My friends are homeless...

[raeoflyte]

Without getting into too many details, there was a house fire, insurance and contract delays they've run through all of their money and they're stuck in a really bad spot now.  They're hard workers, and have little kids.  They assured me everything was fine and that they're saving money to get their house completed so they can move back in.  

I feel so...shocked and sad for them and upset at myself for being not nearly grateful enough for everything I have which so much of it is because of luck.  

I didn't really know what to say or what to do.  But I want to help.  

[Peace77]

Have they contacted the Red Cross or Salvation Army? Can you afford to out them up for a few days at a motel? Could you have them over for dinner and let them use your washer & dryer?

[raeoflyte]

Sept 22, 2014 23:02:42 GMT -5 Peace77 said:

Have they contacted the Red Cross or Salvation Army? Can you afford to out them up for a few days at a motel? Could you have them over for dinner and let them use your washer & dryer?

I'm not sure.  We were with all of the kids and I didn't want to pry (but be supportive).  I don't know where they are staying now, but its not a new issue either.  I'd say at least 1 month, maybe 2 probably from piecing together our last conversations.  I can't help them for a couple weeks.  This morning I would have gladly been bemoaning how broke we are, although I'm humbled and reminded that broke can mean very different things for different people.  

[toomuchreality]

I think dinner, washer/dryer, sound like a great idea (way of helping). So does paying for the hotel/motel, if you can do that.  Another idea: Offer to have the kids come to your place and play one afternoon. Keeping kids quiet in a hotel room is hard!

Nice of you to be so thoughtful raeoflyte

[cronewitch]

Fires are really bad my oldest brother lost a house and 3 of his kids. He didn't live with them but the wife and other kids had nothing. Wife was in a wheel chair had surgery the day before kids left were 17 and 19. So they stayed with her mother who didn't have room or want them. No clothes or anything so people donated used clothing and money for funerals. The 17 year old was unhappy that she was wearing things that weren't her style.

Any bit of normalcy you can offer will be appreciated. I think to spend almost nothing the best bet might be to offer babysitting at your house when you can. Maybe letting the kids shop for something they get to pick like a shirt or toy so it isn't all other people's choices.

[Nazgul Girl]

   I'm sorry that this happened to your friends, reaoflyte.    I think crone's suggestions are good.   I hope things work out for them.   I would ask if the Red Cross or the Salvation Army can help them out until they can get back on their feet.

[thyme4change]

That sucks.  Not only does it make you grateful for what you have, it also makes you stop and think 

If I were in that situation, what did I buy this month that I didn't really need and would be gone, and I would have been better off putting that money into savings.  

[raeoflyte]

I'm guessing the kids are too young for sleepovers.  Or at least I will say that my son couldn't handle sleepovers at that age.  I will ask them over this Sunday and see if they want to use the washer/dryer or anything else we have.  I'll see if they volunteer any more information about the situation, and I think just send her a message this morning telling her I'm thinking about them and that we would like to help in anyway we can.  

You'd never look at them and think homeless.  Drives home the reality that you never really know what is going on in someone elses home life.  

They are very religious and active in a small church community.  I'd love to know if the church knows and what if anything the church is doing to help them so that I could contribute that way.  But I would also want to know that the money was going to help my friends situation and I think its a pretty small church so if I called and tried to ask general questions I could end up disclosing information that isn't mine to share.  

Rukh--those are the questions I'm asking myself.  I suddenly feel like the house I live in is gigantic.  My 1970's bathroom that I was so annoyed with yesterday feels luxurious.  

[andi9899]

Does the insurance policy not provide Loss of Use Coverage? Maybe they don't in your state, but I have never seen a home policy that didn't. In fact, when I worked at my last agency job before this one, agents and their staff had draft authority. I could call claims and get someone's name to put down as authorizing my draft and write a check on the spot. As an agent's staff, my authority was only for $1,000, but it was enough to get someone a decent hotel room for a while and some clothes and toiletries.

[andi9899]

Sept 23, 2014 0:36:15 GMT -5 cronewitch said:

Fires are really bad my oldest brother lost a house and 3 of his kids. He didn't live with them but the wife and other kids had nothing. Wife was in a wheel chair had surgery the day before kids left were 17 and 19. So they stayed with her mother who didn't have room or want them. No clothes or anything so people donated used clothing and money for funerals. The 17 year old was unhappy that she was wearing things that weren't her style.

Any bit of normalcy you can offer will be appreciated. I think to spend almost nothing the best bet might be to offer babysitting at your house when you can. Maybe letting the kids shop for something they get to pick like a shirt or toy so it isn't all other people's choices.

That is horrible! How sad! I have taken a fire claim or two in my day, but never with fatalities.

[Sam_2.0]

Sept 23, 2014 10:35:04 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Does the insurance policy not provide Loss of Use Coverage? Maybe they don't in your state, but I have never seen a home policy that didn't. In fact, when I worked at my last agency job before this one, agents and their staff had draft authority. I could call claims and get someone's name to put down as authorizing my draft and write a check on the spot. As an agent's staff, my authority was only for $1,000, but it was enough to get someone a decent hotel room for a while and some clothes and toiletries.

My co-worker had a fire start in her laundry room in April while she was home with her kids. Thankfully they all got right out & the FD came within a couple minutes, but the damage was so bad they were displaced until the end of August while their house had to be redone (all carpets, walls, paint, furniture had to be cleaned, etc). It was a mess! The insurance company put them up in a rented house while the work was being done so that the kids were in the same district and they had the same style of living (as close as possible). But there was an end to it. My co-worker was really worried the last week that things wouldn't be ready on-time, and insurance had already told them they HAD to be out of the rental. They wouldn't extend it. It was really tight getting all the inspections cleared so they could move back in and I think they had to go to a motel for a few nights, and they had to pay for it.

[raeoflyte]

Sept 23, 2014 10:56:43 GMT -5 Sam_2.0 said:

Sept 23, 2014 10:35:04 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Does the insurance policy not provide Loss of Use Coverage? Maybe they don't in your state, but I have never seen a home policy that didn't. In fact, when I worked at my last agency job before this one, agents and their staff had draft authority. I could call claims and get someone's name to put down as authorizing my draft and write a check on the spot. As an agent's staff, my authority was only for $1,000, but it was enough to get someone a decent hotel room for a while and some clothes and toiletries.

My co-worker had a fire start in her laundry room in April while she was home with her kids. Thankfully they all got right out & the FD came within a couple minutes, but the damage was so bad they were displaced until the end of August while their house had to be redone (all carpets, walls, paint, furniture had to be cleaned, etc). It was a mess! The insurance company put them up in a rented house while the work was being done so that the kids were in the same district and they had the same style of living (as close as possible). But there was an end to it. My co-worker was really worried the last week that things wouldn't be ready on-time, and insurance had already told them they HAD to be out of the rental. They wouldn't extend it. It was really tight getting all the inspections cleared so they could move back in and I think they had to go to a motel for a few nights, and they had to pay for it.

My guess is this is their situation, but the house is no where near habitable and they couldn't afford rent and the mortgage.   

[Sam_2.0]

Why isn't their house ready? Did more problems come up, or was the contractor just not on-top of it all? My co-worker had to spend a LOT of time dealing with the contractors and had the insurance company withhold payment until the jobs were completed. Apparently that wasn't the norm, though, and she got the impression that a lot of companies would get payment upfront and then complete jobs as they got to them.

Stinks because you can't move back in until you can get utilities, and you cant get those until you pass all the inspections. Even though we work for the elec company she had trouble getting the service back on with all the hoops - and she knows all the people here to talk to directly!

[raeoflyte]

Sept 23, 2014 11:22:31 GMT -5 Sam_2.0 said:

Why isn't their house ready? Did more problems come up, or was the contractor just not on-top of it all? My co-worker had to spend a LOT of time dealing with the contractors and had the insurance company withhold payment until the jobs were completed. Apparently that wasn't the norm, though, and she got the impression that a lot of companies would get payment upfront and then complete jobs as they got to them.

Stinks because you can't move back in until you can get utilities, and you cant get those until you pass all the inspections. Even though we work for the elec company she had trouble getting the service back on with all the hoops - and she knows all the people here to talk to directly!

I don't know all of the details.  I have a feeling that they were making plans based on the initial estimates, and everyone I know who has done renovation work says that the initial expected cost and final cost are very different, so I'm assuming that costs just crept up and they ran out of money.  Then they still felt like everything would be okay as the contractors were supposed to have everything done by early spring, but had delays and I think now the contractors want more money before they will do an work and the insurance company wants more work done before they will release any money.  Most of this is my assumption though.