My husband and I, Harold Oliver, are requesting any kind of advice/suggestions along with financial assistance for obtaining clothes, food and housing. In the early morning of Tuesday, March 18, 2025, the main part of the house our apartment was attached to caught fire which resulted in major fire, smoke and water damage causing the house to be determined as unlivable by the fire department. Our close friend and owner of the property also lost his life trying to save his girlfriend from upstairs. We lost all of our belongings including blankets, bedding, clothes, dishes, electronics, towels, etc, due to this fire and have to start fresh with everything.

      My husband and I have reached out to Catholic Charities, Department of Social Services, OAR, the Red Cross and 2-1-1. Catholic Charities only helps with getting into assisted living/recovery housing. The Department of Social Services will not assist us with any kind of emergency housing due to me being placed under a sanction until the middle of next month and their only suggestion was the Code Blue Shelter which won’t allow our registered ESA (Emotional Support Animal) to go with us, even with a medical paper filled out by my doctor. The only ongoing assistance either one of us receive from them are SNAP benefits. OAR suggested the same other places we have already contacted along with applying for two different apartment complexes which work with the homeless. Filling out those applications only placed us on the waiting list for those apartments which can take a month or more to reach the top.

The Red Cross has been the only agency that has provided us with assistance. They were able to place us at a hotel until Monday but after that we don’t have any place, even with family or friends, whom we could stay with, especially while having our ESA. Seeking room and board with the SPCA or other animal shelters for our ESA is not an option given our circumstances.

Any donation, even if its just $1-$5, that would help us extend our room until we are able to obtain more permanent housing and allow us to be able to get clothing, bedding, food or any other necessity, would be great and very, very appreciated. If anyone would prefer to send a private message to contact me directly regarding helping us in any way, instead of donating through this fundraiser, that is completely acceptable.

Again, my husband and I are very appreciative with any form of assistance received. Thank you.