with their new home. There was a plethora of cover up/work not done by a professional. Clearly the realtor and home inspector neglected to mention these issues.

Early August 2023:

One evening Bo noticed Sheetrock in the bathroom was discolored so he went to touch it and his finger went straight through the wall. After further investigation by cutting a hole in the wall, Bo discovered standing water sitting on the slab, next they called a plumber. That same night the kitchen, bathroom, and hallway flooded with water.

The plumber came out and made the assessment that there was a leaking pipe. He started to cut

into the walls, once he cut into the walls, he realized the toilet was not installed correctly and the wax ring was damaged and leaking as well as the shower and bathtub drain. To sum it up, their fecal matter and urine were draining all into their home. So, with all that information they had to start getting their pipes fixed, toilets fixed, and also a new bathtub installed, which had them into a $13,000 project that they were not prepared for.

During the plumber’s work, mold was also discovered. After more investigating a TON of water damage, rot, and mold was discovered. That is when the Whitfields’s decided to call their insurance carrier and file a claim. From the start insurance was not very helpful, stating they were “busy” and could not come out to see the damage right away (this was august 17th ), and if they wanted insurance to come out it would be mid-September.

They had no time to wait as they were concerned with the mold, especially since their 4yr old (Robert) had a persistent cough that they were already worried about, probably caused by the hidden mold. Their only choice, but still not soon enough, was a virtual inspection done 2 weeks after being reported. After a few attempts the adjustor did a virtual inspection with Bo on August 21st. The adjuster made the assessment and gave them a recommendation to have a mold/water damage remediation company come out and see the damage. During this time the plumber was still doing his work in the bathroom and pipes to rectify the leaking. The water remediation company arrived on August 23rd and did the assessment to determine the damage and got approval from insurance.

August 24th the water remediation company arrived at the home without notifying the Whitfields and began to perform the clean up work. The Whitfields were worried about their belongings not being protected properly during the clean up. The foreman assured Bo “ he has been doing this awhile, that EVERYTHING will be blocked off, your stuff will be covered, air scrubbers will be used, shock vacs will be used, everything will be contained to the area they are working in, your stuff will not get ruined.”

Bo left his job early to make sure the work was being performed correctly at his home as the foreman had assured him. Bo arrived to find NO barriers up, no air scrubbers going. ALL of their belongings were covered in dust, black mold dust, and on top of that HVAC fan

had been turned on (which spread the mold and dust to ALL of the rooms on ALL of their stuff). Bo immediately called the foreman and asked him why no barriers were put up, why no air scrubbers were put out, and that everything was ruined in their home and who was going to clean their things and house? The foreman then stated “oh these guys did it again, I knew I should have fired them”. Knowing the crew had done this before he allowed them to do it again. He said he will have it clean.

Later that day Mrs.Whitfield was contacted by the insurance carrier and was notified they will be provided a hotel room for temporary housing. The only belongings Mrs. Whitfield had was a diaper bag for the kids and the clothes on their backs. The process was not made aware to them and they were not prepared for an overnight stay anywhere. They went to Walmart for a few things, got some food, and settled in for a few days of “vacation” (what they told the kids), but now it feels like the worst vacation anyone can imagine.

Since August 24th, attempting to make their home livable again has been an ongoing battle. The insurance funds for living expenses were quickly dwindling due to the $200+/per night hotel rates. They even had to move hotels several times. There were no available temporary housing units in their area to rent for cheaper rates. Their only option to stretch the insurance housing funds (almost depleted now) was to rent an RV and park it in their driveway. The city is now saying that this is not allowed. They have no family in the area. They have a few friends in the area but they don’t have the extra room for a family of four with animals. The city has offered to look into any available resources to potentially help with this situation. Nothing has been done to date and the Whitfields fear they may soon be homeless. They have lost all their belongings, their home is inhabitable in its current state, and they are desperate to regain some normal structure and living for their children who beg to be home everyday.

Their insurance carrier is giving the Whitfields the runaround (surprised?). The scope of work and pricing estimate is not accurate, and the insurance carrier has failed to acknowledge any accurate estimates provided by other contractors. The water remediation company is also giving the Whitfields the runaround, whereas the Whitfields have attempted to file a claim on the water remediation company’s general liability, even though the company has admitted guilt they have not filed the claim. The Whitfields have now contacted a lawyer to intervene.

Living expenses, lawyer fees, personal items, and construction cost (home interior needs to be completely redone down to the studs due to water & mold damage) are now totaling approximately $75,000. The Whitfields would be extremely grateful for any and all help they receive.