Help Single Father Feed His Starving Children
Donation protected
Please see below for full story. I am a retired U.S. Air Force member (100% disabled veteran) who came across this story while watching our local news. I also came from a single father home whom raised 4 boys, and also struggled and we didn't know where money was going to come from to put food on the table. Luckily guardian angles sent grocery gift cards at the right time and although we still struggled, those gift cards helped us not starve . Of course this was not my dads fault, this was the fault of someone else, it was just due to the facts of my life. The man I am asking for help for does not have anything but a red tape to blame and needs honest help right now to feed him and his children. Also to get his car from pawn that has all his tools that will help him earn money when he can (his car pawn is $750 approx. currently). I am nothing more than a concerned citizen, whom knows the struggle and just wants to honestly help this man and his children. I am taking food and some immediate help from my own home to help ease some of the struggle, but it will only be a band-aide for the bigger problem. Mr. Turner needs help to keep his heat, electric, food continually coming, clothing, etc. Also, I am hoping that our kind heartedness will help in the event that he can start his Christmas shopping as next week is Thanksgiving, but I doubt that the State of Colorado will have everything cleared up before Christmas comes and he will be able to at least give some gifts to his children. I spoke to Mr. Turner this evening and received his permission to start this GoFundMe page and informed him I would be bringing him some immediate help tomorrow.
Please read the full story and find it in your hearts to give something to this man and his children to keep food on the table; and hopefully if the state hasn't cleared this mess up, then he'll be able to give his children some sort of Christmas, even if it is a small one. I know $5000 might sound like a big ask, but I am figuring he has some bills to catch up on, then also thinking of Christmas.
PLEASE HELP ME FEED THIS MAN AND HIS CHILDREN!
https://denver.cbslocal.com/2020/11/19/colorado-unemployment-fraud-coronavirus/
FLORENCE, Colo. (CBS4) – Raising three boys, David Turner knows life is a lot of work. For years he’s been able to make ends meet in Colorado and take care of his family working as a handyman where they live in Florence.
When the pandemic hit, he says, everything changed.
“I’m somebody who comes in and paints your house, or replaces your sink, puts in a new hot water tank. They don’t want me in their house right now, so literally money has stopped,” Turner said.
When he realized COVID-19 restrictions would be long-lasting, he made the decision to apply for help.
“I have never been on unemployment my entire life,” he said.
Self-employed, he applied for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, benefits that were implemented under the CARES Act. Initially he was able to receive some benefits, enough to catch up on bills. Then, in July, he got a message from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment that his payments were on hold. He has been trying to verify his identity to the state ever since.
“Now we want a picture of your driver’s license, a picture of myself holding my driver’s license and a picture of a bill at my address,” he said of the second request for verification.
Since completing what he thought was the last step in October he’s heard nothing, and payments still have yet to resume.
“Every day it’s ‘OK, how am I going to feed these kids?’ So I’ll go hungry for four days to make sure my kids can eat for the four days,” Turner said.
He’s now trying to find solutions on his own, and believes the state’s fraud protection system may be flagging and stopping legitimate claims that then take months to resolve and leave families in need with no one to turn to.
“Why can’t I show up at one of those places with my identification, and they can log into a computer and verify he is who he says he is?” he asked.
If the issue doesn’t get worked out soon, and with no work to be found in his small town, he says he’s running out of options.
“Pretty much the state just turned their back on us, you know? What I mean is we are literally starving. (We) can’t pay our bills and are going to be sleeping under bridges. I don’t know what else to do,” he said.
According to a spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, 85% of PUA is fraud and unfortunately in their attempt to address rampant fraud there are some claims tha get caught up in the holds.
CDLE plans to hold a meeting Friday morning with more information on current unemployment numbers and any current issues they’re working to address.
Story written and reported on by CBS Denver 4 Karen Morfitt.
Thank you for your time and consideration
Have a Safe and Warm Thanksgiving with your family while you think of Mr. Turner and his children!
Please read the full story and find it in your hearts to give something to this man and his children to keep food on the table; and hopefully if the state hasn't cleared this mess up, then he'll be able to give his children some sort of Christmas, even if it is a small one. I know $5000 might sound like a big ask, but I am figuring he has some bills to catch up on, then also thinking of Christmas.
PLEASE HELP ME FEED THIS MAN AND HIS CHILDREN!
https://denver.cbslocal.com/2020/11/19/colorado-unemployment-fraud-coronavirus/
FLORENCE, Colo. (CBS4) – Raising three boys, David Turner knows life is a lot of work. For years he’s been able to make ends meet in Colorado and take care of his family working as a handyman where they live in Florence.
When the pandemic hit, he says, everything changed.
“I’m somebody who comes in and paints your house, or replaces your sink, puts in a new hot water tank. They don’t want me in their house right now, so literally money has stopped,” Turner said.
When he realized COVID-19 restrictions would be long-lasting, he made the decision to apply for help.
“I have never been on unemployment my entire life,” he said.
Self-employed, he applied for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, benefits that were implemented under the CARES Act. Initially he was able to receive some benefits, enough to catch up on bills. Then, in July, he got a message from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment that his payments were on hold. He has been trying to verify his identity to the state ever since.
“Now we want a picture of your driver’s license, a picture of myself holding my driver’s license and a picture of a bill at my address,” he said of the second request for verification.
Since completing what he thought was the last step in October he’s heard nothing, and payments still have yet to resume.
“Every day it’s ‘OK, how am I going to feed these kids?’ So I’ll go hungry for four days to make sure my kids can eat for the four days,” Turner said.
He’s now trying to find solutions on his own, and believes the state’s fraud protection system may be flagging and stopping legitimate claims that then take months to resolve and leave families in need with no one to turn to.
“Why can’t I show up at one of those places with my identification, and they can log into a computer and verify he is who he says he is?” he asked.
If the issue doesn’t get worked out soon, and with no work to be found in his small town, he says he’s running out of options.
“Pretty much the state just turned their back on us, you know? What I mean is we are literally starving. (We) can’t pay our bills and are going to be sleeping under bridges. I don’t know what else to do,” he said.
According to a spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, 85% of PUA is fraud and unfortunately in their attempt to address rampant fraud there are some claims tha get caught up in the holds.
CDLE plans to hold a meeting Friday morning with more information on current unemployment numbers and any current issues they’re working to address.
Story written and reported on by CBS Denver 4 Karen Morfitt.
Thank you for your time and consideration
Have a Safe and Warm Thanksgiving with your family while you think of Mr. Turner and his children!
Organizer
Laramie W Reece
Organizer
Commerce City, CO
