House Fire is a Devastating Setback

The Ellison family, our neighbors on Brookpark Road in Oakland, CA, lost their home in a disastrous fire Sunday morning, December 4. Thankfully, everyone escaped without injury, including their cat. But much of the house and most of their belongings were destroyed.

The entire neighborhood is helping, but there are emergency needs big and small, from clothing to interim housing to dumpsters to construction supplies. Please donate and spread the word through your social media and other contacts! Any amount small or large will be appreciated! All funds will benefit Brittany Ellison and her family.

Brittany, age 32, and her younger sister, Haley, inherited the home when their grandmother, Joan, died in 2020. Joan had lived there since the 1960's and was a prolific "collector", so Brittany has spent the past two years and a large part of her savings valiantly cleaning out the house and replacing appliances, with dreams of doing a bigger remodel someday.

Brittany and Haley's mom, Nicole, is getting her life together with a job at the Chevron Station nearby. This home is her lifeline to staying on track.

Grandma Joan's long-time partner, Bill, had lovingly cared for her during her battle with Parkinson's. He is still living at the house, and after the recent death of his son, he has nowhere else to go.

Including Brittany's 9 yr old son, there are five people impacted by the loss of this home!

As if it couldn't get worse, their homeowner's insurance was recently canceled. Brittany was having to choose between putting on a new roof, as the insurance company demanded, and paying the property taxes.

After all this family has been through, the fire is a terrible setback!

Please give what you can to help our neighbors through this difficult time so close to the holidays! Funds will go directly to Brittany Ellison to use for the most urgent needs.

(Right under your donation amount you can move the green dot to decrease or increase your "tip" amount! GoFundMe does keep just over 2.9% regardless of your tip.)

Thank you!

Sonia and the Brookpark neighbors

The front yard, lovingly maintained by Bill, is bizarrely unscathed!