Howdy, my name is Kevin Tarrant! My grandmother passed away in 2018 and the family home was transferred over to my mom, Harlie Ward Nicholson, in 2020. Our family home was built in the late 1930's and it has been in the family since my grandparent's bought it in the 1940's. After my Granny passed away in 2018 ownership of the house was eventually handed over to my mom in 2019 and shortly thereafter my brother and his wife stepped in to supposedly help "care" for my now 75 year old mom.

Unfortunately, I found out in early November of this year that this was not the case. On the contrary, I found out that instead of caring for my mom the way she needed to be cared for that my brother and his wife actually left her living by herself in filth and squalor with an uncontrolled cockaroach infestation and resident squirrels in the attic. Also, they left her without running water or electricity this time around since February of this year (2024), which we found out that they have been peridoically doing this since 2019 allowing her house to have a utility lien put on it. Additionally, they left her to completely fend for herself with no transportation, no food to eat or fresh water to drink, no medical care, and no way to bathe, clean the house, or do her laundry.

Next, it was discovered that they had been taking her Social Security checks and using them for themselves and within days after her SSI payments would drop they would have her bank account drained and overdrafted. Moreover, we found out that on top of stealing her Social Security income the property taxes hadn't been paid for the past four years. Because of this the house was already in a Tax Deed and slated to be auctioned off early next year. Luckily, I was able to use what little funds Amanda and I had to pay the 2021 and 2022 past due property taxes and get the house out of the tax deed, which prevented it from going up for auction, but at this time we are still behind on the 2023 and 2024 property taxes.

Currently, my Mom is being well-taken care of in a nursing home here in Ocala and she is finally getting the proper care she needs. She has been diagnosed with metabolic encephalopathy, which is when the acid-base balance in the blood affects the brain, and this causes symptoms such as confusion, hallucinations, personality changes, etc. Based on the only empty medication bottles we found in the house it seems that she hasn't been seen by a doctor since 2017 so we really don't know how long she has had this undiagnosed condition. Also, based on what little medical records we do have we believe she had a major heart attack at the end of September because she wasn't on any previously prescribed heart medications but we are still waiting to recieve her medical records so that we can confirm this. Overall, Mom is doing well now. She is stable and finally receiving the proper medications needed to help manage her medical conditions. Moreover, she is improving a little bit every day, which is very encouraging, but her house needs a lot of love and care as it was left in a horrible state of disrepair.

First, the house needs to be professionally exterminated due to the cockaroach infestation. We have already started this process ourselves but we will definitely need a professional to come in at some point and assess what other measures still need to be taken to resolve this issue. Also, we need another exterminator for the resident squirrels currently living in the attic.

Second, after we get the home intially cleaned up we will still need to have a professional cleaning company come in behind us because of the current unlivable conditions and the filthy state of the house.

Third, the exterior roof itself is in good shape overall except for certain areas of the underside of the roof's awning. These will need replacing and this is also how the resident squirrels have been gaining access to the inside of the house. Next, the kitchen's ceiling tiles have either drooped or fallen down due to the humidity and this is actually exposing the roof in the kitchen. Also, the ceiling throughout the house will need to be replaced because the resident squirrels were allowed to move into the attic and the damage incurred by them is extensive.

Fourth, the two bathrooms need general renovations and the master bedroom one is in the worst shape as there was a sewage pipe that broke and was never fixed. Also, it looks like there is water damage behind the shower wall and while we haven't gotten in there yet to really assess the situation we do know that they both need a lot of work.

Fifth, the entire kitchen will need a complete renovation as all of the appliances need to be scrapped and replaced. Also, we were told that the hot water heater flooded the kitchen twice since 2019 so the bottom kitchen cabinets are in really bad shape due to water damage. I am hoping that there is some salvagable material in the kitchen though. Lastly, Mom's room itself needs a lot of TLC because it looks like it hasn't been cleaned in years. It is really dirty so that will be the very first room we clean and renovate because she deserves a clean and comfy bedroom in her own home.

On the other hand, the other two bedrooms, the living room, the dining room, and the sunroom (other than the linoleum that needs to be pulled up in it) all seem to be in good shape so that's good news! In general, that basically sums up the what behind the why and gives you a rundown of all the current repairs needing to be done to the house that we are aware of right now. With that being said, I'm sure that as we dive into this labor of love project for Mom there will be more unknown repairs that will be discovered.

Finally, in order to get the justice for his mom, we moved forward with filing an SSA fraud, abuse, and neglect complaint against my brother and his wife. Also, I was able to gain complete control of her bank account and I was able to initiate a fraud investigation for her account with the bank as well. To date, we are already seeing some monetary returns to her bank account from the fraudulent activity. Additionally, there are other concurrent investigations that have been started surrounding this matter but we are not at liberty to discuss the details of those investigations at this time. Lastly, as another way to protect my mom I petitioned for an order of protection for my mother against the wife and it was granted so now there is one in place against both of them.

So, now you probably have a better understanding about why I started this GoFundMe for my Mom. Amanda and I want to ensure my Mom continues to receive the care she deserves and needs and we also want to fix up her house for her. We are trying to figure out how to make all the necessary repairs on the house and this is why I'm asking you for any financial help that you might be willing to donate to this cause. Please know that any and all money will be used directly for restoring the house. My goal is to make it a safe, comfortable, warm, and inviting home environment for my Mom so that if and when the time comes she can come back home to live in it without reliving the trauma and abuse she has already endured. Also, I want to make sure that the house stays in my family forever as this is also the home I grew up in so this is very personal cause for me as well. I want to thank you for taking the time to read about my Mom's story and also for your consideration with donating to this GoFundMe because no matter how small any and all help from you is greatly appreciated!