Keep Cynthia in Safe Housing During Illness

Our neighbor Ms. Cynthia is in a really terrible situation and needs support. I’m posting this with permission from the family. I hope we can help.

Ms. Cynthia Anderson-Grayson is a cancer patient in her 60s and has lived here in East Atlanta Village since buying her home in the 90s. Despite being the owner of the property for decades, two weeks ago, she and her family were evicted by the sheriff's department -- all of their possessions were put into the yard and stayed there for days, in the rain and heat while some family members slept in their cars in front of the property.

Some of the neighbors spoke with her son, Michael, to see if we could help, and what he shared is truly awful. Below I am relaying a summary of what Michael has shared with me, in hopes that our neighborhood will rally around this family:

Due to a truly unfortunate set of circumstances, and despite the best efforts of her family to stop the process, the home Ms. Cynthia owned was foreclosed upon and her family have been scrambling for suitable housing ever since.

Michael is doing everything he can to take care of his mother. He has made sure Ms. Cynthia has always had a bed to sleep in, but I know that Michael has spent more than one night in his car. Liliana Bakhtiari has kindly put them in touch with a lawyer who is helping them review the problematic procedures regarding the foreclosure and the predatory loan. However, if any recompense is to come from that, it's likely to be very slow and the family has immediate needs.

Michael has also shared with me that Ms. Cynthia is suffering from stage 4 cancer and several other serious health issues. He is currently researching women's shelters that will be safe and secure for a person with her medical challenges. The family currently has temporary housing in a hotel, but that is not sustainable. It seems likely that finding appropriate placement for her and the other family members who had been residing in the home will take longer than their resources can last.

I am hopeful that our community can step up and help this generous, loving family in the interim so that they can focus on Ms. Cynthia's well-being as they are navigating the difficult and slow process of starting over.

Please consider contributing so that these neighbors won't have to worry about running out of funds and being displaced yet again. Thank you so much for caring and helping. I know the family will be so grateful for whatever support we can give them through this difficult time.