My name is Rikenya, and I’m raising funds for myself and my five children after a devastating sewage flood destroyed our apartment. The flooding happened because our property manager refused to send a professional plumber nor turn off the water to the property so that I could even hire my own plumbing service, and as a result, we lost our home and some personal property. When I filed a renter's insurance claim, I was shocked to learn that my policy only covers flooding from a busted pipe, not sewage water, so my claim was denied.

I lived at The Columns Apartments in Jacksonville, FL, and my children and I have been dealing with an ongoing sewage backup situation that has now completely turned our home into a biohazard.

This happened more than once in a span of over a week. Sewage has backed up into my bathtubs, leaked from the base of my toilets, pushed through baseboards, and soaked into carpet and bedrooms. The smell sticks to everything. The stress has been unreal. And every time it happens, it’s like we’re expected to just “deal with it” like this is normal.

It is NOT normal. And this past Monday was the day everything broke. I walked into the leasing office and told them, again, that it was leaking. I looked Monica Ray and Idelisa Torres in the face and made it clear that this wasn’t a small issue. They told me they would send a plumber. They never did.

Hours later, I walked back into my home and my stomach dropped because sewage water had made its way into my living room. I watched it travel out of my front door and toward my neighbor’s door. My home wasn’t just “wet.” It was contaminated. It was unsafe. It was ruined.

And when I got to the bathrooms, I saw feces. Actual feces. On my bathroom floors. Floating. I can’t even describe the feeling of standing in what’s supposed to be your “safe place” and realizing your home is now a health hazard. That moment changed everything.

Because now it wasn’t just me being frustrated. Now it was me realizing, my kids do not have a home right now. We lost things that cannot be replaced. Not just furniture. Not just “stuff.” My journals, the ones I’ve made for my kids for years. Memories. Moments. Stuff that you can’t go rebuy from a store. My family photo albums. My kids’ car seats. Our vanities. My daughters' beds. Decor. My washer and dryer.

The things that make a house feel like a home. And on top of all that, we couldn’t safely move our furniture out because everything is sitting on sewage-saturated carpet and flooring. We couldn’t break all the beds down and haul them without literally having to touch and drag items through contamination. So imagine the helplessness, you’re trying to save what you can, but you can’t even safely step through your own home. Now here’s what really got me…The Columns has offered NO compensation.

No hotel coverage.

No reimbursement.

No emergency relocation support.

Nothing.

I filed a renter's insurance claim only to find out my policy covers flooding, like from a busted pipe, but it does NOT cover sewage flooding, so I’ve been stuck paying out of pocket while trying to keep my kids safe and stable.

I’ve paid for:

• hotel stays

• U-Haul rental

• fast food

• cleaning supplies (such as a wet vac)

• extra gas and transportation

• everything that comes with being displaced and still trying to function as a parent

And instead of responding with urgency, compassion, or even basic human decency…The property managers, Monica Ray and Idelisa Torres, made it clear they wanted no contact with me, told me to have my attorney contact them, locked the rent office door, and called the police. Let me say that again, they were quick to call the police…

…but couldn’t call a professional emergency plumbing service when sewage was running through my home. That alone tells me everything I need to know about their priorities.

Code Enforcement has already been involved and cited them multiple times. And as of today, noon to be exact, my unit will officially be condemned. A home with sewage and feces is unlivable. I am sharing this because I’m a mother, and my kids deserved better than this. Nobody deserves to lose their home like this. Nobody should be made to feel powerless while their living space turns into a biohazard. I’m a mother that has thrived on having a clean and safe home for my kids. I’m a tenant who has always paid my rent faithfully and on time. I have documentation of everything, photos, videos, receipts, reports, and the timeline from the beginning.

If you live at The Columns, if you’ve dealt with anything like this, or if you know who needs to see this, share it. Because I refuse to be silenced while my family suffers. If you go to their reviews, you’ll see a couple of reviews from other tenants who have dealt with sewage in their units.

I have documentation of EVERYTHING: photos, videos, receipts, reports, and a full timeline from the beginning.

TRIGGER WARNING: I attached pictures, but they’re hard to stomach.

I’m a Type 2 diabetic mother of 5. My kids are 15, 14, 5, 3, and 5 months old. My infant is a preemie. My five-year-old son is on the spectrum and he thrives on routine. He doesn’t understand why he can’t access his room, which is his safe space. My teens have missed school while we’ve been dealing with this.

And here’s the kicker…

They offered to put us in a townhome and even gave me the keys, saying they needed “two weeks” to turn it around. I went to look at it a week later and it was nowhere near ready. Nothing had been done. There were roaches, graffiti on the walls, the carpets were disgusting, it stunk, and the stair banister is coming apart from the wall.

They expected me to continue paying for a hotel out of pocket and expected me to still pay my rent while my home flooded for over a week… while they dragged their feet “turning” a unit that was inhabitable!!!

Absolutely not. Then she offered $200 off for “maintenance issues!”

Moving forward, your donations will help us cover the costs of moving into a new place, including application fees, security deposit, administration fees, U-Haul, and the legal fees needed to seek compensation for being displaced and losing our property. Every little donation is greatly appreciated by me and my five children. Your support will help us find stability and hope again during this difficult time. Thank you!