Help our daughter displaced due to toxic mold!
Hi, my name is Leslie Moore, and I’m fundraising for our daughter, Tosha Burnett, who lives in Columbia, MD.
She is pictured with me above. She has braids. The other pictures show mold on her body and on a few household items.
Tosha is displaced from her apartment due to toxic mold. There have been problems off and on for at least two years or so. The landlord would basically cut away the mold and patch things up. Of course, the mold would keep coming back. They continued not taking things seriously and doing temporary fixes on problem areas. My daughter’s apartment was clean and well cared for, so she didn’t contribute to the issue.
Now the mold has grown out of control! It has destroyed clothes, shoes, purses, coats, furniture, dishes, houseplants, food, appliances and much more. Tosha paid out of pocket to have a company come test mold levels in her apartment recently. They verified what we already knew. There’s a significant elevation of mold spores in her unit. Her insurance doesn’t cover mold unfortunately.
The health department won’t come out unless the source of the mold is identified. That’s something the management needs to take care of. It would likely involve cutting into walls and under flooring. Things my daughter can’t legally do to the unit.
Tosha has documented all of the damage, and management came and took pictures as well. In spite of that, they won’t fix the problem. They have acknowledged on recorded calls that they understand the apartment is uninhabitable. Yet, they only want to offer her $2500 and move her to another unit in a couple of weeks. They won’t move her without her accepting and signing off on the $2500 as well. She refused, as that is an insult, and wouldn’t come close to covering her expenses. Management keeps encouraging Tosha to break her lease also. She told them she never asked to break her lease. She asked them to fix the problem. They want her to move so they can rent that apartment again, knowing it’s covered in unhealthy mold! This could literally kill someone!
Tosha is working, however daily costs for shelter, clothes, shoes, coats, and having to eat out are adding up. My husband and I are helping her with these rising expenses. We live in Hawaii, which has a very high cost of living. In additional we are caring for my aunt with dementia. That is enough of a daily undertaking, without having to worry about our daughter’s well being while living so far away.
Unfortunately, Tosha also developed health issues from being exposed to mold spores over time. She had bad rashes on her skin, and been referred to a dermatologist. She was told that her insurance may not cover some of her test costs. There’s no way to know how the mold will affect her health long term.
She gave notice that effective October, 1st, 2022 she will no longer pay rent due to the mold overgrowth displacing her.
Tosha will be seeking out legal advice to fight this. It’s going to be a long, and expensive road, but must be done. She will also be exposing them through the news media.
She’s also looking for a new apartment, but that’s very challenging as well. Prices have gone up tremendously during the five years she was in her place.
In conclusion, I’m asking for donations to help our daughter with housing, food, clothing, medical and possible legal expenses. We are coming together as a family to cover these costs. However, this is only the beginning, and we have already spent thousands. There’s no telling how long this will take to be resolved, as management is continuing to do nothing. That is why we’re asking for help.
No amount you can donate is too small, and anything is greatly appreciated by all of us. Thank you in advance and God bless you for giving!
Leslie Moore
