Hello, I am pleading with anyone who will listen for support for a family who have been and still are in desperate need.

I'm trying my best to explain with the least amount of words and personal information as possible that the current emergency is the result of multiple problems compounded on each other, all of which are a part of the legacy of slavery and systemic racism in America.

Over the last few years, my hometown (Wichita, Kansas) has been through several extreme weather events that have contributed to the rapid and severe deterioration of a previous family home. The basement was flooded, causing black mold to form which caused a nine year old living there to persistent health issues, and cold weather froze the pipes destroying the plumbing meaning that this family has been living without running water since at least 2018. Not only this, but the mother has been suffering from acute arthritis for years now, which got much worse after she had her youngest daughter, who is now 9. At the time of her birth, the mother went back to work after only two weeks.

About 2 months ago, the mother decided to sell the house which she had been given by her father after they had a horrific house fire in 2009. However, because of the location and age of the house, it was never in good condition and thus when the mother sold it, the best offer she was given was only about 10% of the value it is now being resold at on the market as the predatory buyer knew that she was desperate. This amount is not nearly enough to buy a new home even in our predominantly Black neighborhood (which is about 10% of the city’s population) that has been systemically gentrified by the neighboring university and corporations buying up properties. Throughout the course of the past few months, I've been in Wichita trying to assist the family in finding a new home to no avail. During this time, they still had to buy groceries, mom had to fix her car which broke down, and also pay off a lien which was taken out against the house in order to pay bills. This lien significantly impacted the mother’s already low credit score to the point that she is no longer able to take out loans from the bank. To make all of this worse, the mother has been using this situation to escape her abusive husband, even giving him money to go and get his own apartment. So at the moment, he is housed while the mother is living out of a hotel with two of her kids, while he is asking them to come live with him.

This process has been heart wrenching to watch, simply because of how powerless they all feel. At the end of December, the mom finally sold the house. She thought that she had secured a small studio to buy, but at the last minute, the owner of the property wanted more money than she had. With the rug pulled out from under her feet, she has since been desperately looking for even just an apartment to move into. During this time, the company my mom sold the property to is demanding she move out on the 1st of March. The mom offered to pay rent, but they want to completely remodel the property and lease it to students attending Wichita State University. The mom has also been staying at a hotel with her two kids because the house does not have heating or water at the moment, and just days ago, the temperature in Wichita was -20 degrees Celsius.

Making this GoFundMe has been a difficult choice because as much as I would like to take care of this family alone, I simply can not.

I am humbly requesting that you donate to, and share this crowdfunding campaign as wide as you can to support us in mitigating this emergency while they also do the best we can to have a better future.

Donations will be used to secure time in an apartment or hotel until a suitable housing situation can be found. The current plan is to secure a down payment or find government housing. Money will be sent directly to the family with updates on their situation posted regularly.