Fund to Help Walter and Cortez

Tragedy has struck the Habitat for Humanity Detroit family.  Yesterday, the home of Habitat Detroit Homeowner Walter Ferrell caught fire destroying the garage and a portion of the house. During the night, another fire started at the home, completely destroying the structure and resulting in the loss of two dogs and a cat that were trapped in the basement. Thankfully, Walter and his elderly mother escaped the blaze without injury; Walter’s girlfriend was taken to a nearby hospital and is being treated for smoke inhalation.  When Walter first contacted Habitat Detroit he was living in a transitional shelter for veterans after a fire had destroyed a previous home.  Unbelievably, Walter has lost everything again. 

Additionally, as has been reported in the media today, an employee of the Habitat Detroit ReStore, Cortez Burrell, also lost his home on the east side of Detroit to a fire early this morning that trapped his two sons in the upstairs of the house. The youngest, 12 year old Quartez died as a result of the fire and his oldest son, 17 year old Cortez, Jr. was taken to Detroit Medical Center where he is currently in critical condition.

Our hearts are deeply saddened by these tragic events and we are exploring ways to fully support both families.  At this juncture, this Go Fund Me campaign has been established to begin raising funds to help with personal expenses.  All proceeds from this fund will go directly to the two impacted families.

At the appropriate time, details will be provided regarding the rebuilding of Walter’s home in the Morningside Commons neighborhood.