CLEVELAND — The community is rallying together to support those impacted by the explosion at Garden Valley Apartments in Cleveland.
“It’s an opportunity just to help these families. Just imagine if this was you and you did not know what to do. What would you do?” asked Cleveland City Councilman Richard Starr.
Since Starr said he first heard about Monday’s Garden Valley Apartment explosion, he said he’s been on the move.
RELATED: 5 hospitalized, residents displaced after explosion, fire at apartment building
Now, in less than 48 hours, he said, some families have a new home thanks to a collective effort from housing providers, city leaders, and the mayor’s administration.
“We’ve been able to work with CMHA as well as Arbor Park, where we have about 20 of those 42 families actually with keys and a place to be able to get some sleep at today,” said Starr.
For those still waiting, Starr said he’s hopeful they, too, will have keys to a new place as soon as they confirm those vacancies are livable.
Meanwhile, on 72nd Street and Kinsman Road, Chris “DJ Kristyles” Westbrooks said Burten Bell Carr Development, Incorporated and WOVU 95.9 FM BBC Community Radio are opening their doors to collect clothes, shoes, hygiene products and even toys.
“They have zero, nothing, and we just kind of want to start them off with something that they’ll have. They can wake up to it. They can have just to get day-to-day,” said Westbrooks.
Located several streets up from Garden Valley Apartments, Westbrooks said it’s important for him to support his community, so now he and Vette Mitchell are stepping up to help the estimated 150 people impacted by this fire.
“Some of the students that I service and interact with on a regular basis in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District reside in that area, in the homes and if they’re not directly affected then family members, so it’s going trickle down,” said Mitchell.
Understanding the challenges of this situation, Pastor Sharri Thomas, a former firefighter, said she and Rivers in the Desert had their mobile healing unit, or The Healing Room, parked in the area to provide grief counseling.
“One thing about our people in neighborhoods like this is they deal with so much tragedy that it’s just another Tuesday for them, and so part of the reason for the mobile healing room is to kind of crack people open,” said Thomas.
Other organizations like the Cleveland Peacemakers Alliance are also helping, so Vincent Evans said they can prevent people from turning to violence due to this crisis and ongoing challenges with poverty.
“They feel like all is lost so they’re looking for alternative pathways to comfort at least stability so that’s one of the reasons that this is so important to us,” said Evans.
In the days, weeks and months following, community support is encouraged.
Click here to donate, or you can contact either of the organizations listed to get involved.
Donations are also being accepted at 7201 Kinsman Road, Suite 103b.
