My name is Calvin and my life has been turned upside-down. Mid last year, a group of close friends and I became first-time homeowners. This was cause for celebration, as we thought this home would be our opportunity to get out of unsafe living situations that included reckless landlords and black mold. That is, until a big storm came.

The dishonest and dangerous tactics of the house flippers were revealed when a gust of wind managed to get under the bitumen membrane and flipped it up exposing half of the roof, allowing 6 hours of rain to destroy the interior of the house. In the process of demolishing the water-damaged flooring, we discovered that while the floors were made of vinyl plank, they were installed improperly, allowing the water to damage the patchwork subfloor the flippers had installed. In removing much of the water-damaged drywall, the remediation company also found several damaged studs and some damaged brickwork that was hidden.

We are a low-income household, with two permanently disabled residents. I’m currently working as a student teacher in a special education classroom, while my housemate works a low-wage job in a factory.

Because of our restricted income, we took the insurance plan we could afford. Unfortunately, that means we have to meet a $7,000 deductible before insurance will do anything to help.

We’re currently living with entire walls, ceilings, and floors missing. We cannot walk around the house without shoes on due to all the nails, screws, and tacks sticking out of the floors and several rooms are missing lights. Our two cats are having to be locked in a small room because it is unsafe for them to be in the rest of the house. This house was our opportunity for us to get a fresh start and grow as a team. Now, we’re scrambling to survive.

If you could send us $50 today, we would come significantly closer to meeting that $7,000 deductible. And if you can’t afford it, passing this onto friends or family that can would be a literal life-saver. We put our life’s savings into this. Thank you for any help.