On Tuesday, my house burned down.

I  was home alone with my 16-month-old puppy, Malcolm, when the fire started. My  former life partner, Luvaire, was at a going-away poker night in Loganville. My brother, Darin, was at work at a DHL warehouse in Gwinnett.

Our neighbors were the true first responders. Before anything else, they gave me shoes, jackets, blankets, and sheltered me and Malcolm from the rain. Because of them—and because The Dekalb County Fire Dept arrived quickly—I'm grateful to say this: 100% of the people and furry baby occupants are safe.

The fire caught in the attic/ceiling area, and the insulation trapped the heat high above the structure. Even though the DeKalb Fire Department arrived quickly, it was likely already too late by the time the flames were visible.

What survived is minimal: a few stray items in the garage and my passport. Other than that, we lost nearly everything and are starting from scratch.

We moved to Stone Mountain about 3 years ago because it made sense for our family—Luvaire is a nurse at a nearby hospital, my mother has lived in Stone Mountain since around 2015, and we found an amazing community here. During this ordeal, that community showed up for us in real time.

The American Red Cross provided a life-saving stipend that allowed us to pick up a few basics from our neighborhood Walmart in Lithonia. Right now, I'm safe living with friends and my brother was back at work the day after the fire. 

I'm raising $5,000 so I have breathing room and flexibility—and so I don’t get pressured into bad deals while I rebuild my life.

Home is the safety of knowing our community, that you, have our backs💙

I'm using funds for immediate, practical needs, including:

• Emergency hotel accommodations (while I find a permanent place- in May/June)

• Replacing my wardrobe (work clothes, shoes, coats, essentials)

• Basic household restart: bed, linens, towels, cleaning supplies

• Furniture (at minimum: seating and sleeping essentials)

• Kitchen basics: pots, pans, cooking tools, small appliances

• Unexpected costs that come with recovering from a total loss