Post-Fire Taxes (My Sister in Cali)

My half-sister Kim (whom I chat with online and have yet to meet, but hope to if we raise enough money) lost her house in one of the recent California fires. She has been trying to hold onto the property despite looters and more fires since the one that burned her house down. She is currently trying to make do with a 5th Wheel and just recently got her electricity back. She still does not have her own source of water as the fire also burned down her water house that controlled the well (it also destroyed most of the piping). Even before the fire, Kim had to fight and make sacrifices for this house which her mom (who passed away unexpectedly several years ago) wanted her to have. And now she has seen most of her neighbors rebuild while she can't all because she was out of work and behind on her payments when the fire struck. Can you imagine losing your job and that being the easiest thing you have to deal with?! She literally had about 30 minutes to grab her pets and what belongings she could and then had to actually ram through the gate to her property with her truck as the fire jumped from the other side of the street, over her truck and directly onto her property!

Due to her love of her property and the memories it held for her, she ended up going back a bit too early and now she is dealing with inhibited lung function. She has also been taken advantage of by others who knew she had been given a little FEMA money to survive on. She has complied with everything else that the county has asked for, but unfortunately, she now owes $30,000.00 in property tax, and if she doesn't make the payment soon, she will lose everything she has battled and scraped so hard for over the last few years. She tried to get some help from Habitat for Humanity, but they won't do anything on property that has taxes owed on it. I have set the goal at $33,000.00 to help cover the GoFundMe fees ($0.30 per donation + 2.9% -so we actually need to go over the goal by about $1,000.00 to cover the 2.9%) and any taxes that might apply the following year.

If you are unable to donate, but would like to do something to help, please share this story with everyone you know and on every social media platform that you use.

The deadline for paying the property taxes is August 30, 2018. My sister has a huge heart, and despite all she has been through, still has the fortitude to keep an eye out for her neighbors who are also fighting to keep their property and she even volunteers at the local animal rescue. Please, if you are someone that can afford to help out and you want a good-hearted person to hold onto to her faith in humanity, consider donating now.

Thank you so much for taking the time to hear her story.