Main fundraiser photo

Meth Lab Cleanup

Donation protected
Before we explain the why, let us explain the what.

What we are looking for is not free money. What we are looking for is immediate help to keep this situation from becoming even more financially devastating. What we will do is to consider each and every donation, not free money, but a LOAN.

EACH AND EVERY DONATION WILL BE REPAID.





We have long struggled (10+ years) to keep between our oldest daughter and the drugs/drug dealers that have invaded her life. She has had a long struggle with mental health and substance abuse problems. We have done it all -- from rehab to tough love and everything in between, multiple times. We drained all of our savings and assets to do what ever we could to win the war. Money wasn’t the most important thing, saving our daughter was. The details are just far too many to recount all except the most recent here.

Five years ago our daughter moved from our home in California to Virginia to start anew. Almost three years ago, the small four-unit apartment building she was living in was put up for sale. The owner was willing to work with us and with a small down payment we entered into an agreement to purchase the building with the owner financing the purchase. It made sense. Rather than “helping” with rent every month, less money would be flowing out of our pocket each month and it was an investment for the future for both of our daughters. Not only that, but we would be able to control who lived there and we promptly evicted the one drug user/dealer in the building. We hoped to provide a safe haven for our daughter.

Things were good for a while but the struggle continued and in time she was no longer living in our building. Last March, our daughter was ready to try again to get her life together and we were willing to give it one more try. She returned to our building with a lot of requirements from us. I agreed to stay in Virginia for four months to help her get going again. With some reservation we allowed the boyfriend to move in also and get a fresh start. She did very well all the time I was there. Already on probation, she continued to test clean every week. When she announced she was pregnant it was quite a shock but with time we got use to the idea of being grandparents. She was fortunate to get into the best counseling program she had ever been in, had developed a good relationship with her counselor and was working on plans and goals for the future for her and her baby.

In July I needed to return to California for a few weeks. Not long after I left things seemed to go down hill quickly. She was upset almost daily with the boyfriend. She wouldn’t really say why but said she wanted to end the relationship but didn’t she didn’t know how nor did she want the confrontation. She knew I was going to kick him out when I returned for multiple reasons (a whole different story). She said she would just wait until I returned at the end of the month and let me do it.

On the morning we were to depart California on our road trip to Virginia, we received a call that our daughter had failed a drug test at probation and was in custody. Lousy start to the day and that was just the beginning. As the day progressed we would find out that the police had long been looking at the boyfriend. When our daughter tested positive they immediately started looking at him again. They went to the apartment to talk to him and observed him with what appeared to be “cooking” supplies in the forest next to the building. They saw him enter the apartment. They got a search warrant. They knocked three times. They busted down the door. They found an active meth cook going on in the apartment. They took him to jail.

THEY CONDEMNED THE APARTMENT. 



Although we cannot share the details at this point because of pending court action, we believe that our daughter who was already on probation had found herself in a situation that she was afraid to tell us about and that she didn’t know how to get out of. She knew we would be there in a few days and the situation would end. We just didn’t get there soon enough.

We arrived in Virginia three days later.

We cannot enter the apartment. The apartment has to be tested, cleaned and retested. Testing costs will be $700+ for each test - before and after. Cleanup estimates are starting at $10-15,000. If the contamination is extensive, which we believe it is, the costs could go considerably higher. The unit might have to be stripped down to the studs. Cleanup costs only cover removal of hazardous materials, not the rebuilding costs. The stove, refrigerator, washer and dryer may have to be replaced. The bathtub may have to be replaced. Even the air conditioner ducts in the ceiling and the insulation surrounding them may have to be removed and replaced. Everything in the apartment will have to be disposed of - clothing, personal items, furniture, televisions, cookware, dishes - all will probably have to go. Most of it belonged to our daughter. She literally has nothing now except the clothes on her back.

Insurance does not cover any of this fiasco. Not only are we facing extensive cleanup and rebuilding costs but we will be losing income from this unit and the unit next door to it every month until it is cleaned ($425 x 2 = $850/month). We were just finishing some upgrades to the unit next door and had someone interested in renting it. Although not contaminated, the unit next door is essentially not rentable until the cleanup is completed. Anyone who would be willing to live next door to a contaminated unit is probably not someone we would want living in our building. For future liability, we will also need to test that unit at a cost of $700+ and hope there is no contamination.

Although our savings and assets were already depleted we were still making ends meets. This is financially devastating. We do not have the funds at this time to do the cleanup and repairs. We will not be able to meet our mortgage payments for the building for long without the income from the two units.

The apartment is not the only major situation we dealing with now. Three weeks later, our daughter remains in custody and we are greatly concerned about the welfare of our unborn grandchild. Justice moves very slowly here in Virginia and only due to my persistant phone calls and letters was she finally assigned a public defender.  Only four months from finally being off probation and this is a major set back and may result in long term incarceration. We are attempting to get her a bond hearing so that she can get the proper medical treatment she needs. After having a positive drug screen, three weeks in custody and three requests later she still has not seen a doctor. She has been told an appointment will be made but will not be told when. It has been nearly two months since her last doctor visit. When she complained of abdominal pain a jailer told her “What the (expletive) do you want me to do about it”. Visiting her last week I observed that her face is noticeably thinner. We are greatly concerned that the delays in receiving medical treatment may have negative consequences on the baby.

We may very well be raising a newborn in December. Our youngest is almost twelve. We don’t have baby supplies around anymore. Crib, stroller, car seat, formula and clothes…..babies require a lot.

Some people have suggested we cut our losses and just walk away from the building. If our mortgage was held by a bank, we might have to consider this as a last alternative. Our mortgage though, is held by a private individual who counts on the income he receives each month from us. We cannot and will not just simply walk away and stick him with this mess.

We have and continue to do extensive research for grants and other programs to help with the cleanup costs. Unfortunately, with the epidemic of meth labs these days all the funding for such help has long since been depleted. When convicted, restitution will be ordered, but how do you get restitution from someone who had nothing to start with and is in jail? The little equity we had left in our California house after paying for rehabs was lost to the housing market decline so securing a loan in this amount right now doesn’t look promising.

Again, we are not looking for free money.
Each and every donation will be repaid
.

Until we are able to get the testing done and determine the extent of the contamination and the exact cost of the cleanup we will not be able to set a timeline for repayment. We do hope to be able to repay all donations in 24-36 months.

Asking for help does not come easy. Our family is financial, physically and emotionally drained right now. However, we continue to get up each day and move forward with a goal of all of us being healthy and happy and together. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Sheldon & Candy Kaminsky

Organizer

Candy Kaminsky
Organizer
Martinsville, VA

Your easy, powerful, and trusted home for help

  • Easy

    Donate quickly and easily.

  • Powerful

    Send help right to the people and causes you care about.

  • Trusted

    Your donation is protected by the  GoFundMe Giving Guarantee.