Robin and Jake - Lost Everything in Apartment Fire

On February 21, Robin and Jake (my eldest daughter and her partner) escaped an apartment fire on Presland Road in Ottawa. While they made it out alive by climbing down from their 4th story balcony, their two cats did not. They have lost everything they owned - no ID, no clothing, no meds, no food, no personal items or the things you collect over a life.

It's been a few difficult months for these two. Robin was laid off before the holidays and was supposed to start a new job on February 22. Jake's mom died last week. They'd both become fearful of a neighbour's increasingly erratic behaviour (addiction issues that spiked in early January - for which there are insufficient wraparound community supports - including a self-harm episode on their balcony, throwing an air conditioner out the window, and on the weekend purposefully flooding her bathroom and all of those apartments below her).

The fire wasn't an accident. It was set intentionally by the same neighbour. Now, 60 people who were living in CCOC housing are homeless.

As of today, Robin and Jake will be housed at a motel. It's not clear if the motel room has a fridge or cooking facilities. And, they're awaiting news in the coming days of what affordable housing options, and when, it might become available.

They're in a hard spot. And, so many of you have asked how you can help.

If you have the means to chip in, Robin and Jake could use your immediate support as they only have $67 to their names. They need our help to replace medications, buy groceries (or meals), OC Transpo funds (Robin's job will let her start Friday, but it's no longer walking distance from her home so she has to go from the west end to the St Laurent Shopping Centre) and clothing.

Once they know about a new apartment, they'll need our help to entirely re-furbish it (everything from furniture to pots and pans) so please hold on to anything you were thinking you might no longer need.

These two are trying their best and trying their hardest, and it's just been one blow after another.

For more about the fire: CTV News Report